Luke 15:31-32

This is the last reading until the new year. We will start back up the week of Jan 8^th. I will send out the reading at that time. Merry Christmas!!

Rachel Workman: ³¹ “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. ³² We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

What can I say about that? This Christmas Season is a good time to reflect on our hearts. We need to guard our hearts against the things that don't line up with Christ.

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Mike Grimm:  ³¹ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” In Jesus’ parable, the older brother represented the Pharisees, who were angry and resentful that sinners were being welcomed into God’s kingdom. After all, the Pharisees must have thought, we have sacrificed and done so much for God. It’s funny how we always seem to consider others far worse sinners than ourselves. But when our self-righteousness gets in the way of rejoicing when others come to Jesus we are no better than the Pharisees.

People who repent after leading notoriously sinful lives are often held in suspicion; we are sometimes unwilling to accept them back into our lives. Instead, we should rejoice like the angels in heaven when an unbeliever repents and turns to God. Like the father, accept repentant sinners wholeheartedly and give them support and encouragement that they need to grow in Christ.

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