17 But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have food enough to spare, but here I am dying from hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired workers.”’ 20 So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way from home his father saw him, and his heart went out to him; he ran and hugged his son and kissed him. 21 Then his son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Hurry! Bring the best robe, and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet! 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it! Let us eat and celebrate, 24 because this son of mine was dead, and is alive again—he was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Tramanh Nguyen

The story of the lost son is a powerful one. There’s a little bit of the reader – or maybe a lot of the reader! – in the story, especially as we hone in on the thoughts and emotions of the lost son.

In the lost son, we see that our hearts wander far away from our true home, our purpose and our Father. Living for ourselves seems more desirable and attractive, so we recklessly pursue the pleasure of this world. But when we realise the emptiness that the world brings, we find ourselves at a dead end, alone and lost. We realise we have no options and that we need to let go of our pride and return back to our Father.

In the past when I read this passage, I would often only relate to the lost son when I thought about the story of when I became a Christian. Subconsciously I thought, “I don’t do that now as a Christian. This is a conversion story.” But as I reflect on this story again now, I am in shock, because I realise that I am the lost son over and over again. I often wander. I often find the world more desirable than God, and I often pursue the pleasures of this world. Again and again, I end up running back to the Father in repentance and asking for forgiveness.

Naturally, when we read the Bible we think about how we can relate to the story. But what we often forget is that the story is meant to highlight the compassionate Father. He embraces those who are unworthy, those who turn their backs on Him, when they return to him. Let’s thank God that when we are far from home, He eagerly awaits and yearns for us to come back. Thank God that, though we are prone to wander and our hearts are weak, He runs to us, embraces us, holds us safely in His arms and celebrates that we are back home with Him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tramanh is a member of our Fairfield Morning congregation.