Last Sunday, I was able to attend the Eucharist at St Albright’s for the first time for a couple of weeks. It was lovely to be back and I was struck again by the opening words of the Prayer after Communion: 

“Father of all,

We give you thanks and praise,

That when we were still far off

You met us in your Son and brought us home……” 

As always, those words reminded me of the Story of the Prodigal Son. Jesus told this parable in response to the religious teachers and purists of his day who grumbled when Jesus sat down to eat with those who were regarded as the dregs of society. It is crammed with significant details and spiritual truths and, for anyone who would like to reflect on the story deeply, I recommend Henri Nouwen’s superb book, The Prodigal Son. But for this short thought for the week, I just want to highlight the sentence which the prayer echoes. The story, of course, is that the younger son insults his father, older brother and whole family by demanding his legacy early and sets off to see the world. After much wine, women and song, his money has gone and he scrapes a living by tending pigs in a foreign country. He starts to think again of home and resolves to go and throw himself on his father’s mercy and beg to be employed as a hired hand, so he starts on his way. Then the wonderful verse: “He was still a long way from home when his father saw him; his heart was filled with pity, and he ran, threw his arms round his son, and kissed him……” I quote from the Good News Bible, the illustrated copies of which have a lovely line drawing of the father standing on the flat roof of his house, craning to see the approaching figure – he has, apparently, been looking for him, yearning for him to come home all the time, in spite of everything.  

We should understand the father in the story to represent our Father God. He drew near to us – humanity- in Jesus Christ, not because we were keeping close to him, but because he yearned to welcome us in to his kingdom of love and perfect forgiveness, in spite of all the world’s wrong turns. And he continues to look for us, yearning to welcome us even when we are still far from him. This is not because we have done the right things, but simply because he is our Father and he loves us. So we can change the words slightly to: 

“I was still a long way from home when my father saw me; his heart was filled with pity, and he ran, threw his arms round me, and kissed me.”    

“Father of all,

We give you thanks and praise,

That when we were still far off,

You met us in your son and brought us home.

Dying and living, he declared your love,

Gave us grace, and opened the gate of glory. 

May we who share Christ’s body live his risen life;

We who drink his cup bring life to others;

We whom the Spirit lights give light to the world,

Keep us firm in the hope you have set before us,

So we and all your children shall be free,

And the whole earth live to praise your name;

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”