Easter Sunday ----- 27 March 2016

Luke 24:1-12

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. ²They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³but when they went in, they did not find the body. ⁴While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. ⁵The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men^* said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. ⁶Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, ⁷that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ ⁸Then they remembered his words, ⁹and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. ¹⁰Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. ¹¹But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. ¹²But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

 Why do you look for the living among the dead?

·        Why look for the living among the dead, indeed.

·        The women came to the tomb on the morning of the first day of the week to do what needed to be done to anoint and prepare the body of Jesus whom they had seen crucified and buried. They were not prepared for what they found.

·        The stone was already rolled back and the body was already gone. What they expected was a closed and filled tomb and they were understandably perplexed when what they expected was not to be found.

·        Even the words of the men in dazzling clothes were not what they expected. Since the body was gone, perhaps they hoped for news about where look for it. What they heard was ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.’ Despite all they had heard of Jesus’ preaching, to be faced with his resurrection would be confusing and frightening. When they told the eleven, their words were not taken seriously. Peter, as impetuous as ever, ran to the tomb and saw that things were just as the women said, although he saw no men in dazzling clothes. Luke says he went home amazed. He was still searching for the living among the dead.

·        We don’t know who the men were in the dazzling clothes; each of us is welcome to guess. However, what they said was far more important than who they might be: ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.’

·        These words are now given to us. The living Jesus is proclaimed and the question comes to us. ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead?’

·        Christ is alive and lives among us. His spirit is given to each of us in our baptism. His living Word is heard in the Scripture. In his body and blood, his very life is shared with us in his Supper. He is present in the living, breathing reality of the church’s life and ministry.

·        We can still look further to find him among the living. In the church’s ministry to the forgotten and the outcast, the refugee and the ones in need of healing, Jesus is present there. Where ever there is need of a more abundant life, he will be found there, either in the desire of those in need or in the words and work of those who answer that call.

·        Let’s go still further. The living Christ can be found in our own families, among our friends and co-workers, where ever our lives can be found. Where Christians live, Jesus is there among the living. When we offer help, or words of encouragement or of comfort, Jesus can be found in our living words. In truth, in whatever is truly live-giving for us, Jesus can be found. We may remember that not everything we do is life-giving. Those things and activities that bring joy and hope and new life to us can be grace filled. Even a good night’s sleep can be an example of a gift of grace.

·        One more step – the living Christ can be found in our living memories of those who have passed from our sight. Those who have died in Christ live on in him. Although we are separated from them, life in Christ is theirs and the promise of eternal life if fulfilled for them.

·        So where can the Living One not be found? Only where we need not look. The women at the tomb were told ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead?’ Where ever Jesus is, there is life. To seek him we need not look where death still reigns and Jesus will not be there. I say “still reigns” because Paul tells us that The last enemy to be destroyed is death. Jesus has defeated death and although we still might suffer death, it is not the end for us: For as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.

·        So as with the women at the tomb, there is no need to seek Jesus among the dead. He is not here, but has risen. We will find him where we are alive, because he has been there before us and has made us alive.

·        Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. And because he is risen, we also shall rise.

The Great Vigil of Easter ------ 26 March 2016

{This sermon was delivered during the Great Vigil of Easter,

celebrated at Trinity Anglican Church, Aylmer, ON.}

·        Tonight we gather in the age-old time of remembrance of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We will renew our Baptismal vows and eat the Lord’s Supper, proclaiming the Lord’s death until he comes.

·        As we gather this evening to hold vigil in celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord, we may wonder just what a vigil is and how it applies to Easter.

·        A vigil is a time of waiting for a certain event whether that might be the arrival of a person or the coming of a certain time. It’s not simply a time of waiting, but of active watching. If you’ve ever watched a camp fire in the last watch before dawn, you understand what this means. In fact, in ancient times, Christians lit bonfires as part of their vigil… almost exactly as we did at the beginning of our vigil.

·        So tonight we hold vigil and wait for announcement of the Resurrection of the Lord. We have heard the story of God’s plan of salvation from the beginning to the day of the Resurrection. We can trace the path over the years and still we wait and watch. Although Jesus rose from death quite a few years ago, we continue to wait for the news each and every year since we need to hear it once again.

·        We need to hear this Good News again and again because the cares of the day and our work under the sun will distract us and even cause us to despair of the Good News coming to us.

·        Our waiting reminds us that what Jesus accomplished for us still has to come to completeness in us. Jesus’ death and resurrection have brought us salvation, yet we wait for the fullness of that salvation, trusting in his promise.

·        We wait for the time when Jesus’ Resurrection will be our own. His rising from death is the promise to us that the same rising will be ours.

·        Our waiting is a holy waiting. We live in anticipation of what has been promised to us. We hear again the stories of God’s grace, God’s concern for God’s people, and God’s work of salvation and new life.

·        We wait because the story is not fully written yet. Each Christian, each one of us, has our own chapter in the story. None of us will be left out of that book that will tell the whole story of God’s love for creation.

·        We wait and watch because the story is not finished and it won’t be finished until faith becomes knowing.

·        No, sisters and brothers in Christ, the story is not finished, because God is not finished with the whole of creation. This Easter we may hear the Gospel according to Luke and see the Gospel according to Nature. (Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime. – Martin Luther) What we have yet to hear is what we will know in our own resurrection – our story in Christ. For lack of a better title, we’ll call it the Gospel according to Us. That the Good News that is being written for us and in us by the grace of God.

·        So…

Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ 

Good Friday ---- 25 March 3026

Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

·        Pilate’s words… What did he write? ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’ … in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.  Written in the languages of the Hebrew Scripture, of the imperial power, and of the common folk.

·        There in irony here and layers of meaning. The Pharisees wanted Pilate to change it to an accusation of claiming to be king. He refuses to change a word, symbolically thumbing his nose at the concerns of the Pharisees and in that, letting them know who was REALLY in charge. “If the forces of empire can crucify your king, what do you think I can do to YOU?”

·        John the Evangelist knows this. He’s lived under imperial rule all his life. He’s also a fine writer, so he uses Pilate’s words to convey the irony of the whole situation. What Pilate meant as a warning and an insult becomes a proclamation of who Jesus really is.

·        Once again we hear this story – because John’s Gospel is always used on Good Friday. We might wonder about the forces arrayed against Jesus on this day. The Pharisees and the elite of the people call for his arrest and execution because he claims to be the King of Israel. Pilate and the Roman Empire control everything – especially matters of life and death. Yet, in John’s Gospel, Jesus goes to the cross as a king going to his throne. The powerful of this world become instruments of the raising up of Jesus for the life of the world rather than simply serving their own agendas. They really do not know what they are doing, although they think they do. The people are saved but not by the actions of the leaders of the people. The new ruler of the ages is proclaimed but not by the power of the sword and the might of arms.

·        Pilate’s words - ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’  - are as true as can be. They are true even though he didn’t realize it. The high priest Caiaphas had said it was better to have one man die for the people and his words were true as well, although not in the way he understood.

·        In the final irony, we Christians call this day “Good Friday” in some languages or “Mourning Friday” in others. “Mourning Friday” would be appropriate considering the event we commemorate. “Good” would also be appropriate if we take “Good” mean “holy” or “God’s”, setting the day apart for God’s purpose. We mourn what happened even while we stand in awe of what the day’s events mean.

·        “What I have written I have written.”  ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’ are the words of Pontius Pilate. He would not change his words then and there is no need to change them now.

Maundy Thursday ----- 24 March 2016

{I beg your pardon for being a bit behind in blogging all this.}

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

23 For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." ²⁵ In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." ²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

·        Sometimes the greatest thing that families and other groups can do is eat together. Those meals show hospitality and care and the desire to be together.

·        The celebration of the Jewish Passover involves a meal called the Seder.  In that meal, all those present remember the meal eaten “hurriedly” before the passing over of the Lord’s angel which led to the freedom of the people of Israel.

·        As this meal begins, the youngest person in the room asks “How is this night different from other nights?” In answer, the story of the Exodus is told again and the meal is eaten as a way of remembering what has gone before.

·        For the Jewish people, the memory of the Exodus is more than a memorial of what has gone before. As they understand it, the Exodus from Egypt is an event that is not simply past history, but an event in with they are included, an event that happened to them. They know they were not personally present at that first Seder meal or the crossing of the Red Sea, but in the presence of their now distant ancestors and the heritage they share with them, they were there. The meal does more than remind them of what had happened to others; the meal reminds them of what has happened TO THEM. Each person is part of the entire history of the people.

·        This may be hard for us to understand. We often see history as something past and left behind. To think that we are somehow present to a different time and place is not something most of us are willing to accept.

·        We will have to change our mind set a bit. We will have to see ourselves as a people rather than a collection of individuals, randomly sitting together in the same time and place. We are a people because we are all called by and in the grace of God. When we gather on this night to pray and sing and listen and eat together we are here with each other and with the One who as called us together.

·        We are also here with all those who have been called by God’s grace, no matter where or when. What we do tonight, we do in remembrance of the Lord Jesus who called his disciples together and took bread and wine and gave them a sign of his enduring presence for their strength and their comfort of heart, no matter what was going on around them.

·        We don’t simply reenact the meal in the upper room. In an extraordinary way, this IS the meal in the upper room.

·        Our food may be simple, the bread and the wine drawn from our world around us. The Word of God makes this simple meal different, just as it has made our lives different.

·        When we gather like this, each and every time we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. We proclaim his being “handed over” as part of God’s plan to grace us with salvation through Jesus’ death. In the grace of God, every time we eat this bread and drink this cup, we actually participate in the death of Christ.

·        We don’t stand at the shore of the Red Sea as our Jewish sisters and brothers do when the story of the Exodus is told. However, we are present and eat at the table where Jesus took bread and took wine and gave his very self for our salvation.

·        We gather as a people, redeemed at great cost. We gather as a family, called together to remember so much that the memory shapes our lives. We are no longer alone; we are with each other. God is with us.

Palm/Passion Sunday ---- 20 March 2016

Philippians 2:5-11

5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, ⁷ but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, ⁸ he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

(Since the Passion according to Luke was read today, my reflection was much shorter and rather personal.)

And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. 

·        Humility – we love to see it, but we don’t often love to BE it.

·        It is not a virtue that comes easily to our time and our place. I can’t speak for anyone but myself, but I want to be king of the world! I want things my way and I want them now.

·        It worked when I was four years old, so why shouldn’t it work today?

·        Reality gets in the way. Obligations and commitments, and simple politeness and respect take us in a different direction. The sobering realization that we are not the centre of the universe is part of this as well.

·        But what about someone who really IS the centre of the universe? …though he was in the form of God, (he) did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited…

·        We are used to hearing this story, the narration of the Passion of Jesus Christ from the Gospels. We hear it today because it is worth remembering and worth thinking about.

·        However, I’d bet we’d rather not think about it. The story is messy and sad. It isn’t glorious and uplifting the way we are sometimes told our religion, worship, and preaching should be. When we hear it, we are left speechless, silent before the sheer size and power of what the Gospel tells us.

·        We could say “That’s nice” and turn away to other things. If we listen, though, really listen, there is no turning away.

·        The word “Gospel” in any language, means ‘good news.’ Where then is the good news here? The good news is what we see when we look past the details of the Passion, to what motivated Jesus to take on this suffering. When we see that, we will see the lengths to which God would go to bring us back. We see the depths of love that led Jesus to suffer what he suffered.

·        There we see true humility, the emptying of Jesus to save us, the humility to which we are called, not to save ourselves, but to be like the one who has saved us. In that humility, those around us may see the love of Christ which is the world’s hope.

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,  who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form,  he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.

The Fourth Sunday in Lent ---- 13 March 2016

Philippians 3:4b-14

4 If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: ⁵ circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. ⁷ Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. ⁸ More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. ¹² Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³ Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.  More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

·        Paul has a lot to brag about. In this letter to the church at Philippi, he outlines his resume and his heritage, somethings that had apparently been brought into question by his detractors and opponents.

·        He says he is Jewish and declares when he was circumcised and what tribe he was born into. These are important things for the Jewish people of his time.

·        He states the he belongs (or belonged) to the Pharisee movement which was one of the factions of Judaism of the time. The Pharisees were supporters of what became known as “Rabbinical Judaism.” Judaism in our day came from this emphasis on the Torah, the Laws, and the teaching in the Synagogues.  The Pharisees emphasized an enlarged understanding of the Hebrew Scripture, accepting the writings of the prophets and the wisdom books. They deemphasized the Temple and the Temple’s rituals. Without this movement among the people of Israel, they wouldn’t have survived the Babylonian Captivity or the Diaspora – the “scattering” of the Jewish people following the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans. The common folk of Judah accepted the Pharisees more than they accepted the elite, privileged priesthood of the Temple.

·        Paul goes on to say that he never done anything again the Law of Moses and that he had gone so far as to persecute the Christian Church. In other words, he was a staunch defender of the religion of his ancestors in every way. In other letters, there is some evidence that Paul may have been considered by many to be a rabbi. His knowledge of the Scriptures reflects this as does his ability to interpret and argue those Scriptures in the style of the rabbis of the time.

·        So what does Paul say about all of this? Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. 

·        He goes further:  More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  Paul has come to understand that the things he has achieved and done in his life do not compare with what he has received in the grace of God. This grace has led him to make huge changes in his life – to go from persecutor to apostle.

·        This change has made him lay aside all he was in order to become what he wishes to be in Christ.

·        Paul puts it this way: For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ …

·        I know this has come up before. Paul uses a word which our English translators have politely and delicately phrased as “rubbish.” The real word is much stronger than that. I won’t bore you with the Greek or Latin since we don’t use those phrases commonly here and now. When Luther translated the Greek into German, he used the word “Dreck.” One commentator said the original word has a “barn-yard” meaning. Basically Paul is saying that what he has lost, he considers of no more value than what the cows leave behind or as an old friend of mine put it “what the bird left on the rock.”

·        Isn’t Scriptural interpretation fun?

·        If Paul considers all his merits and honours to be worthless, then what was left to him? When compared to what he has received in Christ, he says I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ  and be found in him. He values what he has received far more than what he has left behind.

·        What then has he received? Paul continues with these powerful words: …not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ…

·        What then have WE received? We have received that same righteousness through faith in Christ.

·        Just as Paul did, each of us has our merits and our honours – our histories, our diplomas, our riches, our medals, our trophies, our banners, our good names, and even our scars. We all know where we’re from and we often know where our families are from and what they did… be it for better or worse. Whether our origins are high or humble, we may be proud of them and at the same time know them to be of little value in the light of the grace of God and the salvation given to us in Christ.

·        Our faith is in God and our hope is in God’s grace. The season of Lent shines a special light on the Cross and emphasizes just how far God will go for our life in Christ.

·        I found this comment during my sermon preparation and I found it applicable: “What’s important is not that God knows what you’ve done but that you know what God has done”

·        Like it or not, know it or not, there is still much do to, not to make ourselves worthy of God’s grace, but to live out the grace we have received. Even Paul voiced his concern over this: I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

·        Jesus Christ has made us his own and thanks be to God for that. Our task then is to live as people who are his own.

Don't forget

The Fourth Sunday in Lent --- 6 March 2016

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

1 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: ¹¹ "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. ³²But 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.' "

Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.

·        This is such a lovely story! It is so unfair! And so surprising! Let’s take a good look at it.

·        The younger son demands his inheritance in cash, an inheritance he should only get when this father has died and his older brother has received his share, which by the way, would be double what the younger boy receives. So the boy is saying to his dad: “You’re dead to me, old man!” That’s a rather serious way to start a story.

·        Surprisingly, the father swallows his pride and cashes in to give his younger boy what would be due to him in the will. The boy promptly goes off and squanders it on shady real estate deals and criminal dealings for  illegal substances. No, not really. The boy uses up his money on “dissolute living” or as his elder brother, who is not one to mince words, says, the boy has devoured your property with prostitutes.

·        In true Hollywood style, this boy suffers for his unsound money management when a famine hits. To make things worse, he has to take a job as a farmhand. Even worse, he’s to tend the pigs. Could things get worse for a Jewish man? Yes! The pigs are eating better than he is!

·        He remembers that his father’s farmhands always had enough to eat. Maybe it’s time to go home.

·        Can you imagine the humiliation he’s willing to endure by going home, admitting his failure, and asking to be permitted to work as a farmhand? Can you imagine the scorn he’s setting himself up for – from his father, his brother, the rest of the family, and the other farm workers? There was no guarantee that he’d be accepted even as a farm worker. He might be turned away and told to lay in the bed he’d made.

·        He decided he’d try. Was his father waiting in the front room for him to grovel? Was his father out in the field where he’d grudgingly accept the apology and humiliation of his wayward son, hand him (or rent him) a hoe and tell him to get to work? Was his father going to sic the dogs on him? Report him to the authorities as an illegal beggar?

·        What happens in not what we’d expect: …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. … 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.  And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate;  for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!' The boy can’t even get his rehearsed speech out!

·        The response of the older son – who appears very upset – is just what we might expect. He might be thinking: Who does he think he is, coming home like this? And after insulting us? He should earn a place in the household, work his way up, and maybe, after a years of showing he’s worth the trouble, maybe we can accept him back into the family. Until then, I won’t go in.

·        What happens next is another surprise. First the father ran to meet his lost son before he got to the farm. Now he leaves the party he’s thrown for the returned son to speak to his angry older boy. In Jesus’ time – and often in our own – the head of the household wouldn’t run to meet the child who had insulted him, taken his money, and then burned through it for pleasure. Neither would the head of the household leave the celebration to plead with someone who has refused to come to the celebration. To refuse such an invitation would be insulting and to criticize who the family offered hospitality to would be just as insulting.

·        The father doesn’t seem to be worried about any of that. He’s so incredibly pleased that his one son is back that he basically throws a party the equivalent of a wedding banquet, which in Jesus’ time could go on for days. He puts the best robe and sandals on him and puts a ring on his finger, possibly the signet ring, marking him as a full member of the family and tribe again.

·        To the elder son, he goes out to beg him to come in. By rights, he should leave him alone. If he refuses his father’s command, forget him! No, this man is generous to BOTH of his sons, and wants them both to rejoice in death turned to life. He even says how much he appreciates the faithfulness of the older son and assures him that all that is mine is yours.

·        We know who all the characters in the story represent. Jesus is eating with sinners (whoever they might be) and tax collectors, while the Pharisees and scribes grumble. A “righteous” rabbi wouldn’t do that. To make his point, Jesus tells his parable in big, bold letters. The lost son holds the place of the sinners and the older, dutiful son shows the keepers of the Law, who often judge who does or doesn’t keep the Law. The father, of course, is God.

·        Who is the real “prodigal” here? The dictionary defines “prodigal” as free, reckless, perhaps wasteful spending, or giving on a lavish scale. This word is often applied to the way-ward younger son and the parable is called “The Prodigal Son.” However the father is the prodigal one. He gives and gives and doesn’t seem to count the cost.

·        Here’s the final surprise… and probably the best one of all. The story isn’t so much about either of the sons. It is about the Father, the gracious, loving father who is anxious for both of his sons and wants them both under his roof.

·        This the same Father who has pursued us our whole life long, loving us through our mistakes and missteps, waiting and watching and working to have us turn around and return. This is the creator of the universe with all its wonders who want us to call him “Our Father.”

·        As it turns out, grace and the love of God is the MOST prodigal reality we could ever imagine… and thank God it is so.

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.