"Drifting Away from God? It’s Time to Return"

Are wandering in sin? suffering in silence? spiritually starving? Some feel they’ve gone too far. Are you ashamed? Some of us don’t know how to return. The story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32) reveals a deep human condition — the tendency to walk away from the Father's love in pursuit of freedom, pleasure, or independence. But what starts as adventure quickly turns into emptiness, pain, and shame. The younger son had everything at home: love, identity, provision, protection. Yet he left. Why? Because like many of us, he thought there was something better outside of the Father’s house. He found himself alone. Abandoned, Starving and Desperate. He needed forgiveness. He needed restoration. He needed love. He needed a way back home. I remember back in 2013, I made the decision to leave the church and live life my own way. For three years (from 2010), I had faithfully served the Lord. But bad company slowly led me away from God, and eventually, I walked away completely. At first, life seemed good. I got a job in a five-star hotel. I had everything I needed—delicious food, money, comfort. I started drinking alcohol, chewing khat, going to clubs. Everything seemed to be going well… on the outside. But just like the lost son in Luke 15, my decisions were slowly leading me into destruction. Now let us reflect our lives through the story of the Lost son in Luke 15:11-21. in our last sermon, we reflected on the heart of the older son—his pride and self-righteousness. But today, I want to focus on the lost son, the one who rebelled, ran away, and eventually returned home. The Lost Son Represents Us In Luke 15:1-2, Jesus was eating with tax collectors and sinners. The religious leaders—the Pharisees—muttered and complained. So Jesus told them a parable, revealing the heart of God toward the lost. The younger son, representing sinners like the tax collectors (and people like me), demanded his inheritance and went to a far-off land. He squandered his wealth in wild living. He made three terrible choices: He left his father He wasted his inheritance He gave himself fully to sin Soon after, he began to be in need (Luke 15:14-16): His money was gone His friends deserted him He was starving He was left feeding pigs—a humiliating job He had no one to care for him This is what happens when we leave God for the pleasures of the world. Life may seem good at first—money, friends, fun—but soon it all crumbles. My Rock Bottom Eventually, I was accused of stealing a phone at work. I was innocent, but I got fired. I was staying with a friend, but her mother and sister asked me to leave. I had no job, no home, and nowhere to go. Just like the lost son, I decided to go back home. When I packed my clothes, I went back home early in the morning. But before I did that, I felt shame. How could an adult go back to his father’s house? Would my father accept and understand my situation? Maybe he would condemn me and rebuke me. But anyway, I went back home that morning and found my father. I was ready to tell him everything. I told him the truth and how I had messed up. He listened to me. But to my shock, he told me a few words: “David, you have learnt from your mistake, and this is your home. Your room is still there.” How joyful I was Just like the father in the parable, he welcomed me. God Is Calling You Back Maybe you were once faithful to God, and now you're living far from Him. You feel ashamed, lost, and rejected. This message is for you: Come back to your senses. God is calling you home. The lost son: Realized his sin Took responsibility Didn't expect blessings—only mercy Took a step and returned When I went back home, I became more faithful to God. I went back to church and served in the church, volunteering for a whole year. I grew in knowledge, in faith, and spiritually. I would study the Word of God the whole day. And in the year 2014, October, the church gave me a job and I became an assistant teacher. That’s how God changes our lives when we come back to Him. I didn’t expect anything from God because I felt I didn’t deserve anything. I didn’t ask for blessings. I asked God what He wanted me to do for Him. I served Him faithfully without expecting anything in return. By His grace and mercy, i was able to rent a house again and live alone. God uses pain and loss to bring us back to Himself (Hebrews 12:5-6). Your current struggle may be His call to return. My prayer is that you will come back to your senses, repent, and return to the father. He is waiting, not to punish you, but to restore you