As Rebels, Lord, Who Foolishly Have Wandered

This text is based upon Jesus' Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) and was also inspired by an Albrecht Dürer print which depicts the lost son coming to his senses while kneeling in the midst of the filthy pigpen.  Prodigal means "extremely wasteful" and describes how the younger son quickly ran through his portion of the inheritance with wild living in a distant land.  But the prodigal's loving father was always looking and hoping for his son's return. The father's response to his son's waywardness is one of the most moving portions of Holy Scripture for me.  "As Rebels, Lord, Who Foolishly Have Wandered" is published in the "Confession and Absolution" section of Lutheran Service Book (LSB 612). It is paired with the fine tune WELCOME by Jeffrey N. Blersch (b. 1967).  Dr. Blersch and Concordia Publishing House released a setting of his tune recently entitled "Welcome" which can be heard at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClckJjnO4Nc

1.

As rebels, Lord, who foolishly have wandered

Far from Your love—unfed, unclean, unclothed—

Dare we recall Your wealth so rashly squandered,

Dare hope to glean that bounty which we loathed?

2.

Still we return, our contrite words rehearsing,

Speech, that within Your warm embrace soon dies;

All of our guilt, our shame, our pain reversing

As tears of joy and welcome fill Your eyes.

3.

A feast of love for us You are preparing;

We who were lost, You give an honored place!

“Come, eat; come, drink, and be no more despairing—

Here taste again the treasures of My grace.”