"Welcome Home" - Luke 15:1-3, 11b- 32

Our small dog, Lucy, is always ecstatic when we return home.  We walk in the door and she begins running circles around us, frantically trying to cuddle up to us, just overjoyed that we have come home.  As many dog owners know, this over-the-top welcome is one of the great joys of having a dog.  No matter how the day has been, no matter how long we’ve been gone, no matter what mistakes we’ve made, Lucy is always thrilled to see us.

 In the story of the prodigal son, the youngest son has a moment of clarity when he finds himself envious of the pigs he’s been hired to feed.  He resolves to return to his family, to apologize for his actions, and to beg to be taken on as a hired hand.  Yet when he arrives at home, his father doesn’t even give him a chance to apologize- he runs to him and embraces him and calls for a celebration for this son who was lost and is now found.  What matters to his father is not the mistakes of his past, but rather the simple fact that he has returned.

 We have all made mistakes in our lives.  If the church was a society of moral perfection, it's possible none of us would be welcome.  Yet, God is ever beckoning us to return: to Her, to faith, to the Church.  Just like the father in the story of the prodigal son, God rejoices in our return; no matter what we’ve done or who we are.  The Church is a people being formed by God’s gracious love- people aware of their shortcomings and yet confident in God’s love and the new life She offers us.  May we celebrate the gracious love of God together and may we extend that same grace and love to others.   

 Pastor Andrew Greenhaw