Prodigal Family

Our problems start with a choice

The most powerful thing we have been given was the gift of choice. But this issue start not from the point of nothing but from a point of something. Yesterday, I spoke about Moses and he went from desert-dweller to Freedom fighter. From no authority to power. David looked after sheep to being the greatest king in the history of Israel. But here we find the opposite,,,someone moving from the source of his life to the desert.

we read what is happening to this young man in the desert. Desert signifies a place of nothing. Let me tell you a little bit more about the desert...I guess in a desert there is huge measure of vulnerability, of desperation, confusion, deservedness….

The Bible does not talk about the emotions of Jesus but I guess in a desert there is huge measure of vulnerabilty, of desperation, confusion, desertedness….

We have those symbolic deserts in our own lives….spaces where we are feeling lonely, deserted, vulnerable, pushed-aside by the world, many emotions attached to being in that space…

Nature observers would also tell us that there would be some creatures in the desert…Vultures especially. Preying on the dying, waiting for someone to die…they can smell death. Let’s bring that to home….we find ourselves in those desert spaces many times….places of vulnerability, of loneliness, human vultures waiting for us to die…unfortunately in the church that can be as well. The Bible says he comes to his senses. Here again it is about choices…he has a choice to make…either come back or back off....stay in the state he is in? Distractions....I tell you what he comes back to a bit later.

Maybe you are not this guy. Maybe you have not wandered off from the source, the Father. Maybe you are like the son who stayed with the source of life. Let’s talk about the son a bit. He stays behind like a good son should....I am ok. But his reaction after his brother comes back....he throws a pity party. I was here all along and you never gave me the same treatment...

A few things to chew on. Scripture speaks about the young son going to a distant country. It talks about physical distance. He travelled. But we should also consider that sometimes you can be near the source but be distant in your relationship…sometimes you can be in a relationship and still be distant. We have people being present in the physical but absent in the spirit. You see he endorses thismindset when he throws this pity party....his father shows himself to his sons. Just like God, he is revealing himself to you

God will do anything to bring you to your senses and being in relationship with you. This is an excited God who is intentional...

COme back to the source of life....to community/ Lazarus