What About Those Prodigals?

Luke 15:24 “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”

Prodigals. They can be found in every spectrum of Christianity. They flee from religious establishment congregations as well as free-in-the-spirit flocks. Kids raised on the Donut Man, Veggie Tales and Jesus festivals start looking for something sexier than John 3:16. They leave behind heart-broken parents bombarded with a barrage of unanswered questions like—what went wrong?

Maybe you know some of those prodigals. Their disdain of moral restrictions leads them as far away from church as they can manage. They find it hard to identify with the Jesus of the Bible and prefer a Jesus they form in their own image. A Jesus who winks at sin until he recedes into the shadows of irrelevancy. They become so distant from the truth that they forget what it looks like. They’re as people who think they know France because they eat croissants and crepes.

Maybe you can identify with those parents standing on the front porch watching, waiting, hoping to see that once familiar figure heading down the driveway again. You’ve run the gambit of grief, guilt and regret. Anger and disappointment have tried to snuff out your little light. Yet stubborn hope keeps resurfacing in your prayers. Somewhere deep in your heart you know the story isn’t over. Yet it’s a struggle to hold on.

If that’s you, remember the father in Luke 15. He didn’t let his son’s rejection of him and all he held dear deplete him of what he knew to be true. He wasn’t the man his son mischaracterized him to be. But a man of grace, love and second chances. This father remained steady, ready for the day when his son had enough of pigpen living.

So what about those prodigals? You may know them as brothers or sisters, nieces or nephews, maybe friends, maybe even a spouse. I believe Jesus told us the parable in Luke 15 to encourage us to never give up. The tie between the father and his prodigal son appeared to be irrevocably severed. The son was dead, lost.

But only for a while.

Maybe we should be viewing our prodigals through temporary lenses. Trust the Father who loves them far more than we do to see them through their process. Until they are alive again, found. Then get ready for the celebration!