Thought for the Week

Let’s look again at the Luke passage. Remember this is a parable. Jesus is attempting to teach people God loves them with a desperate love that willingly forgives and wants His children to be like Him. But, I believe we can ask the Holy Spirit to teach us other things by examining this parable. 1. Do you think the younger son learned to accept being a son who had no wealth but could still be satisfied to know he had the intense love of his father? 2. Do you think the older son came to understand his father was right to demonstrate love and forgiveness for his younger brother? 3. Do you think the older brother came to understand his father’s love for him was not based in obeying his father’s commands but based on just being his father’s son? 4. Do you think that even though they were likely radically different in many ways, the brothers came to love, accept, and support each other? Do you think I can learn those lessons? Do you think you can learn those lessons? Now let’s go to the Galatians passage. Do you recognize that if you have received God’s gift of the Savior God sent to redeem all of us who have broken His Laws you are an heir to the riches of God in Christ Jesus? God sent His Spirit to enter our hearts and help us learn the lessons we are to learn in this world. Had God The Son, The second Person of the Trinity, entered this world as He was eternally, we likely would have missed, not only the beautiful Christmas Story, but also the understanding that He was fully human like us, tempted like we are (But without sinning as we do), and because of this He can intercede at the Throne of Grace, pleading for God to aid us in this world. Of course there are many things I wish were recorded of His life between the Story of His birth and His baptism, anointing and empowering of the Holy Spirit. Of course there is that short story of His appearance in the Temple at age twelve. Rejoice to read verse seven: “Because of this, you are no more a slave but a son and since you are a son, you are an heir of God through Jesus Christ.” I want to focus for a moment on verse two: “We are under teachers and authorities until the time appointed by the Father.” That most certainly can remind us that God has a Plan. Only He knows when things are to happen: That includes the time for our death, for the rapture of the Church, for the Return of Christ, and for a lot of other things. God also has the answers to all our questions. I am glad when He chooses to reveal some things. There are a lot of unknowns. This is a natural world and there are natural elements in it. Satan and his evil minions are working. We know they have limitations but sometimes it seems those limitations are pretty expansive. God is still in control but we know He allows things that we cannot understand. Job is our primary example of that. We claim and cling to Romans 8:28, “And we know that God is working all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.” There are times I truly feel like an infant so far as what I know is concerned. But I also know that I am an infant in the care of a loving Heavenly Father. He sent His Son to be born of a young, humble, peasant, virgin engaged to a righteous, working man. That worked out well for us.

Scriptures to Read

Galatians 4:1-7 and

St. Luke 15:11-32