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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: DON’T BREAK THE FLOWER POTS

Why did the father in the story of the prodigal son run to his son? We often think it is because he missed him and was glad to see him. Which I am sure would be true, but there is so much more to the story. It is hidden in Jewish customs that most do not know about unless you study their customs.

When a Jewish son would take his inheritance and go off and waste it among gentiles living wildly, against the customs of his people. The whole village would take a clay pot and set it aside for his return. At first, this sounds like they would be happy about his return. However, the custom of Kezazah is a ceremony in which the neighborhood surrounds this person and tosses the clay pot down. The breaking of the pots meant that this person was severed from the community. The ceremony of excommunication or cutting off. This meant that the person would never have any standing in the community.

The prodigal son, was planning on going to his father’s house and being a servant or slave in his house. He knew he had done wrong and wasted his future on wild parties. When he was slopping the pigs he came to himself and realized that even the servants of his father had good food and shelter. He was preparing to be a servant in the house of his father if he would allow him.

I always thought the father was watching because he desperately wanted his son to come home. But instead, he was watching to be able to get to his son and forgive him, before the people could cut him off from the community. The father saved his son from a life of slavery or servitude and restored him to a place of sonship. He ran and embraced him. He had them kill the fatted calf, and he put a robe and ring on his son. The very people who were going to cut him off were probably invited to his welcome home party.

Without the father running to him, they would have gotten to him and cut him off from their village. He would have had no rights of sonship. This is why we cannot stand in the way of others with judgment. Only God is the judge.

When I heard about the ceremony of Kezazah. I found the story of the prodigal son even more amazing. The people of the church are often like the community, ready to judge and cut ties with those who have done wrong. But our Lord, being our heavenly father, runs to greet them with open arms. His love cancels any judgment of people trying to cut off ties.

The church needs to throw away their clay pots or plant flowers in them and do something nice with them, instead of casting down the clay pots in judgment. We will never win people if we treat them like they have a plague.

We will never win the lost and backslider to Christ, by treating them badly. I know there are places in the word that says not to be unequally yoked with people that are living a sinful life. We are not to have fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness. This does not mean that we are to avoid them completely.

I know of several preachers who tells you to cut off all ties with those who do not believe in God. They are afraid that if you are around people that they will cause you to fall into sin. However, what if you stand firm on what you believe, you can be a light to those people.

We are called to love the sinners and hate the sin. There has to be a separation in our minds that they are a soul that needs Jesus. We do not approve of their choices, but we have to love them the same.

I personally struggled with a choice a family member of mine made a few years ago. It took me a little bit of time to separate the fact that she needed me to be kind and loving toward her, even if she did wrong. It is not always easy to not throw the clay pot or, as in Jesus’ day, the stone.

But we all have come short and deserved the stone to be thrown. The word teaches that if you are guilty of one sin you are guilty of all. We cannot judge therefore that someone else is worse than we were, before we gave our lives to Christ. The ground is level and there is no room for judging. We all deserved to be cut off from the father or eternity. But instead, when we came to Him he openly embraced us.

Luke 15:7-10 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. 8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? 9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

If the angels rejoice over one lost soul repenting. How much more should we embrace them? It is time to set aside judgmental shunning of those who are not perfect. It is time for the body to pour out love on the prodigals and allow them a safe place to return to Christ. It is time to check the one in the mirror for any flaws. Make sure the one looking back is on the straight and narrow. Then go plant flowers of love in the flowerpot, instead of breaking it in judgment.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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