Luke 15:11-32

"Jesus continued:"There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them. Now long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that while country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to hill his stomach with the pods the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. When he came to his senses,, he said 'How many of my fathers hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!' I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.' So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son sad to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was once dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found. So they began to celebrate. Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. Your brother has come, he replied and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sounds. The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father. 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my fiends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!' My son, the father said,'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and found!"

_________________________________________________

It is funny the side of this parable you see when you have not fully accepted Christ into your life and understand mercy and grace! For many years I played the part of the first brother, I followed the rules, did well in school and thought that I was doing what was expected of me to get the praise all while my bother lived a very different life style. For the majority of the people in my life now they are not aware the history that come with my bother and most may not even know that I have a brother at all. For many years I was mad at my bother for decisions that he made that had effected my family greatly and hurt my parents. Without know, God was starting to work in my heart toward a greater understanding of what this parable went and the story of forgiveness and redemption that it told for all of our lives. When I was younger and still living in Colorado I would become upset with my parents when my brother would return home and they would be so happy he had returned with the hopes that his apologizes were sincere and that he was willing to change his life. I would grow up set, arguing with my parents about how they could just welcome him back and would call him: The Prodigal Son! At the time I did not realize how wrong I was behind the meaning of this parable and only saw the side of the first brother.
It was not until I moved to Chicago and God really started changing my life and drawing me closer and more in love with him that I was able to forgive my brother for all that has happened in the past and from there this parable became more and more real to what really happens in all of your lives. I can almost guarantee we all have those people in our lives that need our forgiveness and we all need God to be able to do so. But even more then out humanly forgiveness how much more do these people need Christ in their own lives! Imagine the day when we can say "For this son (daughter, brother, sister, mother, father, husband, wife, friend, boss, friend) was DEAD and is ALIVE again! They were LOST! And now they are FOUND! What a glorious day when we can celebrate having our blood family join the kingdom and become one in the blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Chris Tomlin released a song called: God's Great Dance Floor! It is the story of the redemption of God's unending love! It tells the story of the lost son and the party that is thrown! The parable of the Lost Son is one that is about each and every one of us! We were all dead and when we came to Christ and gave our lives to Him....HE THREW A PARTY! We have come home! We are God's once again! This is a story that each and every one of us and put a page into, and if you have not given your life to Christ yet I invite you to join the party! Chris Tomlin's song shows just a small glimpse of the party we have waiting for us in Heaven! Imagine the joy in the heart of this father when his son came home. Now imagine how much greater God's joy is when we come home! Join the party today! Give your life to Christ! If you gave your life to Christ pray for those who have not! Forgive those who have hurt you! And watch the video below! Turn it up loud! Worship God openly! Celebrate being apart of the party that is Christ unending love!

"I feel alive! I come alive! I am alive on God's great dance floor!! You never stop loving us! No matter how far we run! You never give up on us! All of heaven shouts: LET THE FUTURE BEGIN!"

Chris Tomlin: "God's Great Dance Floor"