Sermon 3

The Prodigal Son

Passages: Luke 15:11-32
"Jesus continued, 'There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, "Father, give me my share of the estate." So he divided his property between them.
Not long after that, the younger song got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He 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 said, "How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my 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 like one of your hired men." So he got up and went to his father.
But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
The son said to him, "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.
Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. "Your brother has come," he replied, "and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound."
The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, "Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never even gave me a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!"
"My son," the father said, "you are always with me and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." ' "
jeal·ous (jěl'əs): Fearful or wary of being supplanted; apprehensive of losing affection or position.

Today's Bible passage is one of Jesus' famous parables. As it, as all of the parables, is a lesson in itself, I won't say much but a brief explanation of the relation between the father and our Father.
In case you hadn't picked up on it, Jesus was using the story to directly correlate to us and what we so often do. This parable carries a very comforting vein. The son, as so many of us do, decided to leave his father and live a shameful life. His shame was in the prostitutes and squandering of money; ours is in the straying from God's will (which, perhaps, may be a life with prostitutes, or perhaps with drugs, gambling, crime...). The son eventually came to his senses when it all came crashing down on him, which it always seems to do. And, extraordinarily, the son never even considered pleading for his father's pity. He went back to ask to work for him, the lowest of lows. He bit back his pride, tore it out of the way, and told his father that he wasn't worthy of his father's love. The best part is his father's reaction, which was that he still loved his son. The Father never stops loving, see, and it pains Him to see us in distress.
Now, if any of this so far hasn't applied to you, don't think your off the hook. If you think you have lived a nearly perfect life, look again. Is jealousy your downfall? The other son was angry that he had never earned the attention of his father, completely overlooking the fact that his brother had come back to them and would now be part of the family.

There are countless morals in this story, so take the one that applies to you. And stop rolling your eyes. They might get stuck back there.

You can never be perfect. It's human nature to do wrongs. So chill out and try to fix your little errors. Everyone will appreciate it, trust me.
And I'm no exception, don't get me wrong. I'm anything but perfect. Which is why I read the Bible.

~Godspede