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b'Music and laughter filled the air, but Jamesh\\u2019s heart was filled with darkness. He jabbed the shovel into the ground, vigorously ripping up the soil. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153He runs away for months,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Jamesh growled, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153squandering his inheritance and acting like a pig, while I stay here and work. And when he comes home, Father throws a party!\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d He looked up at the house and glared. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Nobody ever threw a party for me.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Jamesh gritted his teeth and continued digging. In his rage, he never even heard the footsteps of his father approaching him.\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153The feast is about to start,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Father said gently.\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153I\\u2019m not going to celebrate the reckless acts of your irresponsible son,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Jamesh snapped.\\nFather winced. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Jamesh, we\\u2019re not celebrating your brother\\u2019s foolishness.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nJamesh threw the shovel down and yelled, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Then tell me why you have killed the prize calf, given him the finest clothes, and sing songs and dance! I stayed here all these years, but not a single party was thrown in my honor!\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Oh, my son.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Father breathed. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153This celebration is not one of merit, but of grace. We don\\u2019t celebrate his sin, but we celebrate because he came home! Your brother was as good as dead, but now he is alive!\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153I would rather he had died than show his face again,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Jamesh snarled.\\nFather\\u2019s face was pained. He started to walk back toward the house, then paused. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153My love for you is not based on your work, but because you are my son.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Father walked away, and Jamesh continued hacking at the earth. He was glad the darkness hid the tears that ran down his face and soaked into the parched soil beneath his feet. \\u2022 Lily Walsh\\n\\u2022 Today\\u2019s story is how one author imagines the older brother\\u2019s experience in Jesus\\u2019s parable in Luke 15:11-32. Have you ever felt like Jamesh? \\n\\u2022 We are all equally stained with sin, and God offers each one of us grace. Is there anybody in your life you\\u2019ve passed judgment on because of their sins? \\n\\u2022 What was the father\\u2019s invitation to his son? How might God be inviting you to come to Him? \\n\\u2022 If God\\u2019s love for us is not based on what we do, how might this change the way we live? \\nHe turned\\u2026the parched ground into flowing springs. Psalm 107:35 (NIV)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nPs.4|Eph.4.17-Eph.4.32'