Doll Can Create

✝️

Scripture: Luke 15:11–32
Hymn: “Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling”

---

🕊️ Introduction

Today we hear two voices calling us. We hear the voice of Jesus in Scripture. We also hear the voice of Jesus through song.

In Luke 15, Jesus tells a story that has reached hearts for centuries. It is the story of a son who wandered, a father who waited, and a homecoming filled with grace.

And in the hymn “Softly and Tenderly,” we hear that same invitation:

“Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me…
Come home, come home,
Ye who are weary, come home…”

The message is simple and profound: God is calling you home.
No matter who you are. No matter where you’ve been. No matter how long it’s been.

Let’s think together on three truths this story reveals about the heart of God.

---

❤️ 1. Love That Waits

“While he was still far off, his father saw him…” (v.20)

Before the son ever said a word, the father saw him.

He had been watching the road.
Day after day, hoping — praying — his child would come back.

That’s the first truth of God’s love:
God waits for us. Not with scolding. Not with shame. But with longing.

And Jesus calls us softly and tenderly, not with thunder or guilt.
He invites us: “Come home, ye who are weary…”

Maybe you’ve wandered. Maybe it’s been a hard season.
Maybe you’ve stayed outwardly close but feel spiritually far.

God’s love is waiting. Watching. Hoping.

---

🏃‍♂️ 2. Grace That Runs

“He ran to him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him.” (v.20)

In that time, older men didn’t run. It wasn’t dignified.
But this father ran — because love doesn’t worry about appearances.

He didn’t wait for an apology or a cleaned-up speech.
He didn’t hold back until he heard the whole story.
He simply ran — with arms open.

That’s grace.

It’s what Jesus offers to each of us:
Not conditional love, but compassion in motion.
Not “clean up your act and come,” but “come, and I will make you whole.”

That’s why the hymn says:

“See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching —
Watching for you and for me.”

Grace isn’t passive. Grace runs toward us.

---

🏡 3. Mercy That Welcomes All

“This brother of yours was dead and has come to life…” (v.32)

We often stop the story at the welcome home — but Jesus doesn’t.
He includes the older brother, standing outside, angry, hurt, self-righteous.

And what does the father do?

He goes out to him too.

Because the Father’s mercy isn’t just for the prodigal — it’s for both sons.

God’s love reaches the lost and the loyal, the rebels and the rule-keepers.
And in this story, we are all invited.

The invitation from the hymn is for everyone:

“Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling —
Calling, O sinner, come home!”

---

✨ Conclusion: Come Home

Today is Trinity Sunday. We give thanks for the mystery of God —
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — united in love.

And it’s also Father’s Day. We give thanks for the love of earthly fathers and all those who have mentored us along the way. We also appreciate the greater love of God, who waits, runs, and welcomes.

Whether you are wandering, weary, or watching from a distance —
Jesus is calling you home.

Softly, tenderly — and always with open arms.

So come home.
Come to grace.
Come to love.
Come to God.

Amen.