Remembering Home

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!’” — Luke 15:17

On Sunday, we talked about returning to the Lord and how, in the Prodigal Son parable, the father receives him with open arms. The turning point is in verse 17. The son finally realises that returning to his father is his only hope for escaping the miserable consequences of his actions.

Because his older brother is too proud and self-righteous to come looking for him, he has to “come to his senses” alone. But that doesn’t mean beginning a vague spiritual search, wondering whether there might be a god somewhere who can help him. He just remembers his father.

A more literal translation could be, “he came to himself.” The son remembers who he is, where he has come from, and what life was like in his father’s house. While he’s prepared to accept the consequences of his rebellion, he also remembers the privileges of belonging to his father’s family.

One of the great blessings of belonging to the covenant community is that our children grow up hearing the gospel, learning God’s Word, and experiencing life as God’s family. This gives us hope that, should they ever wander, the Lord would graciously bring them to themselves. In other words, he would cause them to remember who they are, to reclaim their family identity, and come home.

When they do, they won’t be searching for an unknown God, but returning to their gracious Father, who runs to welcome his children with open arms.

Blessings,

Geoff