from the Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning page 189. On the prodigal son:
"I am moved that the father didn't cross-examine the boy, bully him, lecture him on ingratitude, or insist on any high motivation. He was so overjoyed at the sight of his son that he ignored all the canons of prudence and parental discretion and simply welcomed him home. The father took him back just as he was.
What a word of encouragement, consolation, and comfort! We don't have to sift our hearts and analyze our intentions before returning home. Abba just wants us to show up. We don't have to tarry at the tavern until purity of heart arrives. We don't have to be shredded with sorrow or crushed with contrition. We don't have to be perfect or even very good before God will accept us. We don't have to wallow in guilt, shame, remorse, and self-condemnation. Even if we still nurse a secret nostalgia for the far country, Abba still falls on our neck and kisses us."
Prodigal son is one of the most preached on topics but I think it is because we all identify with it in the different phases of our lives.
1 comment:
It is interesting that you post this. I was thinking about the Prodigal Son recently and how the way I relate to it has changed in the last couple years.
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