The power of a homecoming
Maybe returning is all that really matters (Luke 15:20)
In my last reflection on The Parable of the Prodigal Son, I suggested the younger son’s decision to return home contained important elements of the reconciliation process. The son, acting on his decision to return, starts toward home. Toward the end of his journey, his father sees him coming:
“And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20)
The father, seeing his son, rushes to him to welcome him. Two thoughts emerge from this one verse about the power of a homecoming.
While the younger son “was still a long way off,” he was seen by his father. You can almost imagine the father waiting, longing for his son to walk up the path to the house. Maybe the father climbed daily to a high point on a building or hill to keep watch for his son. Perhaps he lingered at the end of the road, peering toward the horizon, hoping beyond hope that his son would return. Despite the difficult circumstances in which our children sometimes leave us — with anger, or sadness, or disappointment — our yearning for their return, our hope for their homecoming, dwells deep within us.
He finally sees him! The father’s joy at his son’s return supersedes the economic and relational turmoil of his departure. Whatever rift, problem, or situation that caused the son’s leave-taking was insignificant compared to his choice to return. This homecoming is a testament to the power of the family bond.
Can you imagine, or have you ever experienced, the physcial or emotional departure of a child or other family member? How might you react to their long-awaited return to your family or family business?