RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL

Recently my friend Bud Reedy stopped by the Salvation Army Thrift store to check out the used books. My friend loves books. He saw a copy of "Return of the Prodigal" on the shelf and grabbed it. Just after he did a lady walked up and asked, "Is that a good read"? 

My friend has a big heart. He looked at her and immediately sensed there was a reason she was asking. "Actually, it is a great book. Do you ask because you have a prodigal son?"

She began to cry and explained that her son was on the streets of Baltimore selling drugs. "Come with me to the register", my friend said. He paid for the book. "I want to give this book to you as a gift". Then he asked if she could follow him to a corner of the store to pray. They did, and toward the end of the prayer my friend felt hands on his shoulders.

When he opened his eyes, he realized that a number of people had gathered around them, in a thrift store! When my friend told me this story, it sounded like the early church...

"at no other time in the history of Christianity did love so characterize the entire church as it did in the first three centuries. And Roman society took note. The Romans would exclaim, “See how they love one another!”.

Guess they set the bar pretty high for the church today. But back to the book. I like this interesting description of the prodigal on p.92.

"Instead of its being called The Return of the Prodigal Son it could have easily been called the Parable of the Father's Love. Everything comes together in this painting. Rembrandt's story, humanity's story and God's story. Time and eternity intersect; approaching death and everlasting life touch each other. Sin and forgiveness embrace; the human and divine become one".

To read the actual story of the prodigal from the Bible, click HERE.