- Abba, “you turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever. (Ps. 30:11-12)
“When the older son heard music and dancing in his house, he asked one of the servants what was going on. ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’ He became angry and he refused to go in. His father came out and begged him…” (Luke 15:11-32).
Abba, Father, what a contrast, indeed: On one hand, King David experienced such joy over the return of the ark of covenant that he danced before you with all his might and very little modesty (2 Sam.6:14). On the other hand, Jesus told a story of a smug, older brother for whom the sounds of a joyful party, exuberant dancing, and the music of grace generated resentment, self-absorbed anger, and retreat. Where are we in these two stories, Father?
What staggers and stretches our imagination, is the way Jesus represented you as the Father who both welcomed an ill-deserving son home AND went after your other “lost” son and “begged him” to join the grace-fest and Gospel-feast. What a Father you are. What a Gospel you have given us in Jesus. What an open invitation you are extending to us this very day.
Abba, forgive us when we, like the elder brother, won’t go near the dance floor of your lavish love—for whatever reason. Let us hear you calling to us afresh in the Gospel: “Child, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours” (Luke 15:31). Free us from giving you a measured response to a measureless gospel. Abba, make the lyric, music, and the dance of the Gospel precious and compelling to us all over again—irresistible, liberating, and transforming. So Very Amen.
