Sermon Based on : Luke 15. 1-3 &11b-32; Psalm 32; 1 Corinthians 5. 16-21
Preached on: – Forth Sunday of Lent- 31. 03.19
The parable that we heard is a much-quoted story and we are all quite familiar with it.
There are clearly three main characters: the father, the elder son, and the younger son,. Often this story is called the parable of ‘the prodigal son,’ or most versions of the Bible entitle this story as “the parable of the lost son” (GNB, NIV), creating the impression that the younger son, who “left for a distant country” (Lk 15:13), is the hero or the main character of the story. Some suggest that this story be called, the parable of “the prodigal father” who gives everything for his son, who pours out his love for his lost son. When we look at the whole chapter 15 of the Gospel of Luke, it tells us that it is certainly the father who is the main character of the story.
Actually Jesus tells them three parables: the story of the lost sheep (Lk 15:4-7), the story of the lost coin (Lk 15:8-10), and the story of the lost son (Lk 15:11-32). In the case of the first two stories the heroes are clear: the man who lost his sheep, and the woman who lost her coin. It follows then that the hero or the main character of the third story is the father.
Notice
how the father treated his children. He didn’t criticize or scold
either of them. There was no finger wagging, no attempt to make his
children feel shame. Instead, he broke social protocol to run out
them. The father appears recklessly credulous. Dignified men in
Jesus’ culture would not run like this man does. longing for them to
be with him. He shared his abundance with them. He celebrated and
rejoiced. He invited his children to be part of his joy.
Likewise
God the father,, was full of tenderness and generosity, eager to
recover and restore us in Jesus Christ. It’s God’s compassion,
how much he longs for relationship with us – no matter what. And,
it’s also an invitation to us to have this attitude. It’s about
welcome, hospitality, acceptance – that this is what God provides
for us and what we might provide to others.
The loving father
of two sons: one son wanted to be his servant and the other son felt
like his servant. Here’s the good news. His message to his sons,
and to each of us, is the same: “Repent, turn around, come home
from the far country, stop wandering, you belong to your father, you
are my children. God desires our return, which is one of the themes
of Lent. We, like sheep, have gone astray. the good news is God in
Christ keeps calling, beckoning, pulling at us, drawing us together
so that all Creation might be reconciled to God.
The passage which has read to us from Second Corinthians begins with the words:
“From now on, we regard no one from a human point of view… we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
Paul urged the gathered community in Corinth to expand their vision, to see that “everything has become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This kind of seeing moves beyond what our eyes can plainly see. What if we started to see the world through the eyes of Christ, whose eyes saw human difference as an opportunity to expand the reign of God on earth?
We cannot do this without our relationship with God and each other, and that restoration gives us the energy and guidance to do the work for which we are called. And then, like the father in the parable, we wait patiently, prayerfully, for the return of those to whom we are sent.
Lent is not just about each of our journeys and us. It is also about to whom we are sent and how we minister to the other, the stranger, the friend, the family member who see no need for a relationship with God or the community of faith. It is about having the strength to give a cup of cold water to the least and the lost. It is about sorrowing over what we have done to creation and finding ways to help restore it.
Let God’s arms enfold us, and help us feel the removal of all our sins. Then, as we walk out the door of the church into God’s world prepared to be an ambassador for Christ. The Spirit will direct us to whom we are to go.
In the name of God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen