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.