Sermon 27th March 2022 – 4th Sunday in Lent
Text: Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 – The Prodigal Son
We have one of the most well know parables today called The
Prodigal Son. It is a story about a father who never stopped loving his child
who chose to go away and live a wasteful life. It is a story about a father who
never gave up hope of his son returning even though his son was considered
dead, as he waited patiently.
While his son was still far off, he unmistakably recognises
him and runs out to greet him. Though his son would be barely recognisable from
his previous lavish life- well-nourished, and well-dressed – but now filthy
from working with pigs, skinny from not eating, and in rags, nevertheless the
father recognizes him from afar and runs to meet him with open arms.
We might ask why the father would be so keen to see his son
return when his last memory of him is of selfishness in asking for his
inheritance now. The selfishness didn’t consider the affect on his father’s
business.
His greed didn’t worry how it might affect his brother’s work
life with him not being around to help out. But that doesn’t worry him —he
takes what the father gives him and goes away and wastes it. In fact that’s what the word prodigal means –
to be wasteful. We often use the word “prodigal” the wrong way when referring
to someone who’s been away for a long time and returns – the prodigal son has
returned. Some have asked, who really is the wasteful one in this story. The
son who wastes his inheritance? Or the father who wastes his love on a selfish
son.
But, we shouldn’t judge this younger son too harshly. Human
selfishness exists in all of us, Just look at social media vying for attention,
television, and media of all kinds – people prepared to do anything for self
attention on reality TV shows. Just
watch reality shows where the aim is to survive by kicking the other
contestants off. There is not a lot of difference in the condition of our own culture
today to that of the younger son. Because of his greed he ended up lowering
himself to the ultimate degradation for a Jew of his time; to live among pigs
and wish to eat what they are eating. It
would be easy to look and laugh at the younger son with the view “It served him
right because he was an ungrateful son,”. He got what he deserved for what he
put his father and brother through.
But, thanks be to God, the story does not end there. The young man looks at his condition and comes
to realise where he has let his life go. “Here I am living among pigs while
even my father’s servants have more respect and enough to eat.” In a way this is still a selfish reaction in
that he is still thinking of himself and not the hurt he has caused to his
family. He returns, not because he misses his father and brother or regrets
what he has done but because he realises
that he might be better fed as a slave to his father than what he is doing now.
But sometimes it is this self-realisation that God uses to
bring us back. We see that in his next
response as he acknowledges his sin and does not conceal his guilt: “Father, I
have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called
your son.” Sometimes it is only when we
have travelled too far away from God that we realise just how deprived our
lives have become. It all started off so well for this younger son – he had
lots of friends, enjoyed his time partying and was no doubt very popular. But
he reaches a point where he realises that this life he is living has no
fulfilment. Despite all the things he is filling his life with, his life is in
reality empty.
Today at Ringwood we celebrated 4 of our young adults being
Confirmed. They have spent the good part of the last 12 or more months
listening to me teach them about the Christian faith. They might not be able to
recite Luther’s Small Catechism as perhaps many of you were made to do in your
earlier Confirmation lessons.
They didn’t give up their Saturdays or spend 2 years every
week for hours in confirmation lessons. In fact 90% of the lessons were through
the internet on Zoom rather than in person.
But they were committed and the one thing I hope and pray
that they take out of all this is a knowledge of God who is like the Father in
the parable of the Prodigal Son. We don’t know what their life has in store for
them for the future. We don’t know whether they will remain in the church or
take up leadership roles in our congregation. We hope and pray they do. But
first and foremost we hope and pray that they know that they have a God who
goes with them wherever their life leads and that he is a God who is always
hoping and waiting and never gives up on you just as he is for you. And that if
your life hits that point where you hit rock bottom or you really don’t know
what to do or where to go – that God is always there for you like the father of
the prodigal son today. He was waiting for his son to come home. He never gave
up on him. This son was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been
found.
What an amazing God we have that even when we totally abandon
him and wish he were dead – which is what the prodigal son did by asking for
his inheritance now – we have Jesus crying out for us – forgive them Father for
they know not what they are doing. If that is all they take out of their time
from their confirmation lessons – I, and I’m sure their parents, will be so
happy for them. Because there are so many people in the world today who do not
know that. And there are so many people and institutions that will try to
convince them differently about God. But in the parable of the Prodigal Son we
see what God is really like. That he is our Heavenly Father who loves us. That
he gives us freedom to explore life and if that exploration takes us away from
him that he is there waiting for us and accepts us back immediately. And notice
that he didn’t punish his son for all that he put his family through. He didn’t
make him pay back the inheritance. He didn’t make him one of his servants but
welcomed him back as his own beloved son.
In fact, instead of punishing him he called for a huge
celebration. That’s the God we want them to go away with from their
Confirmation lessons and I hope and pray you have that understanding also. That
whatever decision you make in life that God goes with you and his love never
leaves you. So may God bless you as you continue to walk with God in your life
knowing that he is a loving God, your heavenly Father who watches out for you
and most importantly is always there with open arms to love and care for you.
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