March 27th, 2026
Friday, March 27
“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
~Luke 15:31-32
“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
~Luke 15:31-32
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Everything is grace. That is, everything in this life is a gift. And God is generous. This is the story of creation, is it not? God created all things and has given generously of his goodness, kindness, and all things for our benefit. And God does not discriminate. As Jesus says, “he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45).
It still is this way, and it always will be. The human struggle is to live as a human made in the image of this God, and not try to build our own world. Which means it is our calling to be generous agents of God’s ridiculous generosity. To do otherwise is to participate in the ways of death in the world.
And yet. You know this is coming…we fail. Sometimes miserably. And yet…that doesn’t stop God the Father of Jesus Christ and giver of the Spirit from continuing to shower his generosity on us. God is generous because God is love.
This, I know, causes all kinds of concern and discomfort when it comes to thinking that God would be so generous to “those people” who don’t deserve it (it’s always “those people,” never us). This is what happened to the “good” son in the Prodigal Son story. The younger son had recklessly abused his father’s generosity. And then he dared to come home. And then the father dared not only to welcome him back as his son, but to lavishly bless this reckless abuser of grace and celebrate him! Of course the other son had a problem. More often than we’d like to admit, that son is us.
But the two sons are not all that different, really. They both are recipients of their father’s reckless generosity. And they both misunderstand the father’s generosity. One uses it for his own selfishness. The other doesn’t want it to be used. Both miss out on the full joy and abundance of living in father’s generous grace.
To be agents of grace, we have to be receivers of grace first. But, sadly this seems difficult. The one son was a taker of grace; the other son was a hoarder of grace, a protector of grace. The father was a giver whose generous grace was intended neither to be taken nor protected. It exists to be received, to bring abundance, flourishing, and love between one another.
Lent is a season that intends to bring us back to recognizing the father’s generous grace that is at the heart of who we are. It gives us space to return to the story of the father who welcomes us all home no matter what, and who showers his grace upon us. It gives us space to take time to reflect and remember that we exist by grace, that all things are ours, and God’s grace is something to celebrate with others, not protect and hold onto for a rainy day.
As agents of God’s grace, remember that we are first and always receivers. We are not curators or caretakers of grace. We are not protectors of grace. Grace is meant to be given – and only by the giver. We just share in it and share the joy.
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For reflection:
Prayer: Lord God, you are a God of radical grace and kindness. We often try to manage your grace, but you just want us to be recipients of it. Help us to experience the joy of your grace and share that joy with others. Amen.
Everything is grace. That is, everything in this life is a gift. And God is generous. This is the story of creation, is it not? God created all things and has given generously of his goodness, kindness, and all things for our benefit. And God does not discriminate. As Jesus says, “he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45).
It still is this way, and it always will be. The human struggle is to live as a human made in the image of this God, and not try to build our own world. Which means it is our calling to be generous agents of God’s ridiculous generosity. To do otherwise is to participate in the ways of death in the world.
And yet. You know this is coming…we fail. Sometimes miserably. And yet…that doesn’t stop God the Father of Jesus Christ and giver of the Spirit from continuing to shower his generosity on us. God is generous because God is love.
This, I know, causes all kinds of concern and discomfort when it comes to thinking that God would be so generous to “those people” who don’t deserve it (it’s always “those people,” never us). This is what happened to the “good” son in the Prodigal Son story. The younger son had recklessly abused his father’s generosity. And then he dared to come home. And then the father dared not only to welcome him back as his son, but to lavishly bless this reckless abuser of grace and celebrate him! Of course the other son had a problem. More often than we’d like to admit, that son is us.
But the two sons are not all that different, really. They both are recipients of their father’s reckless generosity. And they both misunderstand the father’s generosity. One uses it for his own selfishness. The other doesn’t want it to be used. Both miss out on the full joy and abundance of living in father’s generous grace.
To be agents of grace, we have to be receivers of grace first. But, sadly this seems difficult. The one son was a taker of grace; the other son was a hoarder of grace, a protector of grace. The father was a giver whose generous grace was intended neither to be taken nor protected. It exists to be received, to bring abundance, flourishing, and love between one another.
Lent is a season that intends to bring us back to recognizing the father’s generous grace that is at the heart of who we are. It gives us space to return to the story of the father who welcomes us all home no matter what, and who showers his grace upon us. It gives us space to take time to reflect and remember that we exist by grace, that all things are ours, and God’s grace is something to celebrate with others, not protect and hold onto for a rainy day.
As agents of God’s grace, remember that we are first and always receivers. We are not curators or caretakers of grace. We are not protectors of grace. Grace is meant to be given – and only by the giver. We just share in it and share the joy.
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For reflection:
- Read Luke 15:11-32. Think about the Lord’s grace for both brothers. How is the Spirit speaking to you through this story? Which son are you more likely to be like? How is God’s grace equally for both?
- For those with kids: Talk about the Prodigal Son story. What do they think about the father’s actions? Would they have acted differently?
Prayer: Lord God, you are a God of radical grace and kindness. We often try to manage your grace, but you just want us to be recipients of it. Help us to experience the joy of your grace and share that joy with others. Amen.
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