What does it feel like to realize that you’re lost?

Let’s look at maybe the most famous story of being lost - the story of the Prodigal Son. In our text today from Luke, the story begins with the father - “There was a man who had two sons”.

The younger son wants to make his own way. This is a common desire in our culture today - the world tells us to “live our true life” and “follow our heart”.

The prodigal son cannot even wait for his father to die before he asks for his inheritance. This would have been extremely offensive in Hebrew culture. The text says that the father gives the younger son half of his LIFE. As the son goes out on his own, he slowly begins to realize that he is not “living his true life”, but he is in fact lost.

There is an echo in this story of the Garden of Eden, the Israelites slavery in Egypt, and the Israelites exile in Babylon. This is a story that comes up again and again in scripture and also in OUR lives. We often feel a longing for another place, our true home.

The younger son realizes that he is truly lost and his only hope of finding life is by returning home. He returns in shame but his Father takes his sons’s shame and accepts his son with grace and love.

This is the nature of our God. When we admit our own “lostness” and return to him, God gives us true life. He accepts us. He forgives us. He loves us unconditionally.