Father's Day

I wish KatieLyn, the runaway bride, could have been in the Father's Day service at church this morning. Several things were brought out that I think pertain to her and her family's situation.  I took notes.

The background text was Jesus' teaching the parable of the Prodigal Son. KatieLyn is no prodigal. If anything, she is just the opposite and has more in common with the elder son in that parable. But this morning's sermon did not focus much on the prodigal son at all; it was about the father releasing the sons into manhood—and releasing them into the guardianship of God's word.

If you are not familiar with the story, you can find it HERE - The Story of the Lost Son. It will open in a new window.

You can derive a lesson from every character's point of view in the story, but the one that was explored this morning was how God the Father releases his children to grow. Release is not abandonment. From a man's-wisdom point of view, it could look like the younger son was released "too much!" But he did come to his senses and matured in a way he never would have at home.

KatieLyn's identity is closer to that of the elder son, who always did what he thought was "the right thing to do" even when he found no joy in it. Even though he always "did the right thing," we see that he had, in his own mind, become a slave to his father rather than a a son. He was still emotionally working for his father, even though he was legally the owner. He did not understand the inheritance that had been provided for him.

When the younger son came to his senses and returned to his father, he was willing to come back as a servant but his father recognized his "office" as a son. How ironic that the elder son, who actually owned the entire estate at this point and would have technically been his brother's boss, was the one whose offended heart caused him to act like a mistreated slave.