There at the journeys end dirty and degraded he stands before his father. The well rehearsed lines flowing from his lips. Then silence. His fathers face unchanging then with eyes brimmed with tears those strong arms surrounded him. 

Pulling him close. Protective arms that had held him so many times before when the world had hurt him. The smell of his fathers cologne mingled with the smell of lanoline from years of working with sheep fill his senses with being safe. Safe at last. Roughened hands hold his face wet with tears. 

   Then his mother smothering him with kisses taking away his tears. Her damp cloth smoothing away the smudge of dirt on cheeks streaked with lines of tears Hand trying to pat down untamed neglected hair.  Then he is pressed between his mother’s soft embraced his father strong arms  beyond all hope safe, safe at last 

Your home. Our lost one is home. 

Not all are happy. 

Later Father asks of his older son why are you not pleased your brother who was thought dead is alive returned to us. 

Should there not be some consequence.  Some accountability for stupidity .  I do all that is right and what do I get bupcus .   Once more roughed hands take a tear stained face look deep in eyes of hurt. Once more words of forgiveness are spoken. You have been always there, always willing always responsible.  And you will have all that I have.  Your brother will have to start his life again and build his own fortunes. But he was lost and now is found. Dead and now alive.  And we are whole again. We lived in hope beyond hope and we have had our prayers answered.  Of all that will be yours remember this night for it has taught you that hope is what at times will sustain you. My son my beloved boy. 

 A Sunday School teacher asked her class “Was anyone sorry when the prodigal son returned? One boy answered the fatted calf. 

The Prodigal Son is a story that is well known mainly because people relate to it so well. It functions on multiple layers and may be that is why it is so well loved. 

The story deals with the creation of right relationships. 

The story deals with forgiveness 

The story deals with justice 

The story deals with responsibility 

And is a story of hope 

It begins with hope, hope of a different life. Hope that a lost one will be found.

It carries the hope of setting things right 

The younger son comes looking for forgiveness from his father Not looking for more just forgiveness,

The older son demonstrates responsibility he follows the model of what it is to be a good upstanding person. And yet he is tempted to envy his brother’s attention, he is resentful. And he is justified in those feeling. He busted his butt and what did it get him. In the moment he fails to see what he had. But his fathers reminds him that It was him that helped that looked after the family, that he will have everything. 

The older brother the villain, the younger brother Hero the misunderstood rebel with a cause who wonders back.  But this is not true 

 It reminds us of our free will we choose our paths. The older brother maybe could have been a little less up tight, the younger brother perhaps a bit more responsible, the father a little less great expectation for older son and a little more back bone with his younger son. 

The story reminds us that we are called to live in right relations with those around us. 

We are reminded all of our choices effect other people. We at times find ourselves torn by responsibility and recklessness.  Resentful of our choices, or regretful. Moments of pride in how we have handled our inheritance of life gifts from God and sometimes we may lament on how we have wasted them. 

The story reminds us of the need for balance in our lives between work and play or perhaps it reminds us that work should be enjoyable. 

It remind us that in making life choices we have room for error. That we don’t have to be perfect. That regardless if we are responsible or stray away that God loves us all the same. It reminds us of forgiveness. Not to carry our anger.  Anger and un-forgiveness are blood relatives. To carry a grudge states William H Walton is like being stung to death by one bee. 

- Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future. - Forgiveness is a by product of healing , Forgiveness is a process...not just one act. Forgiveness is not just a word that is offered and then everything is all oky doky. It is a process of relation building, of finding that new place where people can stand with dignity. 

 It reminds us of new beginning and starting over again bringing us full circle back to hope. 

 A son who is estranged from his father and sends a note home to his mother. He wants to return but isn’t sure he is able. He isn’t sure he can make it. He isn’t sure that his father would be willing to receive him. The father reads the message and is the one to respond come as far as you can, I’ll come the rest of the way.

God meets us on our journey.  God meets us when we realize that we made a mistake. God meets us when we have become lost. God meets us where we are and helps us to discern our direction.  

Knowing that God meets us where we are give us the 

Hope to move forward.  To inspire us to seek out that right relationship of openness and forgiveness. With those we journey with but within ourselves. 

   Today we are reminded that we live in the promise of forgiveness that we live in hope of God’s presence in our journey the hope that reminds us that we are not alone. 

Prayers of the people

Hear our prayer we humbly offer

Grant to us your peace O God

Hear our prayer we humbly offer

Grant to us your peace O God.

Prayer 

God whose arms encircle us in our brokenness. Who weeps when our hearts are breaking. God who hears our sobbing cry when we feel alone in tide of humanity. God in all of our lostness you welcome us home regardless of how far we may have journeyed away from you.  Hear our prayers. The prayers of our hearts. The prayers that carry our pain and hurt. The prayers that hold our joys and dreams.  The prayers for a world so torn with conflict. The prayers for the displaced, the lost the hungry and sick.  The prayers for those whom we are called to journey with.  We name there here in this place.  Send O God your Spirit to gently gather the broken pieces of our world and draw them once more into a loving wholeness. Send O God your Spirit upon us to draw together the fractured piece of our own lives so that we may know your joy and the love of your presence.  To you great comforter surrounded by the love we know in this community of your people we offer our prayers and the great prayer which bind us as one saying Our Father….