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    Fourth Sunday in Lent – March 31, 2019

      Fourth Sunday in Lent ©

      INTRO:

      They always call this story… The Prodigal Son… the wild son who RAN AWAY!!

      I don’t believe I have ever told you that I ran away from home ONCE!! (Is there anyone here who also has RUN AWAY from home???)

      Yes, I was probably five years OLD… and feeling selfish and sorry for myself…wondering if my parents really did care for me?? It was a crazy thought, but, I got up and ran away…. Actually… I ran away to the basement crawl space under those basement stairs!!!

      You see, it was a clever move on my part, because I could hear all the commotion…”where’s JIMMY?? Oh no, JIMMY’s gone!!!
      What are we going to do?

      And it was then I heard my mom say… she’s going to call the police!!! YIKES!!! That’s when I appeared and received HUGS and KISSES!!!

      But I see the PRODIGAL SON story not as one about a RUNAWAY, but a FORGIVING FATHER to everyone… both sons got forgiveness from the father.

      “FATHER FORGIVE”

      In 1940, during the German air war against Great Britain, the beautiful Gothic Cathedral at Coventry was leveled.

      Afterwards the congregation of the cathedral looked through the ruins in awe and dismay……

      In their despair and sadness of this evil act of war upon their place of worship a number of people raised 2 LARGE charred beams of wood, putting them together in the form of a CROSS and inscribed on them two words, not three………

      FATHER FORGIVE
      NOT
      FATHER FORGIVE THEM

      The thought was to not be self-righteous and pointing fingers on others or those who do BAD THINGS, saying THEY NEED TO BE FORGIVEN but saying everyone needs FORGIVENESS ……we all need forgiveness from the Father.

      CONCLUSION

      LENT has been designed as a time to look into ourselves, to examine ourselves, our lifestyle, our actions, our thoughts.

      And when we discover something that is not the best version of ourselves … that is when we are to ask for FORGIVENESS.

      Running away is NEVER wholesome, but, asking for and experiencing forgiveness from the Father… is like all those HUGS AND KISSES from your family. It will raise you up and give you confidence.

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