As the old saying goes, “There are two sides to every story.” Really!!? That saying hardly holds up in criminal court case decisions. The judge or jury will rule one way rather than the other: “The court holds for the complainant ….” Or the defendant!

In our scripture for Sunday, both Luke and Paul indicate two ways of reacting to God’s grace, two ways of seeing another person, another sinner like……well….each one of us. God has chosen the better way for us!

The struggle is also inside us and plays out in ways we may not like and ways that certainly others don’t like! Pro and con. Guilty and not guilty. Responsible and someone else’s responsibility. Who hasn’t had those feelings when trouble comes down??!!

Well, the Parable of the Prodigal Son ( and just as much, the stay at home brother!) is the memorable story version of Paul’s great passage on being a New Creation in Christ and seeing ourselves and others differently after what God HAS done!

A story that bears repeating since we tend to forget! The Big Brother in each of us wants us to forget the Father who welcomes the returning Prodigal. Grace is almost unbelievable!! I suppose that’s why it is “amazing!”

See you on Sunday!

Pastor Barry