The Father's Heart
[From the Prodigal Son]
 Rembrandt's
"The Return of the Prodigal Son" is a graphic depiction of a
father's love. Notice the larger, gnarled, and strong left hand showing
the strength of the father while the right hand is smaller, more delicate,
and depicts the love of the mother. Notice how the son is on his knees
holding on to the father in a sign of repentance. Notice the worn shoes,
notice the father embracing the son, not acting as a harsh father who
is sitting in judgment but as a compassionate and merciful father who
is forgiving and welcoming him with open arms.
We see in Luke 15:11-32 that the son had taken his inheritance
and squandered it on "loose" living and ended up feeding the
pigs -- a job no self-respecting Jewish boy would ever do. Taking stock
of his sinful ways the son gave up his "sonship" and returned
to his father with a repentant heart, willing to be a servant of his father.
The son may have forfeited his "sonship" but the
father did not give up his role as father. The father preferred not to
serve as a judge but instead to forgive and be compassionate. If your
sins have gotten you away from our heavenly Father, don't back further
away. Does meeting the Father make you scared and fearful? Be willing
to be a servant of our heavenly Father and return to Him and He will welcome
you with open arms. Know the reality of how Father God feels about His
children and then share that love with others.
So let's look at three expressions of the Father's love.
I. The Faithfulness of the Father:
When the prodigal son left home he took his inheritance
with him (one-third of the father's wealth). Then he did things with it
that would normally offend members of the Jewish faith. When the son hit
bottom he realized that it would be better for him to be a servant of
his father than what he was doing. Then he returned to his father.
Now notice in Luke 15:20 what it says about the father.
So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long
way off,his father saw him and was filled with compassion for
him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
His father was searching the horizon for his son. He was
diligent. This dad was waiting for his son to come back. He had the Father's
heart for his child and wanted his son to come back.
In today's world many people have not experienced this kind
of love. The forecasts are that by the year 2020 more than half of the
families in our country will be single parent homes, many of which will
be homes without a father. Even today we see families where the father
may come home at night but isn't plugged into the family. He gets home
and picks up the paper or turns on the television instead of hugging his
children and engaging them in conversation. The family dinner hours should
be important. It is a time of sharing what happened throughout the day
and supporting each other.
In the same way, we fathers also need to spend time with
our heavenly Father. II Chronicles 16:7 talks about what happened to King
Asa when he relied upon alliances with other kings instead of relying
upon God. Father God wants us to rely only upon Him. Psalm 11 talks about
trusting in God. Why "flee," it says. God is in control.
You see, it is just like a tapestry. It is the vertical
threads that hold the entire work together. Even if the horizontal threads
start to unravel, if the vertical threats are intact the tapestry will
hold together. Even when we see chaos around us, we need to remember that
the vertical threads that flow from the courts of our Lord are still intact,
they will hold together and not come unraveled.
II. The Forgiveness of the Father:
Not only should we remember the faithfulness of the father
but also his forgiveness. Notice it says the father ran to his son, threw
his arms around him and kissed him.
So he got up and went to his father. But while he
was still a long way off,his father saw him and was filled with compassion
for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed
him.
Father God stands in judgment but he also has a heart that
is broken for the waywardness of His children. II Corinthians 5:19 talks
about how God wants to reconcile us to Him. He doesn't want to be aloof
from His people. God should not only be seen as a judge, but also as a
loving father.
Back in Luke 15 we see the father meeting his son and placing
a robe around him.
...But the father said to his servants, "Quick! Bring the best
robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his
feet...[vs. 22]
The robe represents being part of the family, the ring the boy's "sonship."
The father is welcoming his son, not serving as his judge.
III. The Fellowship of the Father:
Not only should we see the faithfulness and the forgiveness of the father
but also his desire to be in fellowship with his son.
Just like our heavenly Father, this father didn't just want to deliver
his son from his wrongful living but he wanted to have him return to participation
in the family. Our Heavenly Father doesn't just give us eternal life,
he wants us to experience participation in his family right now.
Jesus told the disciples how to pray... He said, when you pray, pray
"Our Father..." You see, Jesus was telling us to address our
creator as father, daddy, Abba Father. We are not to be afraid of him.
We are to call him daddy because he wants to be in a loving relationship
with us. We are not dealing here with bondage to a fearful God but as
children to their father.
In our nation today, we are in many ways a prodigal country. We have
gotten away from what the founding fathers had in mind. We need to tell
people about the heart of God and let Him enfold them and start to turn
us around.
An Interesting Sidebar:
In the introductory remarks Archbishop Sly talked about the wedding this
summer of one of his daughters and the tradition in his parish. At the
wedding, the father wears a white stole which symbolizes his role as priest
of his family. When the annoucement is made in the ceremony that the man
and woman are now husband and wife, the bride's father comes forward and
places the stole around the shoulders of his new son-in-law as a visable
sign that the father's daughter has moved from the family church (priesthood)
of her father to the family church (priesthood) of her husband.
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