A Father’s Loving Welcome
How do we welcome home our lost brothers and sisters? By running out to them, embracing them, and kissing them. By clothing them with the best clothes we have and making them our honored guests. By offering them the best food and inviting friends and family for a party. And, most important of all, by not asking for excuses or explanations, only showing our immense joy that they are with us again (see Luke 15:20-24).
That is being perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. It is forgiving from the heart without a trace of self-righteousness, recrimination, or even curiosity. The past is wiped out. What counts is the here and now, where all that fills our hearts is gratitude for the homecoming of our brothers and sisters.
—Henri Nouwen
Welcoming Home
Once again, Nouwen mentions the Prodigal Son passage—a portion of Scripture that particularly spoke to his heart and ministry. (Read The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming, Nouwen’s moving observations of Rembrandt’s masterpiece of the same name.) Rembrandt’s painting has always spoken to my heart (we have a large print hanging in the halls of Sanctuary Clinics) for its depiction of the awe-inspiring account of God’s fatherly love in the parable. As followers of Jesus, we’ve all experienced that welcoming love. As emissaries for the Gospel, it is our calling to be as welcoming in love towards others. This manner of love is our highest calling. Jesus said the watching world would know we are His followers by the love we extend to others. How well is our Father’s love represented in us? Where and how (and dare I ask, to whom) might we love better? —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics