I have some really good news for everyone today, but it’s not just good news; it’s preposterously Good News. I found it as I was reading in Isaiah.
“I, the Lord, made you, and will not forget to help you. I have swept away your sins like the morning mists. I have scattered your offenses like the clouds. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free.” (Isaiah 44:21-22)
Here it is: God forgave us first; then He invites us home.
It could just as easily have been: Return to me and I will forgive your sins. That would have been remarkable enough. But instead, it’s: Come home because you’ve already been forgiven.
This was precisely the case for the prodigal son. He was forgiven before he ever reached the front driveway. That’s why his old man was running to meet him. There was no discussion. No: “I hope you learned your lesson.” He needn’t even ask for forgiveness, for it had already been granted.
This is our message to the world: You have already been forgiven, so come home. Christ has already paid the price to set you free. He has removed the barrier between God and us. How can anyone resist so great a love? No wonder Paul calls it Good News. Can you imagine anything better when it comes to God and our sin?
We know we are guilty. Our consciences tell us that. We know the demands of the law. We have the commandments for that, and we aren’t doing very well by them. We know that if we mess up in just one thing, we are charged with breaking the whole law. God does not grade on the curve. Instead, He offers us a blanket pardon — the only thing that could ever save us.
“Oh, return to me, for I have [already] paid the price to set you free.”
That’s just nothing short of preposterously good news.
This is the essence of the Gospel of Welcome. Everything has already been done. Every barrier has been removed. Every price has been paid. You don’t have to chant, say the right words, pray, complete the requirements, jump through any hoops, renounce your former life … you only have to get on home. Arms are open wide. All is forgiven. Welcome.
If you came home today, we want to know about it. Let us know in your reply or send a private email to [email protected].
John Fischer The Catch 
Thank you, John,
You reminder of God’s grace was a huge gift to me. I shared gossip yesterday and had just been praying about it. I knew exactly what I was doing, gossiping and did it anyway. As I prayed about it I felt worse and worse. It felt like I spit in Jesus’s face. My heart was so heavy. When I read your post it was a great reminder that I am forgiven and I have been given the gift of another day to live forgiven.
Here’s a little open-ended story someone told me a long time ago. I carried my keys around for 25 years before I opened the door…
A wealthy man walks up to a homeless guy and says, “I know who you are. I’ve watched you struggle all your life. I know you have no place to live, no food, no clothing other than those on your back. Here are the keys and title to a new home for you. The fridge is fully stocked. There are clothes your size in the closet. I’m covering all the expenses and taxes from now on. All you have to do is move in.”
The homeless man takes the keys and title, not sure what to make of all this. He wonders what to do and finally decides the man must be a fake and that none of this can POSSIBLY be true. So he shoves the keys and title in with the useless trinkets in his pocket and continues on as he always has. As the years pass, the poor man recalls the encounter and pats his pocket to see if the keys are still there. They always are…
Everytime you (or someone else) reminds me of this simple fact, my heart leaps with joy and gratitude, and tears well up in my eyes.
If only the organized Church and missions ministries could effectively relate this uncomplicated message in like** manner.
(**like meaning both in similarity to your message above as well the affectionate definition of the word such as, “I like you.”)
Thx 4 another excellent Catch today Pastor John, 4 i got a lot out of it! Also reminded me of 2 things:
1) I heard a real good sermon the other day, when jus flipping through the channels on TV. This geltleman giving it spoke about how when he was younger guy @ a summer camp he made fun of this “slower” boy (mentally changelled) all through out that one summer @ camp. Than on the last day as they were all getting on the buses to go home – and this boy that was ‘slow’ was running to them yelling “Good News” (and he the guy giving the message spoke like a mentally changelled person, which helped make it even more memoriable) yet the good news was the boy continued to yell out was “Jesus loves me” and that touched me! As did your ” preposterously Good News and the verse you gave.
2nd the other thing it reminded me of has you mentioned the prodigal son, was a very good book, by Timothy Keller “The Prodigal God Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith”
PS i loved and throughly enjoyed reading the other comments too!
Many Catches make me think, some make me reach for my Bible, some I simply share. But some like this one simply cause me to quietly thank the Lord and shed a few tears of joy.
Thank You John.
I read this Catch the day it came on line and it changed the direction of my Life.
I didn’t know much about the Catch and didn’t comment at the time and was still in shock to hear the message from God’s lips to my ears so personally using my very own phrase about “Jumping through hoops” so today about a month later I am so happy to share my story and to have found a place where I can come everyday for Food and Drink from God. Thank you Jesus and thank you John and Marti.