Toward the end of every funeral message I’m privileged to share, I attempt to use a story about the loved one who has passed to point everyone to the hope of the Gospel of Jesus. I call it, “The Last Page.”
What follows is from the funeral of Bud Brown which was held on March 14, 2026.
Scripture: Luke 15:11-24 “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. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.”
I love that story! And I thought about it when I heard this story about Bud from his mother, Mrs. Betty Jane …
She said, “Jody, Bud could be a rascal … when he was about 4 years old and getting ready for bed, Gilbert told him to go brush teeth. Well, Bud said he didn’t want to brush his teeth, ‘I’ll just run away…’ And so Gilbert explained the alternatives to him: ‘You’ve got to do what I tell you to do, or you can choose to do what you want to do.’ And Bud said, ‘No, I’m not brushing my teeth, I’m going to run away from home.’ Gilbert said, ‘All right.’ So we went and got a small suitcase and brought it to him. And he packed a sweater and I can’t remember what else he put in there.
And he got on his bicycle and he went across the street to the neighbor. (Gilbert was out in the shrubbery watching him the whole time, to make sure he was alright.) Those neighbors did not answer the door, so Bud went to the next neighbors who had a son his age, and Bud stayed there maybe 10 or 15 minutes. But then he decided to come back home (and brush his teeth).”
Bud’s running away story is my story. It’s your story.
The Bible says that we’ve all run away, that we’ve all heard what our Heavenly Father wants us to do and we’ve said “no”. We all have gone astray, turned to our own ways.
We’re all rascals who have packed our little suitcases at some point and gone off in search of finding something better than God’s alternatives, something better than what God offers us.
The Bible shows us that we have a Heavenly Father who makes plain the alternatives and then lets us make our choices. And – the good news of the Gospel is – when we choose what He doesn’t want us to choose; He doesn’t stop loving us. He’s there in the shrubs watching us the whole time, watching so that we’re okay until (prayerfully) we decide to come back home to Him.
Remember the passage from Luke 15? When the one who had ran away decided to turn and come back home, the Bible says the father saw him [he saw him because He was looking for him; out there in the shrubs] and was filled with compassion for him and ran to him, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
I don’t know how long it took the guy in the Bible to come to his senses and come back.
It didn’t take Bud but about 15 minutes.
How about you?
If you’ve been received back by the Heavenly Father, do you remember how long it took you to come back home? For many of us it took – not 15 minutes – but more than 15 years.
If you have not (right now) crossed back over to the right side of the street, if right now you’re not living at home with God, in a personal, saving, life-giving relationship with Him – no matter how long it’s been since you packed your suitcase and walked out, it has not been too long – please know God’s still loving you and looking for you and longing for you to come back to Him so that He can give you way more than you could ever find across the street at some neighbor’s house!
Jesus longs to throw His arms around you and keep them there; He longs to put the best robe on you and put a ring on your finger and sandals on your feet (in other words, lavish you with His love, provide for you more than you could ever dream of)!
Yes, to live with Him you’ve got to brush your teeth, alright? But … He actually offers to do it for you; you just surrender to His will for you, and He cleanses/brushes … not just your teeth but all of you, with and by His grace and His mercy; not with Colgate or with Crest or Sensodyne but with His blood He shed on the cross when He died for your sins and Bud’s sins and my sins.
The Bible makes our alternatives clear.
- Do it our way and run away and miss out – now and for all eternity – on all that God has for us at home with Him.
- Or … come Home to Him and do it His way … receive forgiveness and life like life was meant to be now and forever.
He’s in the shrubs watching. Please don’t make Him wait another minute.
Jody Flowers 