The prodigal son may be one of the better known passages in Christian scripture. The joy of the father and the unbridled welcome home to the son who squandered the fathers money with dissolute living. As an analogy to the Father, it is comforting to know how much God loves each one of us and how welcome we are even after we've made some pretty bonehead mistakes in life. I have often said that God loves us with reckless abandon. I mean in the story, the father ran to meet this son with open arms, throws a big party and kills the fatted calf. This really is a celebration!
I have often wondered how the other brother felt. I have likened it to how the every Sunday Catholics feel when the CAPE Catholics show up for services and are welcomed with open arms. I have actually heard parishioners who are the so called 'regular attenders' complain about people who show up just for the holy days. It really is an unfortunate situation all the way around.
What I don't think people see is the direct correlation to the prodigal son story. I'm sure had I preached on that topic some people might be prompted to be more welcoming to others. Still there is an even bigger message here and it is all about God's forgiveness and more than that, wild, perhaps even undeserving forgiveness by our standards. That is a really big point. Perhaps such forgiveness is hard to swallow. I am not sure people are ready for what they might consider reckless forgiveness on God's part but what God might consider as unconditional love and total forgiveness.
When you follow scripture you realize that our standards are not God's standards. We also have the example of the farm owner who contracts out for workers at various times of the day but at the end of that day pays everyone the same full wage. Are you willing to accept that kind of 'inequality'? Of course we also have the example of the so called 'good son' . The son who stayed home with the father while the 'prodigal son' went out at squandered his inheritance on dissolute living. How would you feel when dear old Dad welcomes your brother back? And how do you feel when you attend church every Sunday and then 'these people' show up once a year to make you crowded, take 'your seat', you know, the one everyone else knows is where you sit each week? How do you feel? Can you embrace those newbies with warm, open and loving arms?
The fact is, we like playing God and we often want to see people punished and treated as we think they deserve it. We forgive but never forget, right? The call to try and be as loving and compassionate and forgiving as God is to us a tall order when we have to turn it around and accept everyone else. Can we at least accept that God is the better judge and that He/She may decide that everyone is going to get the big party and the fatted calf?
The call is there. God loves us with reckless abandon. God forgives us. Let's try to revel in that. Think of some of our own transgressions and know in our hearts that God not only forgives us, he forgets too and further, he celebrates us. Let's revel in that, let's soak in His love until we get all pruny with love. Perhaps if we accept his love and forgiveness we may be able to accept others' faults. Maybe we will even see that it is not for us to judge at all.
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