A Cause for Celebration
Watch or listen to
the full sermon here.
Preached by Pastor Mike Woodard
Follow The Valley Church
Celebration is woven into the story of God. All throughout Scripture, we’re told to remember, recount, and rejoice in the works of the Lord. Psalm 9 reminds us to “recount all of His wonderful deeds,” and Psalm 66 invites us to “come and see what God has done.” Celebration is a spiritual discipline that keeps us grounded in gratitude, anchored in truth, and aware of God’s faithfulness.
But celebration is not just something we do when life is easy. It’s what we do when God brings us home.
That’s why the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15 is so powerful. It’s a picture of who God is—and who we often are. Jesus tells three stories: a lost sheep, a lost coin, and finally a lost son. And through them, He shows us that God doesn’t just allow us to return—He runs toward us with compassion.
When We Want the Benefits Without the Relationship
In Jesus’ parable, the younger son asks his father for his inheritance early—a shocking, dishonoring request. And yet the father gives it.
The son then runs to a distant country and wastes everything. The word “prodigal” means “wasteful,” and that’s exactly what he becomes—someone chasing fulfillment without sacrifice, gain without gratitude, and blessing without relationship.
Many of us have been there. Our “distant country” may not be geographical, but it’s emotional, spiritual, or relational. We chase things we think will satisfy, only to find ourselves empty.
Hitting Rock Bottom: The Pig Pen Moment
After the money ran out and famine hit, the son lands in a pig pen—hungry, ashamed, and at rock bottom. Sometimes that’s what it takes for us to see clearly. The son realizes that even the servants in his father’s house live better than he does.
So he plans his apology, preparing a speech to return—not as a son, but as a servant.
Here’s the truth he realized:
It is better to live as a servant in God’s house than as a king in the world.
Everything the world offers is temporary. Everything God offers is eternal.
A Father Who Runs Toward Us
As the son heads home, Jesus paints one of the most beautiful images in all of Scripture: “While he was still a long way off, his father saw him.” That means the father had been looking, waiting, hoping.
Then the unthinkable happens—the father runs.
He embraces his son, cuts off the apology speech, and restores him immediately with a robe, ring, and sandals. He throws a celebration because, “My son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”
This is the heart of God.
God doesn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up—He meets us in our mess with grace.
The Older Brother: When We Forget the Heart of the Father
The older brother hears the celebration and becomes angry. He feels overlooked, forgotten, and neglected. But the father gently reminds him: “You are always with me, and all I have is yours.”
The celebration of someone else’s breakthrough doesn’t diminish what God is doing in our lives. When one person wins, we all win. When one comes home, we all celebrate. When one sees God move, our faith grows for what God can do in us.
A Grace Deeper Than Our Failure
The story ends with a simple, powerful truth:
No matter how great our mistakes, the grace of God is greater.
If our sin rises like Everest, God’s grace is deeper than the Mariana Trench.
For every Everest of sin, there is a Mariana Trench of grace.
God welcomes us home with compassion, celebration, and a love that does not run out.
Your Invitation Today
Whether you feel like the younger son in the distant country, the older son in frustration, or someone simply wanting to celebrate God’s goodness—you’re invited home.
There is room for you.
There is grace for you.
There is a Father who sees you “while you are still a long way off.”
And He’s running toward you.