‘You put the ring upon my finger, You put the robe upon my back, You throw your arms around me and say, ‘You are my son, my daughter, don’t forget it’’ - Jon Thurlow
These lyrics are pretty profound. When you look a little closely, they speak of a number of things: identity, acceptance, inheritance, family.
They actually echo a story found in Luke 15 about a reckless son and an extravagant father, who pursues his son after he abandons his inheritance and all he has known, in a big way. You might already be familiar with it. I am still struck by the extension of grace that is put on the line for the son. The Father waits every day for his return until one day he catches a glimpse of him and makes a run for him, to him. This homecoming changes everything.
What if I told you that there is still an invitation just like this available to you, today?
Through which:
- Your history is glorified - it is anew because of Grace
- You become who you’ve always dreamed of being - free to be wholly accepted, known and pursued
- Your life is gifted with purpose - you come home to extraordinary promise and inheritance
Grace is not flimsy or material or dependent on anything that we have done. Jesus is grace Himself, who freely gave His life for us so that we could experience the welcome of the Father. For me, this is always a back-to-the-beginning story. It re-centres my heart in a way I have yet to know otherwise. It was also one of the first places I realised I was meant for a love wilder than I could imagine.
I wonder what would happen if you and I took hold - maybe for the first time, or maybe again - more deeply, what all of this really means for us. We are known and we are always known. We are welcome and we are always welcome. We are loved and we are always loved.
What would happen if we dared to take the love of the Father at His word? What if we believed the friendship of Jesus to be our truest calling - the one that we have searched for our entire lives?
