Where’s my Party? | The Older Brother (Luke 15)
Welcome to Real Life. It's not always fair. "Resentment is an early warning signal for needed change." –Dr. Henry Cloud “I totally agree with the older brother,” Jill told our group. Six of us were gathered around my kitchen table discussing the Parable of the Prodigal Son. “If we serve God our entire lives,” she said, “And then a mean and selfish person prays for forgiveness on his death bed, and God welcomes him into heaven—just like he welcomes you and me—it’s just not fair!” The parable focuses on the younger brother. He demands his inheritance early, and then leaves home and burns through his windfall on wild living. Hungry, humble, and repentant, he returns to seek his father’s forgiveness. The father is waiting, not with a lecture, but with a loving embrace. The son whom he feared was dead has returned alive. He wraps his robe around his son’s shoulders, places a ring on his son’s finger, and throws a grand party. The entire household celebrates, minus one. The ol...