Perhaps you remember the parable told by Jesus in which he
describes a father and his rebellious son (Luke 15:11 - 32).
One day the son asked his father to give him the son's share
of the father's estate, even though the father was still alive. The
father complied. Soon after, the son gathered all his wealth and set off
for a distant country, where he squandered his fortune in wild living. After
he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that country, and he
began to be in need. So he hired himself out to a citizen of that
country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. The son longed to
fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him
anything.
When he came to his senses, he realized his father's hired
servants had food to spare, and here he was starving. He decided to go
back to his father and say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven
and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me one
of your hired servants." So, he got up and went to his father.
But, while the son was a long way off, his father saw him
and was filled with compassion for him. The father ran to his son, threw
his arms around him and kissed him.
The son in repentance said, "Father, I have
sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called
your son."
But, the father said to his servants, "Quick!
Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and
sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's
have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive
again, he was lost and is found." So, they began to celebrate.
Was the father rewarding irresponsible behavior? What
kind of "family values" would this father communicate by throwing a
party for such a renegade? What kind of virtue would that encourage, if
any? There was no solemn lecture, no "I hope you've learned your
lesson!"
Instead, Jesus tells of the father's exhilaration ----
"This son of mine was dead, and is alive again; he was lost and is
found" ---- and then Jesus adds the buoyant phrase, "they began to
make merry."
The story of the Prodigal Son delivers an astonishing message.
From nursery school onward we are taught how to "succeed" in the
world. We hear repeatedly what are thought to be secrets of
success: "The early bird gets the worm." "No pain,
no gain." "There is no such thing as a free lunch."
Etc.
We know these rules so well because we live by them, day by
day. We continually seek to advance ourselves. We relentlessly seek
to be "the greatest." However, we may not realize how quickly
this obscures our view of God. Perhaps we do need some unmerited divine
assistance to regenerate us? Church people call this gift
"grace."
I suggest that this well-known parable is about God's
grace, as modeled by the Prodigal's father, after the now repentant
son's failed tour of self-centered living.
The world does not seem to run on grace. While many of
us believe that it is all about us, Jesus' kingdom calls us to another
path ---- one that depends not on just our own performance, but also on
God's. We do not just have to achieve, but also follow God in our hearts.
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These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult
Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage you to pursue some personal
spiritual growth this Spring at CPC.
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