The Dirty Job That Made Us Clean – April 4, 2025

Read: Luke 15:1-3,11-32

“There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
Luke 15:11-20

The Dirty Job That Made Us Clean

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Back in 2005, a show called, Dirty Jobs made its TV debut. The show showed all kinds of gross jobs, like cleaning dirty escalators and checking out smelly sewers.

In our reading for today, Jesus told a story about a son who left his family and wasted all his money on things that didn’t matter. Then, there was a big famine, and the son needed money. He ended up with a nasty job—feeding pigs! He was so hungry that he almost ate the pig food! But then, he realized he could go back to his dad, say sorry for what he had done, and stop living that yucky life.

This story sounds a lot like us. Maybe you’ve never had to eat pig food, but we all have sin in our lives that keeps us away from Jesus. Maybe it’s lying to your parents or wanting things that your friends have. Maybe it’s cheating on your homework or being rude to adults. We need to say sorry for our bad choices and come back to God.

God’s Son had the dirtiest job of all. He took all the sins of the world and died on the cross to take them away. He gave up his life so we could have forever life with God in heaven. His dirty job made us clean.

It’s hard to understand how much God loves us. We don’t deserve it, but just like the father in the story, our heavenly Father runs to us and is happy to welcome us back when we mess up. He loves it when we follow his way because he knows it’s the best way.

A love like that should be shared! We have a job to do. It’s not dirty, but it’s really important. The world is full of sin and sadness, and we have the message of hope to share.

There’s so much joy in saying sorry and turning back to God. We don’t have to stay in the yucky stuff because God has washed us clean with his love. So, go and tell everyone about the Father’s love! Let them know we’ve been washed clean. What a great story to share!

Closing Prayer:

Dear Father, thank you for loving us even when we make mistakes and wander away from you. Just like the father in the story, you are always waiting for us to come back with open arms. Thank you for forgiving us and making us clean through Jesus, no matter how far we’ve gone. Help us to share your love and forgiveness with others, so they can know how much you care for them too. Amen

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• Have you ever made a mistake and needed to say sorry? What did you do to fix it?
• How do you think the dad felt when his son came back home after making bad choices?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• How can you show love and forgive others like the dad did?
• When you mess up, how do you feel knowing that God will forgive you and still loves you?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Have you ever felt lost or unsure? How did you find your way again?
• Why is it important to remember that God loves you, no matter what?