Grace and Truth: A word from pastors

Save My Son is a new TV show on the cable network TVOne. Dr. Steve Perry, founder and principal of the Capital Preparatory Magnet School, created the program.

Dr. Perry is asked by mothers to come into their family and do whatever it takes to save their sons, because the mothers feel they have lost all control and hope. Within three days, Dr. Perry and his “friends,” men from all walks of life, come together to wrap themselves around a troubled youth.

The program is special in the fact that it shows men of color supporting one another, their communities and expressing genuine love to our sons. Whether it is a local barber or restaurant owner—or celebrity actors and athletes—we are invited into the stories of young men and can observe their struggles over the last 30 years or more.

As the men reach out to help a desolate young man who is lost find his way back home, their own stories open up. The men reveal their past choices and how those choices have affected their lives. Tales of homelessness, poverty, drug abuse, theft, grief and loss, even physical and emotional abuses are revealed.

One by one, the troubled youth are offered a game plan to turn from the current path of destruction and reunite with family and a new community that is willing to support their new life styles.

The program reminds me of the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. A young man by choice ventures out into the world unprepared for what the world offers. He is young, immature and without proper guidance. The young man begins experimenting with things that seem good in the moment—only to realize he is far from anything familiar or the comforts of his life. The young man finds himself in strange and dark places, willing to do anything to survive.

15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 16 He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything.

Dr. Perry’s program reveals to the community that the road back is paved mostly with shame but also grief, loss, confusion and fear. These young men believe they are no longer loved or question if they were ever loved. Unlike the Prodigal Son, who realized his mistake and went back humbly to his father, many of our sons will need someone to guide them back.

The best part of the biblical story about the Prodigal Son is the response of the father. The young man thought there would be anger, resentment and maybe even punishment for his actions, yet he was met with an overabundance of love. The father was so excited that his son was no longer lost—nothing else mattered. The show Save My Son aims at providing an inclusive atmosphere where all returning sons are welcomed and valued.

21 Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.

This is the way our Father in heaven is with us. No matter how far we stray, God is right there waiting for us to turn around, humble ourselves and ask for forgiveness. And when we do, God provides us with the best he has to offer, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our past no longer matters. The ugliness of our behaviors has been covered by the redemptive powers of our God.

For every young man and woman lost in their own sense of darkness, I pray the power of Christ’s community to intervene in their lives so they will experience the love and celebration God has for each of us.

Cyneatha Millsaps is pastor of Community Mennonite Church in Markham, Ill.