By Ann Farabee

He was restless

– A man had two sons, and the younger one said to his father, “Give me what belongs to me.”

The father gave him his share of the inheritance.

He was rebellious

— He left home and wasted it with riotous living. He was reckless 

— He spent it all. He met reality

— There was a famine in the land. He began to be in want. He reached bottom

— He became a citizen of that country and had to feed swine. He had a revelation

— He came to himself. He remembered 

— How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare and I am starving? He recognized his sin

— I will say, Father, I have sinned against heaven and you. He was remorseful

— I am not worthy to be your son. He responded

— He got up and went to his father. He was received

— When he was a great way off, his father saw him coming and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. He repented

— Father, I have sinned and I’m not worthy to be called your son. He was reinstated

— The father told the servants to bring out the best robe and put it on him. He was reconciled 

— To put a ring on his hand. He was re-established

— To put shoes on his feet. He was redeemed

— To bring the fatted calf. Let us eat and be merry, for my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost, but is now found. Are we away from home? We can come to ourselves.

Charles Spurgeon explains that when the father saw him, he saw who he was, where he had been and what he would be soon. The father is looking for us.

When we come home, he will kiss us “much.” As referenced in translations from the 1800s, Spurgeon explained “kissing us much” as meaning:

• much love

• much forgiveness

• much restoration • much joy

• much comfort

• much assurance

• much communion In his sermon, ‘Many Kisses for Returning Sinners,’ the emotion from that moment can be clearly visualized:

Perhaps the young man looked down on his foul garments, and said, “Oh the past, my father, the past!”

The father would kiss him again, as if to say, “Never mind the past.”

“But the present, my father, the present, what a dreadful state I am in!” and with another kiss would come the answer, “Never mind the present, my boy. I am content to have you as you are. I love you.”

“Oh, but father, the future, the future. What if it happens again?”

Then, would come another kiss, and the father would say, “I will see to the future, my son.” There is some good stuff, I mean God stuff, in Luke 15. Is it time to go home?

Tap your heels together three times and repeat after me: There’s no place like home.

There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.

(Just kidding. I was wanting to see if you were paying attention. It’s actually easier than that.)

Let’s try again — time to go home? 

Come to yourself. Get up. Go to the Father. While you are a long way off, He will see you because He’s been looking for you and He will have compassion on you, and He will run, fall on your neck, and kiss you much.

And that is exactly what He did for me and has done, or will do, for you.

Ann Farabee is a teacher, writer and speaker. Contact her at annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com.