At North Park Saturday night something Pastor Terry shared really stuck with me. He said that the "prodigal son" story would be more aptly called the "prodigal father" story.
I always thought prodigal meant "way-ward" or "rebellious." What it actually means is "recklessly extravagant." I looked it up on dictionary.com (see definition).
It is a story about the recklessly extravagant love of the father... essentially, the recklessly extravagant love of our Father.
It certainly rips apart my old ideas about God's love being sterile and dry, loving us because He has to. What has been sticking with me from this story is how extravagant the father's love was... he didn't just affirm the restoration of relationship, and didn't just give the son what he needed... He gave him so much more. He wouldn't even let the son try to make it up, or earn his approval. Recklessly extravagant.
"He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32)
Sometimes those other good things He offers come in the form of brokenness and even suffering. And sometimes, they are just good and pure gifts that He delights in giving.
I heard Malcolm Smith say in a sermon once that God's love is not an emotion, but it is emotional.
It seems like every day God is breaking out of the boxes that I try to put Him in.
(painting: Rembrandt's "Return of the Prodigal Son")
2 comments:
You would appreciate Henri Nouwen's book "Return of the Prodigal" - also notice how in the painting the father has a masculine and feminine hand.
Kirk- thanks, I love Henri Nouwen.
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