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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me "come home" to you when I've been forgetting you! Amen.

"A man had two sons," Jesus said. "He gave them some money. One stayed home, but the other ran away and spent it all. He got so poor he fed pigs to live. Finally, he went home. 'Father, I've sinned,' the boy said. 'Don't call me your son.' But the father wouldn't listen: 'Let's have a party!' he cried. The good son was angry. His father said, 'You know I love you, but we had to celebrate. Your brother was lost, and now he's found!'"

Whether you got lost, fell off a swingset and broke your arm or stood by while a friend got arrested for shoplifting, your family probably had the same reaction: first, relief that you're okay...and then yelling at you for your behavior!

When something happens to a kid, parents get scared. They don't just think about you getting lost or hurt; they think about all the things that could have happened if you were hurt worse or you weren't found. They yell because they're scared that you weren't safe and they want to make sure you don't do that again.

This week's Gospel (Luke 15:1-32) is like that. The young son runs away with a bunch of money, wastes it all and finally manages to get back home. He expects to be in big trouble - and he's shocked when his father hugs him instead. Even his brother gets upset because the young son isn't punished right away.

If you get lost or in trouble, your parents might say you've been punished enough already. That could be the point in the Gospel story: The boy spent so much time ashamed and scared that it was like a punishment. Now it's time to celebrate that he's home safe.

The father in the story is God, and the son is us. Jesus said that, no matter how far we've run away, God is always ready for us to come home - and relieved when we do. There's no punishment waiting when you've already lived through one![[In-content Ad]]

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