Journey to the Cross 
Pause
Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
there is no shadow of turning with thee.
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
as thou hast been, thou forever wilt be.
Great is thy faithfulness!
Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Thomas O. Chisolm in “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” (1923)
Listen
“He answered his father, ‘Look, I’ve served you all these years, and I never disobeyed your instruction. Yet you’ve never given me as much as a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours returned, after gobbling up your estate on prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.’ Then his father said, ‘Son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad because this brother of yours was dead and is alive. He was lost and is found.’”
Luke 15:29-32
Think
Sometimes you may feel like the younger child in Jesus’ story — the Prodigal Son — running from everything you’ve been taught is right, ignoring God’s best for you, and hitting rock bottom before coming to your senses. Sometimes you can easily trace how much you need God’s unfailing compassion.
But sometimes it’s easier to see yourself in the older sibling, doing everything right, staying close to home, and then getting angry and resentful when you feel like no one has noticed how carefully you are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing. Sometimes your sin is thinking that you’ve been perfect all along.
The good news of this week’s parable from Jesus is that the father loves and welcomes both his children, just as God loves and forgives all of us when we ask, no matter which one we identify with most.
What if you gave thanks by acting more like the father in the story, quick to forgive no matter how those we love have hurt us?
Chip Hardwick
Pray
Dear God, thank you for showing me unfailing compassion in all sorts of circumstances. Because you love me so deeply, I’m going to love people around me who need compassion too. In Christ’s name, amen.
Go
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Great is thy faithfulness!
Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Thomas O. Chisolm in “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” (1923)
