I'm Your Son

Not only is “Parenthood” one of the greatest movies I’ve ever seen, it’s also a heart-wrenching look into the life long journey of being a mommy and daddy. Steve Martin, Rick Moranis, Jason Robards, Tom Hulce, and a slew of other actors portray a family on this rollercoaster ride…and does a beautiful job of personifying the adage, “Once a parent, ALWAYS a parent.”

And no scene from the movie depicts this better than a conversation between Larry (Tom Hulce) – the youngest of four children – and his father (Jason Robards). Larry has a gambling problem that has caught up with him. He owes more than $25,000 to bookies who will kill him if he doesn’t pay up. For years, his father has saved him from one desperate situation after another. He finds himself literally pleading for his life this time as he says to his dad, “You gotta help me – I’m your SON!”

The Bible is full of great themes – faith, hope, love, community, fellowship, compassion. This past Sunday we talked about another theme – rescue. The Bible is brimming with accounts of men and women rescued by the Holy One. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord and was rescued from the flood. Isaac was rescued from the hand of his own father. Joseph was rescued from countless circumstances to become the second in command of Egypt. Moses, Joshua, Rahab, Gideon, Elijah, Jeremiah – all of these were rescued from certain death by the grace of God.

When Jesus came on the scene, he continued the rescue business that his Father had started more than a thousand years earlier. He laid his hands on the unlovable and preached the good news of hope to the hopeless. And even today that same message rings true for us. God is still in the rescue business.

And the greatest irony about our rescue is that it came about because God REFUSED to rescue His own. As Jesus was hanging from those rough pieces of wood he looked up to Heaven and, in a manner of speaking, cried out, “You gotta help me – I’m Your SON!” What Dad wouldn’t offer up his own body to not see his son in pain? What mother wouldn’t gladly trade places with her daughter who was entrenched in suffering. We wouldn’t dream of turning a deaf ear. The thought of turning my back, covering my ears and walking away makes my stomach turn.

Yet that’s what the Father did.

So as I sit here tonight watching my sons sleep, I try to comprehend the rescue mission that God set out on for me.