Otherworld

Reflecting on Ryuichi’s incredible testimony at his baptism yesterday, I am amazed at the depth of his understanding of salvation and God’s faithfulness. As I thought about his words, a parable came to mind.

A young family lived in a rural area on a large plot of land with a little stream running through it. The son was a five year old boy who loved to play outside and take long walks by the stream with his mother and father.

One day, when his parents were busy doing chores around the house, the boy decided he would go for a walk on his own. He knew he wasn’t supposed to go by himself, but he wouldn’t go far and his parents were too busy to take him. He followed the stream away from the house, splashing in the water, playing in the mud and having a joyous time. He had so much fun, in fact, that soon he realized he had wandered farther from home than he could remember going. He sensed it would be dark soon and his parents had no idea where he had gone. Fear set in and he sat down on the bank of the river and began to cry.

But soon, he heard his father’s voice in the distance calling out to him, drawing nearer. When the father spotted the son, his eyes lit up and he ran to his son, his arms wide open, calling his name. The boy was overjoyed to see his father, but looking down, he saw that he was covered in mud from playing along the river bank. His joy turned to guilt as he realized he should have never disobeyed his parents by going out on his own. Instead of embracing his father, he just stood there, staring down at his dirt stained clothing.

We are that boy! When we hear the good news of the gospel, God is there, overjoyed, arms wide open, ready to embrace us. But we look down and recognize our disobedience, the dirtiness from our sins and our guilt prevents us from reaching out to Him. We may wonder why God seems so far away from us, but we create that perception when the truth is He is right there waiting for us. He doesn’t judge us for our dirtiness - if we ask for His forgiveness, accept the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins, He will take our filthy rags and clothe us in garments of salvation (Isaiah 61:10).

This Christmas, we are reminded of the baby Jesus, God’s amazing gift to mankind. Through Jesus, our relationship with God the Father has been restored.