Hello ,

"Then He said: "A certain man had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood. 

And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 

And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.  "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 

I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants."'

"And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

"But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry."  Luke 15:11-24

Does God throw parties?  He may not throw them in the way that we understand it, but I believe that all of heaven gets pretty excited when a lost person comes back to their Father God.  

I love this story...and I don't ever get tired of reading it.  There's something new in there to learn every time I look at it.

Notice that the father wasn't waiting on the front porch with his feet up when the son arrived.  He wasn't looking at the chagrined youngest boy with  displeasure in his voice when the young man swallowed his pride and returned back home.  We don't hear anything from the father like, "Well, well...look who's back!  What's the matter son, didn't things in the big city work out for you?"

No!  We see nothing but compassion from the Father in the parable, AND he RUNS to meet the boy while the son is still on his way towards the family homestead.  I can't help but tear up when I read this story, because there are plenty of people out there who need someone to meet them on the road that leads back home...to welcome them with open arms...and to show them love! 

Lord, help me to emulate the Father's attitude with those I meet who want to come back home.  In Jesus name, amen!

Have a great day and God bless!

Pastor Mike / The Open Word