Jesus paints a picture of a world in his story of a foolish son and even more foolish father. It's a world of unmerited grace. We people who love to count and keep score have lots of trouble understanding it. Pulled down by the weight of our own claims to righteousness, we can only echo the words of the elder brother. But that is not so for those of us who've been down and out, to those who've been lost, and to those who've been dead. Even if the father's world isn't the real world, it's the one world that really matters… the Kingdom of God. We are gathered at worship this morning to celebrate the homecoming of the prodigals, including all of us.
