Be Our Guest…
11.24.24
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is made complete in us.” 1 John 4:9-12
“Be our guest, be our guest, put our service to the test. Tie your napkin round your neck, Cherie
and we provide the rest.”
Ask yourself, did you ever think you would receive an application from the parable of the Prodigal Son from a candelabra? Well, today is the day.
Luke 15:22-24 says this… “the father said to his servants ‘Quickly, bring out a robe, the best one, and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate, for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.”
We spend a lot of time on the main characters in this parable, but there is wisdom in the supporting cast here. If we view ourselves or those in our lives as prodigals, it is natural for us to pray for God to intervene. But, if we can also see ourselves in the role of the father’s servants in this parable, we are reminded of an important truth… sometimes God wants us to be the answer of our own prayers. Huh?? Well, look above at the underlined parts from the opening scripture… congrats! You have now read the terms and conditions of being home with God!
Like the father… or the beast… They have the authority, but they need subjects to perform the duties. And just like the dancing furniture and the father’s servants, our duties are to care welcome and care for the invited and esteemed guests. Our story however is unique because we are both the servants and the guests, which is exactly why our duties from our authority almost always come with that perfect phrase “one another.” If you want extra homework, look up all the verses with the phrase “one another” … that is the blueprint for a beautiful life of interconnected peace with God and others.
Just how it is often true that “hurt people hurt people”, I think it is fair to say that “loved people love people.” That’s why you can really tell when someone knows that they are really loved by God. They are the people that seem to never run out of grace to giveaway. They are not checking wristbands or tickets to validate whether someone deserves to be at the party, they are the ones shouting “you’re here too! Bring it in!” (Insert bro hug here.)
So, when we pray, let’s remember and be open to the opportunities we may have to be the answer to that prayer. And answering that prayer, like the stories we’ve covered, often looks like being a humble servant.
Which leads to one final point. Let’s look at the other son through our new lens as the castle staff. The bitter son was speaking for the father, but he certainly wasn’t loving like him. Use this framework when it comes to the authorities you allow to occupy space in your life. If someone talks like a follower of Jesus, or even prays like a follower of Jesus, but if you don’t witness or experience them “one another” like Jesus, walk with caution. Of course, as we learn from this parable nobody is perfect (except God), but we still need to double check to make sure the orders we are fulfilling are coming from someone who’s character resembles more of the father and less of the beast.
The holiday season is a great time to get creative with our duties to “one another.”
- How can we show compassion?
- How can we show hospitality?
- How can we show grace or mercy?
- How can we mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice?
God hear our prayers and guide us to answer them so we all can experience your hope, joy, love, and peace.