But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found

 Good morning. Back to the Prodigal: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.”

That’s strange. Wasn’t the sin against his father? Remember what David said, “Against You and

You alone have I sinned.” And this was after not only Bathsheba, but also being responsible for

her husband being killed. I wonder if he told her what he had done? Back to the Prodigal: his

father never batted an eye. He told the servants to bring out the best suit - I mean the best

robe, etc. They killed the fattened calf ( can anyone say Kobe beef?). They had the biggest

block party ever seen! The older son had been working in the hot sun all day. He hears the

celebration and wants to know what is going on. The servants tell him, and he gets very angry

and pouty. He refuses to come celebrate. His father comes out to get him to come to the

celebration. I never neglected a command of yours, and yet you never even gave me a young

goat much less a fattened calf for me to celebrate with my friends. (in fact instead of calling

him my brother, he calls him your son.) You have always been with me, and all that is mine is

yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun

to live, and was lost and has been found. Remember that there is more joy in heaven over one

sinner who repents than over 99 who need no repentance. I can still remember coming home

from church one Sunday and my father, who never commented on a sermon, saying that that

was the first sermon he had ever heard in which the older son was criticized. Father thank You

that we always do Your will. You love us with a love incomprehensible.

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