Let me tell you the story of a young man. Let’s call him James. James is the kind of young man who Dave Ramsey would look at and shout, “poor little baby why don’t you go call the wambulance!”
See James had a problem. James was born into a very wealthy family. Normally that would be a good thing. But James took the blessings and became spoiled. He turned the Father he said he loved into a piggy bank. “Daddy I want to start a business. Don’t know why or how but you pay for it.” “Daddy I know I have a trust fund for after you die but it’s my money so can I tap into it now and take it?”
James was drowning in greed because he forgot who his father really was – a hardworking man who loved him. By the time James wasted the blessings His father gave him – his opinion of his father changed. He went from piggy bank to a Father who could never forgive him and take him back for being so greedy. The father proved all those things wrong though when even after squandering his inheritance – even after watching his son doubt his love – he ran to his son and blessed him even more and forgave him.
Most of the time our issue like James here is that we forget who our Father is. We misidentify him. Either God is someone who blesses us or we treat him like a piggy bank crying about our silver spoon. Or we see him as a nasty unforgiving master who won’t forgive us when we mess up.
Trinity Sunday is a day when we see who God is. And your God is neither stingy about his blessings nor slow to forgive. God the Father maker of heaven and earth is the God who loves his children finding them at their broken worst and giving them his best forgiveness.
You are the son who ran away but he went out to get you.
Those of you that are dads you know how this works – kid does their own thing it breaks your heart they don’t want to listen to you and you see them hurt. But no mistake could ever take your love away.
You know its Father’s day this Sunday so maybe this makes sense. None of us are going to have a perfect father in this life. Can’t happen. But you do have this – A holy heavenly Father who loves and even though we run away he comes to us and holds us in his loving embrace.