a.

Sunday service
b. October 10, 2021 (9:00 am-10:00 am)
c. Virtual participation
d. Facebook livestream
On the gospel reading Luke 15:1-32, Jesus not only welcomes sinners but that
he also has actually sit down at table and eat with them. The pharisees criticized
Jesus for this. However this action implies that Jesus is forgiving and loving. In
the bible reading, he told a story about the “Prodigal Son parable”. A story about
a father forgiving his son despite leaving and abandoning his father for the sake
of money and power. Despite this, the father forgave his son. Just like Jesus and
the father in the parable, we are capable of forgiving others. To be able to
forgive others is a gift to ourselves. When we forgive we free ourselves. When
we forgive others and forgive ourselves we shift into a newly created space that
shines with compassion and mercy.
If God can forgive us despite our sins, we can also forgive others. At times in our
lives, we also have left the home of our God. We have wandered away and
perhaps we also have squandered what little we had. How long did we keep our
distance from God? Were we afraid that God would never forgive us? Perhaps
we thought we did not deserve to be forgiven. And yet, God is always on the
watch for us, yearning for us, waiting for us to return home. God will never stop
loving us.