O Come to the Altar

His Arms Are Open Wide — The Welcome of the Father

The father in Jesus' parable did not wait at the door with a list of conditions. He saw his son while still a long way off and ran. An older man running in first-century Middle Eastern culture was undignified — it was the behavior of someone who could not contain his joy. He ran, embraced, kissed. The welcome was overwhelming and unconditional. This is the welcome that waits at the altar. Not a clinical transaction, not a probationary readmittance, not a measured forgiveness contingent on sufficient remorse — but the running father, the open arms, the robe and the ring and the celebration. This is who God is toward the one who comes home. If you have been staying away from God because of shame, because of failure, because the distance has grown so long that coming back feels impossible — this is the story Jesus told specifically for that feeling. Run toward home. He is already running toward you.