Schedule for Trinity Presbyterian Parish, SE Minnesota:
Palm Sunday (March 24) Worship, 8:30 a.m. at Chatfield, 10:30 a.m. at Lewiston
Maundy Thursday (March 28) Service with Communion, 7:00 p.m. at Chatfield
Good Friday (March 29) Service, 7:00 p.m. at Lewiston
Easter Sunday Worship, 8:30 a.m. at Chatfield, 10:30 a.m. at Utica
Pioneer Presbyterian Church, 206 SE Fillmore St, Chatfield
First Presbyterian Church of Utica, 145 S. Center St, Utica
First Presbyterian Church of Lewiston, 60 W. Main St, Lewiston
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Fourth Sunday in Lent, Year C
Now all the tax collectors
and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2 And the Pharisees and the
scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats
with them." 3 So he told them this parable:
15:11b "There was a man
who had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me
the share of the property that will belong to me.' So he divided his property
between them. 13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and
traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in
dissolute living. 14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place
throughout that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired
himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields
to feed the pigs. 16 He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the
pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself
he said, 'How many of my father's hired hands have bread enough and to spare,
but here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will
say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I am
no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired
hands."' 20 So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still
far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his
arms around him and kissed him. 21 Then the son said to him, 'Father, I have
sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your
son.' 22 But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly, bring out a robe-- the
best one-- and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for
this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!' And
they began to celebrate. 25 "Now his elder son was in the field; and when
he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 He called one
of the slaves and asked what was going on. 27 He replied,' Your brother has
come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back
safe and sound.' 28 Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came
out and began to plead with him. 29 But he answered his father, 'Listen! For
all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never
disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I
might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came back, who
has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for
him!' 31 Then the father said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all
that is mine is yours. 32 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.'” (Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 NRSV)
“BRATTY KID, ANGRY BROTHER, AND DAD”
Some families have drama, as it is called. They have conflicts or struggles over power,
or money, or position. There may be
favorites and family members may take on certain roles. There might be familiar behavior or some new
wrinkle that has never been seen before.
Many of these conflicts have elements of rivalries. There might be old hurts that resurface or
there might be offenses which need to be forgiven or can’t be forgiven. There might be harsh words or harsher
actions. There are specialized
psychologists who take up the difficulties that occur within families. These family therapists work by looking at
the relationships that are involved with the people who have the problems. For instance, if little Susie has a problem, what
is happening with her mother as it is going on?
If little Susie has a problem, where is her father? Her brothers and sisters? What does her relationship with them tell
us? What does their relationship to each
other tell us? To get the right picture
you have to see the whole family.
The
Gospel reading this morning is the familiar story of the Prodigal Son. It has been called that for many years and to
hear that you might think it is just about one son. It is not; it is about the whole family. It is one of Jesus’ parables and was told
when the Pharisees and scribes complained that he was associating with sinners. He even eats with them. So there is this story. There was a father with two sons. There was the younger son who did everything
wrong. Not wrong as in inept or without
skill, wrong as in bad. He asks his
father for his share of the inheritance.
It is as if he says that he cannot wait for his father to die. That is incredibly rude. He is offensive. He leaves home, cutting off his relationship
with his family. He takes the money,
goes far away, and lives far beyond his means.
That is why churchy folks call this the Prodigal Son; “prodigal” means
extravagant. He wastes it all on what
churchy folks call dissolute living.
This means he was up to no good.
Only when there is a famine and the money runs out and he has to find
work and in that work he sees the pigs are eating better than he is does he
start thinking of returning home. He has
at least enough sense to know he has offended his father. He has enough sense to know that he can’t
continue on how he was going and has to do something different. And he knows that he can’t have things the
way they were. So his plan is this, he
will ask to become one of the hired hands, he will no longer be part of the
family. And he has enough sense to
actually do it.
He
returns home and is met with a surprise.
The father runs out to meet him.
While he was far off yet from home this happens, which can only mean
that the father was watching for him, waiting for him day by day, hoping for
his return. And he wants him back in the
family. He calls for the best to be
brought and a great celebration. The
father throws him a party, a heck of a party.
The
older brother has a problem with this. The
father asks him to join the party. He
feels the offense the bratty kid has made to the family. And beyond that, he holds up his
behavior. He has never done
anything wrong. (So he says.) He has never been given anything. (So he says.)
He is the good son, not this kid.
(So he says.) Yet, he can’t
accept his brother back. He does not
want joy. He cannot see love. Joy is not in his life. The father says that he has always been with
him. Everything was his all along. It was all around him and he did not know it.
The
father wants his whole family back. Both
the one who has never done anything right and the one who thinks he has never
done anything wrong. The younger son
would not know joy except for his return.
The older son sees it all around him and can’t take part in it because
of his attitude. This story has some
very unexpected turns. It was told when
people criticized Jesus. The story is
about who God is. It is about who Jesus
is. It is also about who we are. It turns out, the Father is the extravagant
one in the story. The Father, who had
given to younger son everything he asked for, had even more to give, and it was
better than that first share of the inheritance. The son who lost everything gained even
more. He started out looking for fun,
but ended up knowing love, and forgiveness, and joy. The return of the younger son is nothing less
to the father than that son returning to life.
The older son could be a part of that, too. Until he changes his mind, he puts himself on
the outside.
This
comes to us as we think about Easter coming up.
The characters in the story Jesus told should make us look at our
lives. Who do we see? What catches our attention? As we look at our families, what do we think,
especially about our place in them? As
we look at life, what is our place in it?
The danger is that we might never trust the father enough to return, or
that something will keep us from seeing ourselves and seeing the father and
being a part of it all. Susan Schefflein
tells the story of when she had a bite to eat in a restaurant between
meetings. She was feeling resentful and
frazzled when a little boy came in and walked right up to her table. He said, “Boons!” twice and when she still
did not understand, he pulled her sleeve.
When he pointed she saw that she all this time had been under a picture
of a rocking horse with brightly colored balloons. Then she could laugh with the child. Sometimes it takes a child to let us see what
is good. Sometimes it takes coming in
from outside to see joy.
In
this season of Lent, let us continue to seek joy. It is not found in self-indulgence, but in
returning home to find forgiveness which will last us through all our days. It is not found in smug self-satisfaction,
either, being too proud or resentful to join in. It is found with the Father who waits for us,
whoever we are, whether we are coming home from far away or just waiting to
join the party. It is found by seeing the
Father as in Wendy MacLean’s poem:
God,
we are yet at a distance
still
too far off
to
see that open gate.
Still
not close enough
to
hear the noise
inside
the kitchen.
Yet
you see us
and
come
with
open arms
welcoming
us home.
Tender
Father
we
are afraid
of
the last steps
we
are weary
from
the long walk
we
are heavy
with
the shame
of
our distance.
But
you do not let anything stop you
from
coming to us
to
bring us
to
you
with
celebration and gifts.
Holy
One
may
we welcome
your
welcome.
Amen.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Looking ahead forTrinity Parish (Pioneer Presbyterian Church, Chatfield, First Presbyterian Church, Utica, and First Presbyterian Church, Lewiston, Minnesota):
Wednesday, March 13, Lenten Supper (potluck) at 6:00 p.m. Prayer and study of the Fifth Great End of the Church--the Promotion of Social Righteousness at the Utica Church.
Wednesday, March 13, Lenten Supper (potluck) at 6:00 p.m. Prayer and study of the Fifth Great End of the Church--the Promotion of Social Righteousness at the Utica Church.
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