Homecoming

Colossians 1:19-2:7

For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God.

I just read Henri Nouwen’s The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming. The entire book is written about his experience with the Rembrandt’s painting of the prodigal’s return, and how this painting has captivated him and helped the parable from Luke 15 come alive for him.

I, too, have come to see myself as this wayward son, broken and hopeless, apart from the kindness and mercy of my Father. I find that the richest times in worship, for me, are the times when I recognize myself as this wayward son in the embrace of his welcoming Father, who was not content to wait for me to return, but ran out to meet me and bring me home.

God has reconciled us to himself in Jesus’ blood, shed on the cross for us. While we were in distant countries, looking for love in all the wrong places, living in rebellion, arrogance, and/or ignorance, He came to us, offering us peace and forgiveness.

Let God’s mercy wash you clean today, as feel your Father’s warm embrace at the cross of Jesus.