3/16/2025: Second Sunday in Lent

OPEN DOOR POLICIES

When a wayward child wanders far from home, how does a loving parent pursue them without driving them further away? One thing that parent does is let the child know that there is an ongoing open-door policy. The child knows they will always be welcomed back home. Likewise, when we wander from God, he always keeps his door open for us. But God doesn’t just passively wait for us to return. He lovingly pursues sinners in ways that make them long for home.

In the Church Year, we have come to the season of Lent. The word Lent comes from an old English word for spring: “lengthen,” when the days grow longer. For over 1400 years the Church has set aside the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter as a time of repentance and renewal. In this 40-day journey to the cross and tomb, we will see the surprising strategies our heavenly Father uses for getting sinners back home, close to him and the loving care he offers.

OPEN DOOR POLICIES: Grace Instead of Condemnation

We assume people get what they deserve. We assume that what goes around comes around. We assume God helps those who help themselves. Those assumptions are false. God does not operate on the principle of merit but of grace. No one is beyond the reach of God’s grace. God never turns it off. At the entrance of God’s open door is not a Father looking to condemn us, but a Father who has eagerly longed for our return. When we do, he takes us in his loving arms and assures us we are still his child. When the weight of our sin makes us fearful of God’s condemnation, he reveals his grace yet again.

God bless your worship.

Guest, Pastor Mark Parsons preaches on Luke 15:1–3,11–32; “The Parable of the Lost Son(s)”

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