It is Grace

Luke 15:11-32, but what happened next?

He watched his father return to the house
And he threw his staff across the yard
In disgust.
How could his father be so gullible?
How could he believe his younger son,
That he had changed?
That he was repentent?
That was nonsense.
And why was it,
when he had worked so very hard,
That his father never rewarded him
Never celebrated his return after a long day
In the fields.
Why?

It is grace,
The likes of which
We have never seen before.
It is grace,
And there is nothing
That compares to it.
It is unfair.
It is undeserved.
It is love.
And it is available for all.
Even for the younger son.
Even for the older son.
Even for you.
Even for me.

The older son
Remembering the joy on his father's face,
Decided to go into the house,
There he found his brother,
A look of astonished wonder in his eyes.
Shining through tears.
The younger son looked at the older, and said,
"How can this be?
I would eat what we feed the pigs,
I deserve nothing else,
And yet look what he has done for me.
How can this be?"

It is grace.
The likes of which
We have never seen before.
It is extravagant
It is prodigal.
It is life changing.
How can anyone stand,
Drenched in the rain of God's love,
And not notice the wetness?

It is grace,
And it will soak through our hardest layers,
And will change everything
If we let it.
The older son stood amazed at the change
in the younger one.
Where was the arrogant brother who used to be?
Where was the one who was so hard to love?
Changed.
Altered.
Never to be the same.
It is grace,
And is it available for even the older brother.

The father came into the room.
He saw the amazement on the face of his younger son,
And he saw the confusion on the face of his older son.
Walking up to the older one,
He said, "I am glad you are here, son,
The party wouldn't have been the same without you.*
I love you, my child,
More than you can imagine.
More than you can fathom.**
At that moment,
Grace went to work,
Melting the heart of the lost son.
And his brother.
Their lives were never the same
Because they were loved.

It is grace.
The likes of which
We have never seen before.
It is grace
And there is nothing that compares to it.
It is unfathomable.
It is never ending
He offers it to all of us,
And we stand amazed in the heat of its presence.
We stand changed in its fire.
We stand before the father
And nothing about us is ever the same.

*Taken from Frederick Buechner quote describing grace, "The grace of God means something like: "Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are, because the party wouldn't have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It's for you I created the universe. I love you. There's only one catch. Like any other gift, the gift of grace can be yours only if you'll reach out and take it. Maybe being able to reach out and take it is a gift too."

**From the song More by Matthew West:

I love you more
And I see you

And I made you

And I love you

more than you can imagine

More than you can fathom

Images from Hermanoleon