We'll leave the light on for you

Luke 15:17-24
17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

If you have been around for any length of time, you will remember that Motel 6 commercial: "This is Tom Bodett, and we'll leave the light on for you." It was supposed to give that warm feeling of home, a place of comfort and rest, a place you are familiar with. When I think about the church, I realize we want those same feelings: rest, comfort for our souls, warmth, a familiar place we can go to. We are a rest for the weary, and we are a lighthouse.
Sadly, we all know people who have seen the bright lights of sin, as the prodigal son did, and left this harbor of rest and love for the pleasures of sin for a season. Then the question arises, what happens when the pleasure has worn off, when the reality of the pig pen sets in, what happens then? Many never come to their senses. But, for the ones that do, they are dealing with shame, personal doubts, perhaps even fear. They battle enough as it is getting back without that added problem of a church who has turned it's light off. Many churches have so much anger and pride and haughtiness, that when a sinner wants to come home (remember that when the pleasure wears off, they are going to remember the warmth of home), they see that the welcome sign has been taken away.

No doubt that father spent many a day looking out the window for his boy to come home. He was obviously looking for him, for "when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him," I imagine the father telling his wife, "Honey, lets leave the porch light on, just in case." He wanted to make sure that his son knew this was still home, even if it was in the middle of the night.

"I am no more worthy..." he said. But the father didn't even feel that one merited a response. "Bring for the best robe..." said the father. "This my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found."

So, even in the darkest of midnight, we want you to know, we'll leave the light on for you.