Sunday, March 21
A wonderful story to meditate on during
the season of Lent is the story of the Prodigal Son. In a time of
self-examination and "taking stock" of our weaknesses, we can truly
identify with the young man who squandered his inheritance and found
himself living in utter destitution. We have all at one time or another
made a complete mess of things. We have all taken the mercy and grace of
God and treated it as our entitlement - a far cry from our Savior,
"who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God
something to be used to his own advantage.
(
CLICK HERE)
" We find ourselves far from the close communion with Him that our
spirits crave, but we are too proud and embarrassed to return to God.
Our time of singing this Sunday is a call to our souls that we must
return to our Father. His arms are open wide. He is running towards us.
He will not count our sins against us, but will embrace us as his
children. Praise be to our loving, inviting, forgiving Lord!
SONGS:
Wonderful,
Merciful Savior (Dawn Rodgers, Eric Wise, 1989 Word Music) - After we
read our weekly confession of sin, we will use this song to reflect on
the depth of God's mercy. We rejoice that we are offered hope "when our
hearts have hopelessly lost the way."
Come,
Now is the Time to Worship (Brian Doerksen, 1998 Vineyard Songs) - A
song of invitation, we encourage each other to enter into worship. Even
though we may feel filthy and unworthy, like the Prodigal Son, these
words ring true: "Come, just as you are, before your God..." What an
amazing thought - even in our weakness and sin, we can call Him "OUR
God," because of his reconciling atonement.
My
Shepherd Will Supply My Need (Hymn text by Isaac Watts, 1719) - A
similar parable in the Bible is of the shepherd who lost one of his
sheep, and left the 99 others to seek out that one lost animal. Not only
does God wait and invite us back, but he seeks us out in our brokenness
and heals us. He left Heaven to indwell our world, die for our sin, and
to rise, giving us new life. He surely has supplied our needs.
Here
is a choral version:
Softly and Tenderly
(Hymn by Will Thompson, 1880) - "Come home, come home, you who are
weary, come home." May you hear these words speak to your soul - "Though
we have sinned, he has mercy and pardon..."
Here is a nice
version with the great Emmylou Harris:
Take
a moment to meditate on the parable of the Prodigal Son
(
CLICK HERE). May you come home to the open arms of your God this
week.
In Him,
Patrick Bourckel