March 10, 2013 Fourth Sunday in Lent

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

   1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

   3 Then Jesus told them this parable:  “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

   13 “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. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

   17 “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! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 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.

   21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

   22 “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. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

   25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

   28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

   31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

 “A Man Had Two Sons”

Luke 15 is one of the greatest chapters in the Bible.  It contains three parables which tell us all we need to know about God’s awesome love.  The parable of the Prodigal Son - or better titled, the Waiting Father is the most well known and profound.

The setting is the Pharisee’s and teachers of the Law - the prominent religious citizens of the day.  They have been unhappy with Jesus for not being as ‘religiously correct’ as they are, for “he receives sinners and eats with them.”

The rebellion of the youngest son is reason for the Father to disown him.  Cast him out!  Forget that he ever existed!  This the Father cannot do.
There is no way God will disown any of his children!  That just isn’t in the books!  Not since Jesus!   God doesn’t close his heart to anyone - ever!

Upon his return, hoping to be a hired hand in his fathers house the younger son discovers the second great truth about God hidden in this story - he can’t be a hired son;  he can only be a son!  Love demands it!  Grace fulfills it!  He is a son again for love will have it no other way!    Indeed, ‘love so amazing, so divine, demands our life, our soul, our all.”

The elder son stayed home. As Bailey says in “The Cross And The Prodigal”,
 “His heart is full of envy, pride, bitterness, sarcasm, anger, resentment, self-centeredness, hate, stinginess, self-satisfaction and self-deception.  And he probably sees his own actions as a righteous search for honor.”

It was his job to serve as ‘head waiter at the banquet.  This he could not do.  So the Father must go out a second time to try show his elder son that he is loved too - just as much as the younger.  This time it ends up with his love being rejected.

Whenever we, like the elder son, get arrogant about how it should be with God, and think we know how, who and when God should love we will be lost in our own arrogance and way off base in our lack of compassion.

Whenever we find ourselves begrudging God’s generosity - God’s grace at work in the lives of sinners - we part company with God and dwell in our own religiosity.

How great indeed is our God and how great is God’s love for all - ALL - God’s children.

 “Welcome Home”

This is the best of Jesus stories.
It is all we need to know about God and grace; this God who “will not let us go, will not let us down, will not let us off.”

It is a story about a love and grace which is willing to die in order to give life.
It’s about death and resurrection and the grace which comes to those who are dead and know it. As well as those who are dead and don’t know it. (The self righteous)
And this requires celebration!

“There can be no compassion without celebration and there can be no authentic celebration that does not result in increased compassionate energies.  A person or persons who cannot celebrate will never be a compassionate people.  And a person or a people who do not practice compassion can never truly be celebrating.  Such people only wallow in superficial feelings of pious and pitiful energies.”
Matthew Fox, A Spirituality Named Compassion, p.4

Nobody will be kicked out for having a rotten life;
Nobody will be refused because they are not good enough’
Nobody will enter because they are good enough.
It is by grace that we are saved - all of us- and nothing will stand in God’s way of being a God of grace, and of celebrating that grace!