Author Topic: The Prodigal Son — a truck load of Good News  (Read 716 times)

Lorenzo

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The Prodigal Son — a truck load of Good News
« on: March 21, 2011, 11:52:39 PM »
The following sermon was delivered by Pastor Dee Edwards on March 11. Every Christian has heard the parable of the Prodigal Son more than a few times, but the good Pastor certainly offered an insightful take on it.

In our church we have a number of musicians who arrange their worship selections to complement the scripture lesson for the day. Others have been contemplating the scripture during the week. The most interesting thing this week was the number of persons who mentioned that they were anticipating The Prodigal Son (TPS), but not in a positive way.

Upon reflection, there are a couple of thoughts which might shed some light here. It could be that TPS is just old hat. It’s been repeated so many times it’s been emptied of meaning. The other thing, and I think this is more likely, is that they’ve heard TPS a lot and the preachers have generally fussed at the congregation for their own prodigal unfaithfulness.

That really is too bad since, in my hopes, TPS offers a truck load of Good News. Stay with me now, even if TPS has a bit of “cringe factor” for you. Because, it is my job to share the Good News and if you ever hear a sermon and don’t hear Good News please let me know. I covet your feedback and consider it a compliment that you would offer such to help me. It is my prayer that God will give us ears to hear the Good News this morning.

Now, first I want to ask if anyone here has ever fed pigs? I see, some have. I guess the rest of you are city folk? For those among you who have fed pigs, have you ever looked at the pigs’ food and wished you could get your face down there in the trough to eat with them? Of course you haven’t. This offers a glimpse into the level of absolute poverty and powerlessness to which TPS has fallen. He’s hit bottom. Hitting bottom is what it takes for some folks to come to their senses. There are all manner of ways to hit bottom and our own experience or the experience of those we know may well be a different manner. People hitting bottom may well happen to more folks than you can imagine.

The Good News here is that this thought prompted the young man to “come to his senses.” That is the exact opposite of being “beside himself.” He has come together and is able to reason through his grim situation and see a path to recovery. It’s a modest plan. He will return to his father and apologize. He will ask to be treated as one of the hired servants, not as a son of the father.

Now for the really Good News: do you suppose the son came up this plan on his own? Most certainly he had to make his decision. In the bigger picture we can imagine that long before the son came to his senses it was the father’s prayer to do precisely that and come home. The love that “goes before” is what we call “prevenient grace.” That is the grace that goes before. We believe that before a human being ever consciously knows God’s Grace the Holy Spirit is already at work in our hearts, inviting, nudging, tugging and working gently to prompt one to come home.

We always experience Prevenient Grace after the fact. For example, in the truest sense, we cannot “establish” or initiate a relationship with God. That would be like a child trying to establish a relationship with her parents. The truth is that the child’s parents have chosen to be in relationship with the child for some years before the child ever has any awareness or memory of the relationship. In the same way, God has chosen and loved you before you were born. In truth, we can only “respond” to relationship with God. It is simply not possible that we can initiate the relationship. Hear the good news: We reach out to God only to discover that God has been reaching out to us all along.

This is the lens through which we begin to see the astonishing generosity of God. In the parable, the younger son asks the father for his inheritance. In the father’s extraordinary generosity the request is granted. How many human fathers would do that? I’m sure the number would be small. Indeed most fathers’ concern for the well being of the son or daughter would prevent answering that request. In almost any situation we can imagine, giving a young person their entire inheritance in advance would not be a wise thing. Most anyone would not be able to manage that successfully.

So are we to say that God is generous but unwise? No, not at all. You see, for better or worse, God has given all of humanity this freedom to make decisions. The father does no coerce the son to stay home. Neither does God demand that we stay in relationship with him. We are free to leave anytime. You see, it wouldn’t mean anything to be in relationship to God if we are forced into the relationship. The same is true with those we love. If we were to somehow coerce another into relationship, it would not be love. The relationship would just be a consequence of our power over another.

It is clear to us that the younger son’s first chosen path will lead to disaster. Fortunately he discovers that his true life and inheritance is with the father. We may or may not be surprised to learn that the older brother resents the prodigal’s return and acceptance by the father. It’s just as if he had never left. The father’s astonishing generosity is seen again. He doesn’t even let the son finish his apology speech.

What we see in the father’s pleading for the older son to come inside and join the celebration is more of his generosity. The older son’s resentment is deep and angry. He hasn’t come to understand that his own inheritance is not threatened. In the father’s pleading we hear him say, “I have always been with you” and “all I have is yours.” The older brother has the blessing of all the father has, but sadly doesn’t see that. The older brother’s feeling may even be so close to our own that it makes us uncomfortable.

Do you hear the Good News here? Just as we can see the father’s generosity with both of these sons, God’s generosity is the same with us. The father desires for both of his sons to have everything he has and has always been with them and always will be with them. That is the father’s highest priority.

We don’t know how the story might continue. We hope that both sons would realize that their inheritance is with the father, in relationship with the father. We hope that the younger son discovers that though he is free to leave the father, doesn’t mean he should. We hope he discovers that there is no hope for life outside relationship with the father. We hope the elder son discovers that likewise his inheritance is not his possession but a gift he can only receive in grace. He thinks he has earned his inheritance, but it has always been his. This is not for what he has done, but for who he is as the father’s son.

This is wonderful Good News. Receive this news my friends. You are more valuable to God than you can imagine. In fact, God has paid an extraordinarily high price to give you life. It’s so important to God that you are given the freedom to say yes or no. How will you answer? There is no such thing as a Christian by accident. There are only Christians by decision.

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Rev. Robert Wilkins, a Delta blues musician and ordained pastor, was inspired enough by the story of the Prodigal Son to write an outstanding song about the parable

http://parkviewmethodist.wordpress.com/2010/03/16/the-prodigal-son-a-truck-load-of-good-news/

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