Trusting in God’s Grace [the prodigal father]
Luke 15
Our reading from the Gospel today talks of grace.
Sometimes we call it the prodigal son,
because of the son’s extravagant life-style.
Sometimes we call it the prodigal father,
because of the extravagant grace of the father.
Sometimes we call it the lost son.
Whatever we call the reading,
it isn’t a story about the son,
it is a story about the father.
Do our parents love us?
Now we all have moments where we say something to our parents which we regret.
We then wonder do they still love us?
The insecurities rise within us,
and we reason,
of course they don’t.
This story is like one of those moments.
This story teaches us that no one,
and no situation is outside of the redeeming and transforming love of God.
Becoming a parent
When you become a parent,
you realise the love that your parents have towards you.
As a new parent you discover a completely unconditional love for this tiny bundle.
Up until this stage you think: “Can I love it?”
And it really is an “it”
because that child has been felt,
you have seen and felt it’s kicks,
and got an idea for something of what it’s personality is like,
but you haven’t seen it,
it is still quite unknown.
But in an instant any detachment changes to unconditional love.
But for those of us who haven’t had children,
or those of us who still couldn’t believe that their parents love them,
like they love their children,
the concept of the fathers love can be hard to grasp.
What is the truth?
Titles
What should we call today’s Gospel then?
– The Prodigal Son
– the Lost Son.
– the Prodigal Father?
If we are to call it anything based on the characters,
we should call it the prodigal father.
Or maybe it should be called: “Trusting in God’s grace.”
Throw away the story
Really though,
what we call it depends on what we think its message is.
It can be tempting at times to focus on what Jesus said,
rather than what he meant.
Having a conversation about what Jesus historically said,
is naturally less challenging than thinking: “And how will I apply this?”
Today we are going to apply the reading.
We need to remember that this is not a historical story giving us facts;
rather it is a parable,
or a fictional story that conveys truth.
The truth is not the story,
but rather the meaning that the story conveys.
To do this,
we need to look at what the overall message of it is,
rather than how a character behaved.
So we need to carefully ask what truth does it convey?
Is it a feel good movie,
about the restoration of some a father and a son.
No.
Is it an academy award winning drama about the tensions within a family,
between siblings, their parents and who will inherit what in the will?
No.
This story isn’t about the characters.
This story is about you and I.
Challenge of our theology
This is a challenge to us,
about where we sit and what we believe.
The story invites us to be a little detached as we hear it,
and fully involved as we apply it.
It is a direct challenge to the disciples and to us and our theology.
Theology is the word that means our understanding of God.
Theo – meaning God
Ology – meaning understanding.
This story asks us a direct question of who is God to us?
What is God’s character?
Does God forgive?
So while we may ask what does the story say,
we need to be careful not to over focus on the details,
as they will distract us.
Jesus didn’t tell this story as a fishing yarn,
or as something to entertain.
This is not a feel-good movie, or a drama.
Rather he was wanting to teach.
And in his teaching we are being challenged to ask:
“Well do I believe that?”
The follow-up question is:
“Will I live that?”
A round-about-way
He knew that to convey the truth of this story,
he couldn’t just come out and say it,
as people would not believe or trust what he was about to say
and this is because we become pre-conditioned to certain responses through life.
It’s likely that Jesus told this story,
and the ones around it at different times.
Luke though has gathered many of these parables/stories together.
He has done this to shock us into believing the truth that Jesus is talking about.
So as we read the parables of the:
– lost son,
– lost sheep
– and lost coin;
together and ask ourselves what truth does it convey?
We are loved
The first truth is that we are loved.
For some of us this is hard to believe,
when we struggle to love others,
let alone ourselves.
The parables tell us though,
that God will go after one coin, one sheep or one son,
no one is insignificant in God’s eyes;
God loves us all equally as-much.
God is gracious
The second truth is that God is gracious.
It is not easy,
or maybe we should say “normal” to extend grace to others.
The self-centredness within us can make it hard to believe in grace.
Hence it can be almost impossible to believe that God would extend grace to us.
The truth then is that we are loved,
we are worthwhile,
and God will love us
and extend unconditional love and grace to us.
A simple concept,
but one we are so ready to write-off because of our defensive nature,
that it needs to be told in parable form.
Grace
Whatever we call the reading,
it isn’t a story about the son,
it is a story about the father.
Seeking Fogiveness
It is a story to encourage us to seek God’s forgiveness.
We see that we don’t even need to ask for forgiveness in this story,
we simply need to head towards God,
and in heading towards God,
God does the rest.
And that shows the grace of God,
where in grace we receive what we don’t deserve.
This grace teaches us,
that no matter how undeserving we thing we are,
God will always reach out to us if we give God a chance.
But,
and it’s a big proviso,
will we?
Stumbling blocks
Will we risk the embarrassment of returning home?
What will God think?
Sometimes we reason that:
“God knows what we have done and are doing,
how could God ever forgive us?”
Forgiveness hinges then on whether we are willing to risk a return.
Our story hinges on whether the son could return.
His conclusion is,
“It couldn’t possibly get any worse at home!”
So he stepped out.
Encouragement
We hear the story today as an encouragement to turn back to God
before we are at rock bottom.
And the son’s decision was based on:
“the father can’t possibly treat me any worse.”
The father shows us that with God we wont be treated just good enough,
we wont be treated fairly,
but rather we will be treated with extravagant grace.
And everything within our minds rebels against this extravagant grace,
and everything within society rebels against this extravagant grace.
God wants to work,
and all we need to do is to open the door to our hearts just a little,
or take the smallest step towards God.
And from this,
God doesn’t rush on in,
but rather we are shown how things really are possible.
Accepting
We simply need to head towards God,
and in heading towards God,
God does the rest.
When this appears impossible,
a simple prayer like: “Holy Spirit – transform my mind that I may walk in yours ways.”
can help us to take that first hesitant step to turning around.
This Easter, may you believe and live in God’s ways of love and grace.
Let us pray:
Gracious God,
your ways of grace,
your ways of love,
are simple.
Help us to believe in you,
to put aside our pre-conceived ideas,
and to walk towards you.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Luke 15:1-3, 11b – 32
Tax collectors and sinners were all crowding around to listen to Jesus. So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses started grumbling, “This man is friendly with sinners. He even eats with them.”
Then Jesus told them this story:
Once a man had two sons. The younger son said to his father, “Give me my share of the property.” So the father divided his property between his two sons.
Not long after that, the younger son packed up everything he owned and left for a foreign country, where he wasted all his money in wild living. He had spent everything, when a bad famine spread through that whole land. Soon he had nothing to eat.
He went to work for a man in that country, and the man sent him out to take care of his pigs. He would have been glad to eat what the pigs were eating, but no one gave him a thing.
Finally, he came to his senses and said, “My father’s workers have plenty to eat, and here I am, starving to death! I will go to my father and say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against God in heaven and against you. I am no longer good enough to be called your son. Treat me like one of your workers.’”
The younger son got up and started back to his father. But when he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt sorry for him. He ran to his son and hugged and kissed him.
The son said, “Father, I have sinned against God in heaven and against you. I am no longer good enough to be called your son.”
But his father said to the servants, “Hurry and bring the best clothes and put them on him. Give him a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. Get the best calf and prepare it, so we can eat and celebrate. This son of mine was dead, but has now come back to life. He was lost and has now been found.” And they began to celebrate.
The older son had been out in the field. But when he came near the house, he heard the music and dancing. So he called one of the servants over and asked, “What’s going on here?”
The servant answered, “Your brother has come home safe and sound, and your father ordered us to kill the best calf.” The older brother got so angry that he would not even go into the house.
His father came out and begged him to go in. But he said to his father, “For years I have worked for you like a slave and have always obeyed you. But you have never even given me a little goat, so that I could give a dinner for my friends. This other son of yours wasted your money on prostitutes. And now that he has come home, you ordered the best calf to be killed for a feast.”
His father replied, “My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we should be glad and celebrate! Your brother was dead, but he is now alive. He was lost and has now been found.”