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2020 has given us every opportunity to complain. It has certainly been a year that has reminded us what it means to be in the world. The father, in the story, is working through relational challenges with both of his sons. Not everyone in the house, through the duration of the story, is happy. Maybe the appeal of this story is that things do not go well, easily, for any of us. The story tells the truth about our lives. The story of the father with two sons is descriptive, but suddenly, it takes a turn and becomes surprising prescriptive. The father essentially says, “Rejoice with me.” Again, the father says, “we had to celebrate and rejoice.” The father is compelled to assume a posture of joy despite on-going relational challenges.
Wow! Not everything in the world is great, but like the father, we have to celebrate what IS right in the world. Not everything is perfect but what is good? Not everyone is happy, but happiness is not synonymous with joy? Not everyone is content, but we have been given that peace that passes all understanding. The father is compelled to celebrate and rejoice.
Look around. Go for a walk. Breathe in that crisp November air. You are alive! A miracle in action. If you are having a tough day; there is tomorrow. If you are having a tough season, there is the Father – God, who loves you, waits for you, lays his hands upon you, and says in word and deed that you are a child of God. You are chosen…so live, so live from your chosenness! This is the ultimate claim of the story – God loves you. This is why we have to celebrate and rejoice.
We are in this season of Thanksgiving! What can you celebrate? In what ways are you blessed? Remember, celebration leads to thanksgiving and thanksgiving circles back to celebration, and both celebration/thanksgiving, will lead you into a new direction in life!
Jesus constantly teaches us how to live!
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