Sunday, March 6, 2016

God's Invitation

Readings for the Fourth Sunday in Lent

Then the father said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.'


Click the video to listen to the sermon.



When we know a story well, it can be hard to hear it.  That's often true with our bible stories that we hear over and over.  And certainly true of the famous one - the Prodigal Son which we know so well.

There is a father and two sons.  One son is dutiful.  One son is not.  One son is respectful and works for the family business.  The other son demands his share of the business before his father has died – and then leaves and squanders it all.  One son is good – the other, not so much.

We don’t just know this story very well – some of us have even lived it, haven’t we?  Eldest – good, responsible.  Youngest – free-wheeling and self-seeking.  As an eldest, painting with those ridiculously broad strokes works just fine for me.

And Jesus is painting with broad strokes too – but not in terms of us.  The broad – wide – expansive strokes paint the heart of God.  And the parable’s easy dualism of good and bad – I think - is intended to reveal our tendency to categorize and judge – where God does not.

In chapel this week I read a very simple version of this story to our 3, 4 and 5 year olds.  In it the brother takes all his pennies – and leaves home because he’s tired of his dad telling him what to do.  Then, surprise, he runs out of pennies.  So he goes home and says – I’m sorry.  And the dad isn’t angry and welcomes him back.


Of course, I understand why the story is told that way to that age group – but that’s not this story.  Although I think we hear it that way even as adults.  We hear a younger brother who is repentant – but sorry isn’t what the younger brother says.  It’s not a story about forgiveness – it’s a story about worth.  Who is worthy of the Father’s love.

Some scholars say all of Luke’s gospel is contained within this chapter.  A chapter that begins with Pharisees and scribes – in other words – the churched – grumbling and complaining about who Jesus is eating with.  It hints at the grumbling at God done long ago – when God led the chosen people out of Egypt.  Back then – they grumbled saying – why didn’t you just leave us alone – when we were slaves, at least we knew where our next meal was coming from!   And now the grumbling (we’re always grumbling) because they don’t approve of who God is sharing food with.  Because he’s sharing food with all the younger brothers of the world – who many eldest-types consider undeserving and unworthy.

Which is how the younger brother eventually sees himself.  Treat me like a slave, I’m not worthy to be your son.   Which ironically – or not – is the same thing the older brother says to the father.  All these years, I worked like a slave for you.  Both brothers see their worth as contingent on something they do. Is that the good news? Is it the work that makes us worthy? Is it rule following? Is it something we gain – or always have?  What is worthy in God’s eyes?




Jesus knows these are the questions on the hearts of everyone around him.  The sinners he is eating with – and the religious who are looking down them.  There’s no reason to assume the “sinners” at this table are unhappy.  For all we know – they could be people just like the younger brother before he ran out of pennies – in the midst of a raucous period of self-exploration, who feel good about how they are living their lives.  Who knows?  But it’s clear what the Pharisees are feeling.  Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.  How could this Jesus make his Godlike claims and sit with people who don’t even give God the time of day.  Here we’ve made something of ourselves in the house of God – yet he chooses them over us? I’ll bet deep down they were pretty envious.

Jesus shares three stories in reply - .
#1 – A shepherd with 100 sheep loses one and leaves all the others behind to go and find it.  When he does, he drapes the lamb over his shoulders and then calls all his friends and neighbors and says “Rejoice with me! For I have found my sheep that was lost.”

#2 – A woman with 10 silver coins loses one.  She searches and searches until she finds it – and when she does – she calls out to her friends and neighbors and says, “Rejoice with me! For I have found the coin that was lost!”

And #3 – A father who has two sons – both of whom seem very lost.  An elder son who spends his life counting up and tabulating his deeds, working like a slave for his dad.  And a younger son who asks to be treated like a slave, because he thinks he no longer counts.  But the father calls out to each son – No – Rejoice with me!  For we are here, alive, together.

What is the word that is shared in all three – Rejoice, rejoice and again I say rejoice (Philippians).  And in all three “rejoice” is an invitation.

You and I both know what it is to be a youngest and an eldest.  We know what it is to be disrespectful to people who have cared for us, at some point in our lives.  We know what it is to say, it’s my way or the highway – and do what we want, when we want.

And because we are all dutifully sitting in a church at this moment I’m pretty sure I can safely say – we also all know what it is to do the right thing, the responsible thing, the moral thing.  

Jesus reminds us in these stories – neither path defines our worth in God’s eyes.  But both paths are an opportunity to be found.  We can also relate to the feeling of finding something of incredible worth that we thought was lost.  That completeness – that’s where the worth, the value is.  Because that’s the joy – God runs to share with us.  When people are reconciled within themselves – between each other – restored to their place in a community – that’s when the joy is made complete.  Completing our joy, Jesus later tells his disciples is the whole reason he was here in the first place.

But so often we get hung up on our judgments about which path is better – we stand in the way of reconciliation holding on to our notions of who deserves love, or forgiveness, or restoration.  Whereas God just wants to run and grab us – and help us rejoice, help us see the worth all of us have in God’s eyes.

Ultimately this is a story about letting God find us wherever we are.  Because when that happens – we are made whole.  And it doesn’t happen just once – but again and again.  God’s joy is complete when we are whole – when we give all of ourselves into God.  God’s joy grows as when we continually understand – our worth isn’t based on anything we can do – it’s amazing grace, the gift God invites us to find and to share.  And when we find it – we also find our joy grows and grows as we share that joy with others.

Paul writes - In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, [but] entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

There is something good about getting lost.  Getting lost in our selfish pursuits – and getting lost in our value-judgments about everyone else.  Because getting lost – means we can be found.  The stories all end not with a command – but an invitation – God calling to everyone – rejoice with me, rejoice.  This morning is simply another opportunity for us to listen and decide how we will answer.  Amen.

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