Major Dalton - July 7, 2024
Lost and Found
July 4th is the day set aside to celebrate liberty. What a gift it is to live in this country! A place where we can enjoy such freedom! But as great as boundless freedom is not the secret to human flourishing. The opening words to the Parable of the Prodigal Son must have been a real attention grabber as Jesus spoke them. "There was a man who had two sons." Every person who grew up hearing stories about Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, Hophni and Phinehas would know that this phrase set a tone for tension. But his listeners could not have been prepared for how deep this tension would go. The younger son, driven by a desire for independence, approached his father and demanded his share of the inheritance. Then, as now, an inheritance was traditionally given upon the death of the giver. So, essentially, the younger son is saying, "You are dying way too slowly for me. In fact, I wish you were dead now!" It was a heartless and selfish request. And for reasons that will soon become clear, the father granted it. Not long after receiving his inheritance, the prodigal son embarks on a journey to a distant country. There, he recklessly squanders his wealth in pursuit of fleeting pleasures before finding himself completely bankrupt (both financially and emotionally). This was not the freedom he had imagined. Scripture acknowledges that "There is pleasure in sin for a season" (Hebrews 11:25-26). We may enjoy our "freedom" for a short period of time. But we will always soon discover that freedom alone cannot fulfill. Join us Sunday as we unpack this familiar story to learn some important truths about our freedom in Christ.