Day 1: Jesus Runs Toward the Shame

The religious leaders are upset that Jesus is spending time with people famous for doing bad things. So Jesus tells a story — the story of a younger son who demands his inheritance, wastes it in wild living, and ends up starving in a pig pen. When he finally comes to his senses, he heads home prepared to beg to be hired as a servant. But the father sees him while he is still a long way off, and filled with love and compassion, he runs to his son, embraces him, and kisses him. Jesus is showing the heart of God: He does not wait for you to clean yourself up. He runs toward your shame. Before you even finish your apology, the Father is already sprinting to embrace you. Whatever family story you are ashamed of, Jesus meets you there and calls you back to who you are.