The Prodigal Family

March 30, 2025 Luke 15:1-3,11-32 The Prodigal Family Year C 4th Sunday of Lent UMCOR Sunday “Delight” Lent Four Prelude Greeting Over the Threshold Leader: We might not think of Albert Einstein as a mystic, but his quotes about life and spirituality have lived as long as his scientific theories. He said this: “We are slowed down sound and light waves, a walking bundle of frequencies tuned into the cosmos. We are souls dressed up in sacred biochemical garments and our bodies are the instruments through which our souls play their music.” Sing Verse 1 of Open My Eyes that I May See UMH Lent is a time of spiritual journeys and spiritual practices. We have visited several elements of spiritual depth thus far, including Beauty, Wonder, Meaning, and Curiosity. When we incorporate these as spiritual practices, research shows that there are all kinds of benefits to our lives and our involvement with the world around us. Biblical authors often used these words to describe our response to the Holy, and this week’s word is no different. ‘Delight’ is a word that winds itself through scripture–we are invited to delight in the presence of the Holy, to delight in God’s creation. In a time when our delight is often depleted by the forces that threaten destruction or simply what feels like the tediousness of everyday life, we hear the call to co-create experiences of delight. Sing Verse 2 of Open My Eyes that I May See UMH We humans love repetition… up to a point. But sometimes, we just need a good “Wow!” and some goosebumps to help us feel fully alive. Our physical response to awe-filled moments come from a very ancient part of our evolution–even before language. And those goosebumps? They helped us forge connections with others as we faced the vast mysteries of life together. Delight still plays an important role in our spiritual needs and in our sense of a deeply relational life. Let us rise in body and/or spirit and pray: Awe-inspiring God, we come together this day because we need to be reminded to see through the lens of delight. Too often, we forget that we are made to delight in the diversity and abundance of your gifts. Open us to perceive anew. Inspire us to receive our surroundings with awe. Forgive us when we get complacent, when we choose routine over opportunities for new experiences. Be with us on this journey as we seek again to marvel at your works. Sing Verse 3 of Open My Eyes that I May See UMH [fade into silence… after a time, the leader speaks softly into the silence] The Holy delights in their creation, in our very existence. God forgives us. Jesus embraces us. The Spirit enlivens us. We are whole. With awe, we accept this belovedness. And all God’s people say, “Amen.” Opening Hymn/Song Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling UMH348 In Awe of Children (A Sermon for all Ages) Children’s Message (Luke 15:1-3; 11-32) Parable of the Prodigal Son. By Kristin Highley Message: Note: All elements are open to adjustment. Cater to the needs of your group “Good morning! I hope you’re doing well today. I have a couple of things to show you, and I want to see if you can recognize what they might be for. (hold up a trophy or medal). What is this? That’s right, it’s an award. Would you receive this for doing something bad? Of course not! This is a special winner’s treat. Now, what do you think about this one…do you know what this is? (Display speeding ticket, or maybe a poor report from school if it’s more familiar) This is something your mom or dad might see if they do something wrong while they are driving…and it usually means you have to pay money. You wouldn’t expect to get a medal for speeding down the highway. But it sort of happened in the gospel reading today. Someone got what they did not deserve! You see, the son in the story asked his dad for all of his money, basically. But then he ran away and wasted it. Have you ever disobeyed your parents or done something wrong? (allow responses if time and children willingness allow) Well, this guy did much worse things. He pretty much abandoned his family. But eventually, the money and fun times ran out, and he realized he’d made some pretty big mistakes. He thought he could make it and ignore his dad, but finally decided he needed to apologize and hope that maybe he could accept punishment and just live like a servant. He didn’t think his dad would even let him back home as a son. But did you hear what happened? Not only did his dad rejoice when he saw his wandering son, he even through him a party and gave him special presents! He was so happy to see the boy, it was like he hadn’t done anything wrong. This may seem strange. Shouldn’t we be disciplined when we do bad things? Well, in a lot of ways we should… But, the good news of the Bible is that even though we sin and do bad things, God still lets us be part of His family. It’s called “grace.” We deserve the punishment that our sins have earned. But when we tell God we’re sorry and let Jesus rule in our lives, grace gives us positive rewards instead. God loves us so much that He wants to find us no matter where we are or how far we stray. Nothing can get us so far away from God that He won’t let us back in His arms. And He lets the death of Jesus cover over the things we do. Jesus didn’t do anything wrong, so He didn’t deserve to die. But He took on the punishment for our bad things, so that we could get the reward of His goodness. That hardly seems fair! But we can thank God that life is not always fair. Just like the Father in the story, God celebrates over us when we come to Him. Isn’t that great? Optional take home: give each child a small “winner” ribbon or star sticker to remind them that we are winners in God’s eyes, no matter what we do. Prayer of Confession Lord, it is interesting that it is easy for us to identify with today’s scripture about the “Prodigal Son”. Some of us are easily reminded of our own selfishness and stubbornness when we willfully sought our own way. Others are reminded about how angry we were when others were not held accountable for their actions, when we have been so careful not to displease anyone. Still others can identify with the father who, feeling the loss of his son, welcomes him home again, reminding the brother that he has always been in the love and care of the Father. We hear this story and it’s a pleasant memory. But do we really understand what it is about? Do we know that we have also been stubborn and selfish, angry and unforgiving, sorrowful and caught between two conflicting factions? We are no different from these characters, in our own unique way. Yet, in God’s infinite love, we also are forgiven and healed. We are called to turn our lives back to God’s care, which is always extended to us. Forgive us and heal us, gracious God. Open our hearts and our spirits to truly receive the blessings of your healing love. For it is in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, that we pray. AMEN. Words of Assurance Once we were “dead” to all the things that God hoped for us; but in God’s love we are again brought to life. Rejoice, dear ones, you are forgiven! (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) The Peace The peace of Christ be with you. And also with you. I invite you to share the peace of Christ with those around you, [remembering to greet those online with a wave to the camera]. Contemporary Reading Reader: Our first reading is a contemporary one–an excerpt from Dacher Keltner’s research called, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life: “Our tears register our awareness of vast things that unite us with others. Our goose bumps accompany notions of joining with others and facing mysteries and unknowns together. Today we may sense these laws of bodily awe when moved by a favorite musical group, or in calling out in protest with others in the streets, or in bowing our heads together in contemplation. And in such rushes of tears and chills… we may glean a sense of what our souls might be.” Ancient Reading Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 (Make Sure you gave Margaret the right verses) In Awe of Music In Awe of the Word The Prodigal Family How this story fits in with Luke chapter 15 There are three stories of things that are lost in chapter 15 – There is a lost sheep, a lost coin and a lost son. All three of these things are cause for celebration. A time to gather and to think about the important things in life and to celebrate when you finally find them. The most well known of these stories is the story of the lost son, the Prodigal Son. This is a story of a family, it is the story of their complicated relationship. In each of these stories Jesus uses the yearning for possessions to point out his love for God’s people. Jesus’ whole mission was to find God’s lost people. In his search for lost people, even Jesus recognized that the mission was so much bigger than that. God is not in search of lost bodies, but lost hearts. Sometimes it can seem like life is a constant pursuit of physical things, but we are really looking for more. Money Can Buy a Bed But Not Sleep Someone said that money can buy you a bed, but it can’t buy you sleep. It can buy you books, but not brains. It can buy you food, but not an appetite. It can buy a house, but not a home. It can buy medicine, but it can’t buy health. It can buy all kinds of amusements, but it can’t buy happiness. Money can buy a fine dog, but only love will make the dog wag its tail. What kind of wealth do you want? We celebrate the wealth of God’s love in Jesus Christ. The wealth of God's love brings us what the wealth of the world cannot touch: Peace, understanding, fulfillment, life. These things are eternal. In Milan, Italy, there is a great cathedral with three doors. On the door to the right is written, "All that pleases lasts only for a moment." The door on the left proclaims, "All that troubles lasts only for a moment." And the large center door reminds all that approach, "Nothing is important except that which is eternal." In this life you will experience pleasures and troubles. What lasts forever is the wealth of God in Jesus. Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com This is a very familiar story You know it is interesting, I have preached this story 3 different times in this congregation alone. I have preached it countless other times in other congregations. As a matter of fact, this is one of the most famous stories in the bible. People who don’t know anything else about the bible know this story. Most of us have heard it a million times before. The lesson of the son who squandered away his inheritance is so famous. I struggled all week with how to make this sermon different from all of the other sermons that I have preached about this. We usually hear this story during the Lenten season. But this story has not always been a part of lent. It wasn’t added to the lectionary until 1992. It used to be told during Pentecost, but telling this story during lent gets to the heart of why this season is an important part of our relationship with God. There are so many lessons that we can learn. We learn about family dynamics, we learn about forgiveness, we learn about ourselves. This is a popular story, but it is not always a well liked story. I can speak for older siblings everywhere who take this story as a personal conviction. I shared this story at preschool chapel this week – even preschoolers recognized that siblings in a family are not always treated equal. There is always someone in the family who gets away with everything and never gets held accountable. In this story, the father forgives the son and welcomes him back into the family. But this is also a story about judgement. This is the first time that I actually thought about the first sentence of our scripture. There was a man who had 2 sons. The younger son is really not the center of attention in this story. He is not the only person in need of forgiveness. Some people judge the father because they think that he went way too far in forgiving. But we don’t have to like it What Would You Have Given the Prodigal Son? Fred Craddock preached one Sunday in a neighboring town when the regular minister happened to be away. Fred preached on this text ... not by choice, so much as by assignment. Leading a fellow to say after the service: "I really didn't care much for that, frankly." Fred continues: I said, "Why?" He said, "Well, I guess it's not your sermon. I just don't like that story." I said, "What is it you don't like about it?" He said, "It's not morally responsible." I said, "What do you mean by that? "Forgiving that boy," he said. I said, "Well, what would you have done?" He said, "I think when he came home he should've been arrested." This fellow was serious. He's an attorney, I thought. I thought he was going to tell me a joke. But he was really serious. He belonged to this unofficial organization nationwide, never has any meetings and doesn't have a name, but it's a very strong network that I call "quality control people." They're the moral police. Mandatory sentences and no parole, mind you, and executions. I said, "What would you have given the prodigal?" He said, "Six years." William A. Ritter, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com We Can be very judgemental I have been so caught up in sympathizing with the older son in the past, that I never really payed attention to the heart to heart talk that he has with the older son. He had to remind him that it was his right to do what he wanted with his own money – if he wanted to spend it on welcoming the brother back that was his business. He would have done the same for the older brother. He reminds the older son of the importance of forgiveness. As a matter of fact he had to look past the older son’s need to judge and forgive him too. The elder brother showed himself a Pharisee. He was quick to judge his brother. Right was right and wrong was wrong and there was no room for shades of grey. Such persons are possessed of a judgemental spirit. The problem with pharisees, and I readily admit that I have a tendency within myself, is that we tend to view principles and rules as having greater weight than people. There were clearly in the wrong, their behavior is destructive; throw the book at them! An extreme case of this mind set was exhibited by Carrie Nation, the fanatical abolitionist of the pre prohibition days. Carrie was an extremely manipulating woman. Her husband was a minister and Carrie sat in the front pews, orchestrating his sermon. When she felt that he had said his piece, she summarily announced “That is all for today, David.” If he displayed the temerity to continue, she would simply mount the pulpit, close the Bible, and hand her husband his hat. She also despised smoking and was known to knock cigars from the mouths of unsuspecting smokers. Her zeal for righteousness, really self righteousness, robbed her of respect and consideration for those whom she purported to want to help. I am afraid there is a little bit of Carrie Nation in all of us. There is a little bit of the older son in all of us. Especially when we are Christians striving to do the right thing and we see others who are not. I called this sermon the Prodigal Family – there is a little bit of ourselves in each of the characters in the story. Sometimes we are need of forgiveness, sometimes we are judging others, sometimes we are the one who forgives. We are all a part of the story. We all play a part. You don’t want to be a the fatted calf Who Resented The Prodigal’s Return? The Religious Ed teacher was reading this story of the Prodigal Son to his class, clearly emphasizing the resentment the older brother expressed at the return of his brother. When he was finished telling the story, he asked the class, “Now who was really sad that the prodigal son had come home?” After a few minutes of silence, one little boy raised his hand and confidently stated, “The fatted calf.” Staff, www.Sermons.com God actions are love We probably don’t want to see ourselves as the fatted calf. We don’t learn anything from being the fatted calf. He is cooked and eaten, do don’t want that to happen to us. Jesus tells this story to help us to understand our own relationship with God. God is actually not a character in the story. The father in the story does not represent God. This is a story about the people of God. All of the people in the story were in need of understanding, grace and forgiveness. All of them needed to work on their relationship with God. Maya Angelou was a famous African American poet. At one time she was the Poet Laureate of the U.S. I did not realize that she was United Methodist. She was a member of Glide Memorial UMC in San Fransico. He Seeks Until He Finds You There is a wonderful story about Maya Angelou. She is an active member now of Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco. She wrote that years ago when she first came to San Francisco as a young woman she became sophisticated. She said that was what you were supposed to do when you go to San Francisco, you become sophisticated. And for that reason she said she became agnostic. She thought the two went together. She said that it wasn't that she stopped believing in God, just that God no longer frequented the neighborhoods that she frequented. She was taking voice lessons at the time. Her teacher gave her an exercise where she was to read out of some religious pamphlet. The reading ended with these words: "God loves me." She finished the reading, put the pamphlet down. The teacher said, "I want you to read that last sentence again." So she picked it up, read it again, this time somewhat sarcastically, then put it down again. The teacher said, "Read it again." She read it again. Then she described what happened. "After about the seventh repetition I began to sense there might be some truth in this statement. That there was a possibility that God really loves me, Maya Angelou. I suddenly began to cry at the grandness of it all. I knew if God loved me, I could do wonderful things. I could do great things. I could learn anything. I could achieve anything. For what could stand against me with God, since one person, any person, with God form a majority now." There are many people who are just like that. They think it is unbelievable that God would know me, that God would love me, that God would know my name. Just the grandness of it, as Maya Angelou says, that God would really love me. But that is the gospel. He seeks you until he finds you. She found that God found her, in San Francisco. Mark Trotter, Collected Sermons, Sermons.com I Have Been Found In every other religion we have to go to God. In every other religion God's holiness meant that we couldn't get close to God until we, ourselves, became holy. So in every other religion, God is way, way up there, and we are down here, and some of us are way, way down here. The job of the priests in all those religions is to mediate, to appease God through offering sacrifices so that God will like us, and we will be acceptable to God. But in Christianity the proclamation is just the opposite. It says we don't have to find our way to God, because God has found his way to us. What is unique, Montefiore said, is that God seeks us and God finds us. That is why the classical, prototypical Christian experience is, "I have been found." "I once was lost, but now am found." Mark Trotter, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com The Greatest Sentence Ever Written A teacher, every year in her fifth grade class, had what she called the Scholastic Olympics. What happened was that she would ask each child to pick a sentence from literature, name the author and source from which it came, and then explain why this sentence could be called the most important sentence ever written. You can probably guess what some of the entries were, like "Fourscore and seven years ago," and "All people are created equal." A lot of political phrases like that. There were also a lot of literary phrases, like "To be or not to be." The girl who got the most points for knowing that "To be or not to be" was from a play got some points taken away because she said the author was a writer for the Bill Cosby Show. There were fourteen entries of the same biblical verse, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth," probably because the teacher had said that was her favorite verse. You know what sentence won? It was not written by a famous author at all. It wasn't to be found in any literary source. It appeared on a postcard from Hawaii that one of these fifth grade girls received from her stepfather, who was on a honeymoon with the girl's mother. The teacher was uneasy about this, because the children were supposed to explain why this is the most important sentence ever written. But she let her speak. The girl said that until she received that postcard, she didn't know how her stepfather felt about her. The girl's entry won the prize. It was written on the back of a postcard from Waikiki Beach . It said, "Charlotte , I love you." That's the greatest sentence ever written. And there are many variations of it. And wherever it is heard, and from whatever source it comes, it constitutes a blessing. It is here in this text this morning. It's here in the parable of the Prodigal Son, and it's addressed to everyone. To sons and to daughters, to prodigals and to the righteous: "Come home. I love you." Mark Trotter, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com __________________________________ God loves us in so many ways. And are pursuit of money possessions is a hunt for the love of God. God shows love in so many ways, God’s love comes through so many people. God loves us in so many circumstances. God’s love comes through in rebellion, judgement, and extravagant forgiveness. How do we take the time to say thank you? In the meantime let us pray. Amen. Hymn There is a Wideness in God’s Mercy UMH 121 Approaching an Awesome God [Prayers] Holy and Living God, we approach this time of prayer with delight at your world. With all our senses, we open to you. Give us lenses of awe with which to perceive and love others as you perceive and love us. We imagine in our mind’s eye now the people in our lives, the people of our communities, and the people of our world. Each of them is beloved by you, and this alone creates awe in us. We especially lift up those who need our prayers in this moment… [continue with prayers of thanksgiving and care for people]. For all these people and those we name in our hearts, Hear our prayer, Awesome God. Give us lenses of awe with which to perceive and love your creation as you perceive and love it. Each resplendent rainbow, each stunning snowflake, each chirping squirrel reminds us that delight can be found everywhere. You are making all things new all around us. Help us to care for the nature around us. This week, we name… [continue with prayers about specific entities of nature in your area]. For all these places, creatures, and lifeforms, and those we name in our hearts, Hear our prayer, Awesome God. Give us lenses of awe with which to perceive and love life as you perceive and love the life you have given us. Fill us with delight in your presence and your work in our lives. Slow us down in this season of Lent so that we might savor anew the gift of life. We pause in this silence, setting intentions of awe for the week ahead. [pause in silence] For all these intentions, Hear our prayer, Awesome God. Let us pray the prayer Jesus taught us… Lord’s Prayer Responding with Awe (Stewardship Moment) (Do not Print) UMCOR is present wherever there is a disaster. This year they have been present to help those affected by the wildfires in California. Last year they were present in places that had tornados, hurricanes, winter storms, and other natural disasters. They are also present in Ukraine, Gaza and Honduras. It is such a blessing to be able to help them in their work. Let us Pray this prayer for the ministry as a whole. PRAYER (Print) Gracious and loving God, we thank you for your faithfulness and provision in the midst of every storm. We thank you for organizations like UMCOR that reflect your love in the world. We offer our hearts, our hands and our resources to you, asking for your guidance as we walk with those who suffer. May we be vessels of your love, bringing hope where there is despair and restoration where there is brokenness. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Offering/Offertory Doxology Prayer of Thanksgiving "Loving and Compassionate God, as we give today, we lift up this offering with hearts full of gratitude, knowing it will support UMCOR's vital work in responding to disasters and helping those in need. May our generosity ensure that UMCOR's hands are never tied, so that when help is needed, they can act immediately. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen." (AI generated) We Go Forth with Awe (Closing Prayer for Facebook) Benedictions are blessings. And blessings are all around us. So for this season, instead of bowing your head as I offer a Benediction blessing, I invite you to open your palms in a position of receiving, and hold your head high, imagining a radiant stream of light from above shining upon you and everything else around you. And this week when you need to be reminded of the delight of this life, take this stance again. Open your palms to receive, look around to perceive, and notice one small thing that can light up your heart for a moment. And now may you go forth remembering “Mystic” Einstein’s words: “We are souls dressed up in sacred biochemical garments and our bodies are the instruments through which our souls play their music.” Be a purveyor of awe this week. Be an instrument of awe through the music of your soul, as you play and imagine and dream a better world into being, as you invite delight to live and breathe new life in you. Be a “purveyor of awe,” curating a life of spiritual depth that inspires others to join you on the journey. May the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of Awe, the Holy One-in-Three, be with you now and throughout these days, Amen. Community Time Joys and Concens Benediction May God’s grace go ahead of you, trail behind you, and encircle you each and every moment, that with every move you make you would know with absolute assurance that God’s steadfast love will never leave you alone. Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, September 2024. Postlude Worship Notes Contemporary reading excerpted from the following source: Keltner, D. (2023). Awe: The new science of everyday wonder and how it can transform your life. Penguin Random House. Additional Illustrations God Said... Is there a better picture of forgiveness in the whole Bible? It reminds me of a story about a woman who had upset her pastor because she claimed that she had conversations with God. She had attracted quite a following in the church and every day people gathered at her house, got on their knees, prayed, sang hymns and listened to her describe what God was saying to her. The pastor thought all this was getting out of hand, so he went to visit her. "I know you say you are talking with God," he said, "but what you hear talking back at you is just your imagination. Just to prove it, I want you to ask God to name three of the sins that I confessed this morning. Then tell me what God said. If you can name those sins, I'll believe that you really are talking with God." The woman sat there for a long while, praying. Then she looked up and said, "I asked God to name your three sins, but God said, 'I forgot.'" Norm Linville, The Prodigal Father Where Are We At the Parable’s End? Let's step back outside with the older brother, still in need of a shower, arms folded across his chest, the moral high road. "But when this son of yours came back ... you killed the fatted calf for him." He cannot even bring himself to acknowledge his brother with a name -- "this son of yours." A sense of unfairness, as you know, can turn venomous rather quickly. So where are we at parable's end? Are we inside the party celebrating? Or are we standing outside with our arms folded, refusing to come in? Jesus will not tell us how this story will end. The father passionately invites the older son inside, "pleads with him" to join in the welcome. Curiously, however, we are never told what the older brother decides to do. The story ends but it doesn't end. You can almost hear the voice of Walter Cronkite saying, "You are there." Will we RSVP to a party thrown by an unfair God? Or will we stubbornly remain outside? In a world where God does not play fair, this parable forces us to make a choice. Who is the real "prodigal" here? Who is the real "waster"? From the beginning Jesus says that this is a story about two brothers. Which one is the authentic prodigal? Which one has yet to come home to the Father's extravagant love? Frank G. Honeycutt, Sermons on the Gospel Reading, Cycle C, CSS Publishing God Loves the Elder Brother Too God loves the older brother just as much as he does the younger brother, and I think that it is time that the older brother hear about it. There have been a lot of elder brothers in the history of the church. There was St. Teresa, who lived in the 16th century. She never left the Father’s home. She went into a convent at an early age and developed a life of self-discipline that would fill anyone with awe. She spent hours a day in prayer. One day, when she was in her mid 40’s, she was entering the chapel to pray as she did everyday. And as she entered she noticed a picture, a picture which had been on the walls for years. It was a picture of Jesus being scourged prior to the crucifixion. And suddenly the realization came to her the Christ had been scourged for her. And those who have studied her life say that this was the great turning point. She had stayed at home in the Father’s house. She had done the right thing. But she needed to know that the Christ who was whipped was whipped for Teresa. And there was joy in heaven that day — not over a soul returning from wild living but for a soul returning from the fields after a hard day’s work. United Methodists certainly know about the elder brother, because their own John Wesley was the best of them. He was so earnest, so methodical about his devotional life that people called him a Methodist and the name stuck. But it was not until his 35th year, after years of ministry, when he was at Aldersgate, that Wesley experienced God in such a way that he was able to write: “I suddenly felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt that Christ had died for my sins, even mine and had saved me from the law of sin and death.” Wesley had never gone to the far country. But Wesley needed to know how much God loved him too. He needed to feel some excitement about his religion. He needed a homecoming party. Staff, www.Sermons.com Our Own Sin Is Hard To See Let me tell you a true story. Back in 1893 there were a group of four sisters. The Cherry Sisters they called themselves, who made their stage debut in Cedar Rapids in a skit they wrote themselves. For three years, the Cherry Sisters performed to packed theaters throughout the Midwest. People came to see them to find out if they were as bad as they had heard. Their unbelievably atrocious acting enraged critics and provoked the audience to throw vegetables at the would-be actresses. Wisely, the sisters thought it best to travel with an iron screen which they would erect in front of the stage in self-defense. Amazingly, in 1896 the girls were offered a thousand dollars a week to perform on Broadway -- not because they were so good, but because they were so unbelievably bad. Seven years later, after the Cherry Sisters had earned what in that day was a respectable fortune of $200,000, they retired from the stage for the peaceful life back on the farm. Oddly enough, these successful Broadway "stars" remained convinced to the end that they were truly the most talented actresses ever to grace the American stage. They never had a clue as to how bad they truly were! The parable this morning does not tell us what the elder brother did when his father came out to speak to him. It doesn't reveal to us whether he realized that his envy and disdain had made him just as bad as his younger brother. Yes, the elder brother had never stooped to find himself in the pigpens of life. He would never have been caught dead carousing with prostitutes or wasting his resources in riotous living but in the end his refusal to rejoice at the return of his sinful brother was, to Jesus, just as offensive. The tragedy was that he never realized just how bad HE truly was! Lee Griess, Taking The Risk Out Of Dying, CSS Publishing Company. We Prefer Justice to Mercy Perhaps you remember the cartoon strip, Calvin and Hobbes. Calvin is a little boy with an overactive imagination and a stuffed tiger, Hobbes, who comes to life as his imaginary friend. In one cartoon strip, Calvin turns to his friend Hobbes and says, "I feel bad I called Susie names and hurt her feelings. I'm sorry I did that." Hobbes replies, "Maybe you should apologize to her." Calvin thinks about it for a moment and then responds, "I keep hoping there's a less obvious solution." We have trouble accepting those whom God accepts because we take God's acceptance for granted and God's forgiveness as our right. We are much like the elder brother who preferred justice to mercy. We have worked for what we have (or so we think), and it's unfair that everyone else should not have to do the same. We have earned God's favor (or so we think) by "staying at home." We have merited his acceptance by the good life that we live. So how dare God receive and accept our sinful brother who has returned home saying he's sorry. Lee Griess, Taking The Risk Out Of Dying, CSS Publishing Company. Familiarity Breeds Contempt In 1986 Henri Nouwen, a Dutch theologian and writer, toured St. Petersburg, Russia, the former Leningrad. While there he visited the famous Hermitage where he saw, among other things, Rembrandt’s painting of the Prodigal Son. The painting was in a hallway and received the natural light of a nearby window. Newman stood for two hours, mesmerized by this remarkable painting. As he stood there the sun changed, and at every change of the light’s angle he saw a different aspect of the painting revealed. He would later write: “There were as many paintings in the Prodigal Son as there were changes in the day.” It is difficult for us to see something new in the parable of the Prodigal son. We have heard the story so many times we believe that we have squeezed it dry of meaning. Not only that, but, as the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt. When we hear the opening words of the parable once again, “And there was a Father who had two sons,” we greet the words with ho-hum. Heard it. Heard it. Heard it. Yet, I would suggest that just as Henri Nouwen saw a half dozen different facets to Rembrandt’s painting of the Prodigal Son, so too are there many different angles to the story itself. Staff, www.Sermons.com Humor: He Took Out His Lunch and I Took Out Mine There is a story out of the Middle Ages that goes something like this. It seems people were putting pressure on the Pope, saying to him, "Your Holiness, this is the capital of Christendom. There ought to be only Christians in Rome. Let's get rid of the Jews." The Pope however, replied, "I don't know. Before I do anything, I will have a theological discussion with the chief rabbi of Rome. If the rabbi says the right things, the Jews will be allowed to stay. If he says the wrong things, they will have to go." So they invited the rabbi in. The Pope dismissed all the Cardinals and said, "Rabbi, we are both theologians. Theologians deal in symbols. Since we use symbols in our communication, let this discussion be entirely in symbols." The rabbi said that was fine with him. First, the Pope made a large circle with one hand and the rabbi responded by pointing to him. Then the Pope thrust out both arms to the chief rabbi. The rabbi responded by pointing to the Pope with two fingers. Finally, the Pope looked around for an apple and held it up. The rabbi went through the pockets of his long caftan and took out a piece of matzoh. The Pope concluded, "This is one of the finest statements I have heard of. Of course the Jews will be allowed to stay," and he sent the rabbi away. The Pope, then, brought in the Cardinals and said, "I don't know what you people have been fussing about. I said to the rabbi, 'There is one church and it encompasses the world.' And he said, 'You are the head of it.' Then I said to him, 'There are two swords, the secular and the ecclesiastical,' and he said, 'You hold them both.' And then I said, 'There are foolish people who say the earth is round,' and he said, 'No, the earth is flat.' " The rabbi went home to his wife and told her. "You know, I haven't the foggiest idea what the fuss was all about. I got in there and the Pope said, ‘We’ve got you surrounded.’ And I said, 'But we can get to you too.' Then he said, 'We can hack you to pieces,' and I said, 'We can poke your eyes out.' Then he took out his lunch and I took out mine." Communicating with our hands and arms can be dangerous, it appears. But there are many times and in many ways that we do communicate with symbols and most of them are easily understood. For instance, what does this stand for ... (peace)? How about this ... (number one)? This ... (okay)? And this ... (power)? And what do we try to teach babies even before they can speak ... (bye-bye)? How about this one ... (bad person)? Or ... (come here)? Or ... (come here now!)? I think there is a symbol present in the story of our gospel for today that is worth pondering for a few moments. The story is all too familiar. There was this son who got tired of working in his father's pizza shop, so he went to his dad and asked him for his part of the inheritance now, so he could go out on his own. The father agreed and the son was off. He immediately bought himself a Porsche 944, picked up Donna Rice, and headed for Las Vegas. There he bought drugs and booze and friends and when the money ran out, so did the drugs and booze and the friends. He ended up working as a busboy for Wayne Newton, so he could pay off his gambling debts, and he had to eat the leftover food on the plates he cleaned from the table to keep alive. One day, while gnawing on a leftover rib, he realized how foolish he had been and wrote home to dad for help. Without a moment's hesitation and without reading the whole letter which was full of apologies and regrets, dad sent a first class plane ticket back home. The son arrived home and was greeted by dad with the biggest pizza party ever thrown in Baltimore. Now, your translation may be different from that, but what symbol do you see at work here? Can't you just see the father running to greet that long lost son with arms outstretched and hands opened in welcome and love? That's precisely how God loves us -- arms outstretched, running toward us always, welcoming us home. Jesus says through this parable, "That's how God loves us." Glenn E. Ludwig, Walking To Walking With, CSS Publishing, Lima, Ohio. ___________________ There Always Comes an End Brady Whitehead, chaplain of Lambuth College in Tennessee, tells the true story of a student whose parents were tragically killed in an accident. This student suddenly became the beneficiary of the estate. According to Brady, he started squandering the money on lavish trips. He would even invite other students to go along at his expense. He was spending the money so fast that Brady called him into his office one day and had a talk with him. He said that as Chaplin of the school he felt it was his responsibility to question his spending habits. The student responded: “But what you don’t understand is just how much money I have inherited.” Well, that may be so, said Brady, but even to a large estate there comes an end. Well, the student did not listen, and Brady revealed that by the time he graduated from Lambuth, all of his parent’s money was gone. Brett Blair and Staff, The Prodigal Son, www.Sermons.com A Heart that Sings with Joy “I saw them eating and I knew who they were.” That saying, or some version of it, is well-known now. And it certainly describes the Pharisees whom we encounter in Luke 15:1-2. Jesus was welcoming the very folks whom the religious establishment had written off. Worse, he was at table with them, which was an intimate act of fellowship that implied a kind of personal bond and connection. So we’re told the Pharisees muttered into their beards about this. Jesus overheard their comments and knew their hearts and so told them three stories that reveal the heart of God. And that’s really what is going on in Luke 15: we’re not here first of all being given stories of the “go and do likewise” variety. The parable in verses 11-32 is not in Scripture first of all to encourage fathers to be forgiving of their naughty kids any more than the first two stories were an instruction to shepherds or a cautionary tale to take better care of your fiscal assets. No, all three reveal the heart of God — a heart that is broken clean in two by lostness but a heart that sings with a joy as wide as the cosmos when even the silliest sheep or the meanest of sons comes back and/or is found again. Scott Hoezee, Comments and Observations