’’An Accepting God"
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
4th Sunday of Lent C
A young man had secretly misappropriated several hundred dollars from his employer. When the shortage was discovered he was called to the office of the senior partner Immediately he knew he would be fired and would have to go to prison. When asked if he were guilty, he replied he was. Then the executive surprised him. "If I keep you in your present capacity, can I trust you in the future?"
"Yes, sir, you surely can. I’ve learned my lesson," was the employee’s reply.
"I’m not going to press charges, and you can continue your present responsibilities," said the employer. "I think you ought to know, however, that you are the second man in this firm who succumbed to temptations but was shown leniency. I was the first. What you have done done. The mercy you are receiving I received. It is only the grace of God that can keep us both."
The grace of God. The love that God has for each of us what keeps life going. Our gospel lesson this morning concerns the grace, the love, the mercy of God. Our gospel lesson is about our Cod and how he accepts us; receives us and loves us.
The story, the parable in our gospel lesson is the familiar story of the prodigal son. I think this story has come down through the centuries mix-named. For it is more than a story about a son who misused the family fortune, it is more than a tory of repentance, how this wayward son decided to return home, it is more than a story about the jealous elder son who l stays home grudgingly helping the father manage the family farm. l t is much more than all of that, it is a story about the love, he forgiveness, the acceptance of a father. It is a story about the love Cod has for each of us. Yes, this story is filled with many truths concerning our Christian pilgrimage on this earth, but the focus of this story lies not with the prodigal son, nor with the jealous elder son, but the focus of the story lies with the father.
Let us take a closer look at this father and see just what kind of man he really was.
We can see right at the beginning of this parable one of he characteristics of this father. His younger son comes to him knowing that one day one-third of the family fortune will e his, and instead of waiting for his father to die to receive t, he asks for his share now. So the father says yes. He divides the family fortune.
The older son by law receives two-thirds and the younger one-third. Already we see the love and patience of the father. He could have ordered his son to stay at home, he could have refused to give him his share.. But e respects the lad’s desire for identity and independence and even adventure. His wisdom and experience told him of the dangers his son was going to face on such an adventure. But he knew that his son needed this experience,, he need the opportunity of learning first hand, perhaps, even the hard way, that life is more than living it in the fast lane. So, he hands over the fortune, and lets his son go.
While at home, the father and the elder son continue to manage the family farm. But the father is constantly watching, waiting, wondering how the younger son is doing. Then one day it happens. The younger son returns. The father sees him coming off in the distance. He runs to him, but his arms around him, hugs him, welcomes him back into the family. Though the son had hit the bottom,the father lifted him up. Though the boy had stupidly and selfishly squandered his inheritance, the father welcomed him back home. Though the boy disowned his family, the father restored his membership. The father accepted his lost son. He welcomed him back.
Notice, then how the father also treated the elder son. This son was jealous, he stayed at home begrudgingly, not because he wanted to, but because he felt like he had to. So when the younger brother comes home, and receives all of this attention, he becomes angry.
But notice the father’s response. He doesn’t rebuke or ignore him in the ecstasy of reunion; rather he reminded him of the added blessings they had been privileged to share in their joint ownership of "all that is mine," alleviating any fear of being short-changed in the future. He reminds the elder son that had the privilege, the opportunity to share in everything while the younger brother was away. The father also reminds him that the fortune is still his, he is not going to be left out, rather his future is well taken care of.
As we apply the truths of this parable our lives different ideas come to mind. The first is God does give us the freedom to use his gifts the way we want. God gives generously to us. He gives us the wealth of his kingdom because he are his sons and daughters. He gives to us knowing that we need to make some difficult discussions about how we will use those gifts. Will we use them to honor and glorify him?
Or will we use all of these gifts for our own selfish ends? Notice, how Jesus portrays God in this parable. He gives to us freely, with no strings attached. He lets us use our own judgments on how we will respond to his generosity. Cod gives to each of us a large portion of his wealth, his kingdom, his resources. He gives us our lives, our talents, our personalities, our vocational interests, and says here, these are yours, do with them as you can. Some use his gifts to honor and glorify God, and others use them in a way that only glorifies self. The father in the parable knew of the inherit risk of giving the son the part of the fortune he demanded, but he also knew the son had to assume some responsibility for his own actions. In the same way, God gives freely to us, and he knows there are risks involved. Some will use those gifts to benefit humankind, and to serve God, and others will use those gifts to benefit no one except self. But God is willing to take such a risk with each of us.
But then notice inherit in this business of risking, God also waits patiently for us if we do use those gifts for our own selfish ends’ he waits patiently for us to return to him. Jesus pictures human kind not as inherently evil with no redeeming qualities, but he sees humankind as always having the opportunity, always having the chance to change, to turn farm honoring self, to honoring God. The phrase that tells us this is, "But when he came to himself. But when he came to himself, when he realized what he was doing, when he realized he was honoring self instead of God, when he realized he was being less than God created him to be, when he realized he was sinning, and needed forgiveness, when he came to himself, he remembered his kind father, he remembered the love his father had for him, he remembered how compassionate how caring, how loving his father was, he decided to return home and be with him.
I think God also knows that when each or us stray, when we use his gifts to honor and glorify self instead of him, I think God knows one day we will return to him. And he will be there waiting with his open arms to welcome us back home. When we fail, when we fall, when we get caught up in the idolatry of self, God is still there waiting for us to return to him. He is still there waiting for us to seek him, to experience his love again, to be encompassed with his robe of righteousness, his ring of son ship and the shoes- of walking in his pilgrimage for the rest of our lives.
God never writes us off. He knows that his love, his kindness his forgiveness can always change anyone. There is a story about a young boy who was the most ill-mannered, most trouble causing boy in the neighborhood school. No one wanted to teach him, many had tried, many had failed. One day a new teacher came to the school, he was told he didn’t have to have that troublesome boy in his class if he didn’t want to. But the teacher said he would try. He began to relate to that boy with kindness, justice goodwill and confidence and at the same time he dropped into that relationships some seeds of ambition hope and self-respect.
His plan began to work. The promising young student L dropped his bad habits, studied day and night, went to college, and graduated with honors. He studied law and eventually he became an associate justice of the Supreme Court, an United states Senator, Governor of New York and finally Sec. of State His name was William L. Marcy.
God knows that as we live in his justice, his kindness, his forgiveness and his love great things can happen to our lives. We will bear fruit and we will become all that God intended for us to be. So God is waiting, waiting for us to return if we have strayed away. Waiting for us to came home, home to his forgiveness, home to his love, home to his mercy.
But at the same time, for those who are still at home. For those who have used God’s gifts to glorify him, to those who have served faithfully these many years, God says to you all that I have is yours. I am sharing now with you e;: foretaste.. a part of my kingdom. Your salvation is secure. Help me to celebrate with those who are coming back. Help me to bring those who have strayed back into the fold. Serve me here at home out of a sense of love, not out of a sense of duty. Serve me as generously as I have blessed you.
We have seen the basic quality of God’s love in our parable this morning. Jesus himself becomes the bridge over which we prodigals return home. Through him we know that "Home is where the heart is" And for those of us who like the elder brother, await the arrival of returning sister and brothers, it is again Jesus and his love which enables us to receive and to welcome, to join in celebration at every "family- reunion" which takes place here in church of wherever his people gather. God’s love for us.
Maybe you are the prodigal returning home, Maybe you are the elder son who never left, but know and believe that Cod’s love is there for you regardless. It is there for you in the same measure, with the same assurance, with the same acceptance and with the same mercy, Our God is an accepting God.
amen
(Preached by Rev Tim Zingale)
