If you’ve read the Bible before or been in any kind of church, chances are that you have heard the Parable of the Prodigal Son.  It’s about a young man who basically tells his father to drop dead and asks for his inheritance so that it can be squandered in selfish living.  Before long his money runs dry, his friends run off, and his food runs out, and the young man finds himself longing to be a hired hand of his father’s estate where he at least would have a daily meal.  Gathering himself together and swallowing his pride, he makes the trek home and rehearses his apology in his head as he prepares to meet his father and beg for forgiveness.  Only he never really has the opportunity.  Before he gets the chance to grovel, the father runs to meet him, hugs him, and welcomes him home.  But it doesn’t stop there.  The father then throws a party in honor of his return.  Jesus told this parable not necessarily so we might relate to the young man but so that we would understand the nature of the father – who has the same nature as our heavenly Father.  Our heavenly Father rejoices when someone who was far from Him returns – He celebrates because someone who was dead in his sin is now brought back to life.  What do you think of when you think of God?  A.W. Tozer once said that what comes to your mind when you think about God is one of the most important things about you.  Do you realize that He wants you home?  Do you understand that He is gratuitous in His forgiveness?  After all, that’s why He sent Jesus to die; that’s what this week – Holy Week – is all about.