Which Character Am I / Based on Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 / Delivered on March 31 to CCH in Hudson, WI 
Hymns: Amazing Grace, May the Mind of Christ My Savior, What Wondrous Love Is This


Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
15:1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him.
15:2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."
15:3 So he told them this parable:
15:11b "There was a man who had two sons.
15:12 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.
15:13 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.
15:14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need.
15:15 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.
15:16 He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything.
15:17 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!
15:18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you;
15:19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands."'
15:20 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.
15:21 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.'
15:22 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.
15:23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate;
15:24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!' And they began to celebrate.
15:25 "Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.
15:26 He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on.
15:27 He replied, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.'
15:28 Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him.
15:29 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.
15:30 But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!'
15:31 Then the father said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
15:32 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.'"


Good morning.  My name is Darci Strutt McQuiston and I am one of the Lay Servants of the United Methodist Church up on the hill from here.  It is my honor to be with you this special day.  I missed you last month because of the February blizzard.  I’m glad the weather is settling down!

The Gospel reading for this Sunday is a long one but don’t worry; I measure my sermons by word count including the scripture, so you’ll make it to lunch in time.

This scripture lesson is most likely familiar to many of you.  Because of this familiarity I’m not going to repeat as much of the scripture during my message as I normally do.

I’m going to look at this parable from three perspectives:
The younger son
The older son
The father

The younger son
The beginning of the story is one of insulting the father.  Dad, I’m tired of waiting for you to die so give me what’s in your last will and testament now.  Crazy insulting as that sounds the father does it.  The older son gets his share early too.  Verse 12 says “he divided his property between them.”

The younger son sells the land which would have also been insulting.  Jews did not sell family land.

The son has a good time spending the money but comes on hard times when a famine hits and he has no savings to fall back on.  He sinks as low as he can go by feeding pigs, which is an animal considered unclean by the Jewish people.  He’s hit bottom.

The only thing he can think to do is humble himself and pray his father accepts him as a servant.

The older son
The eldest would have received the larger share of the estate.  He continued working the family land.  He hears the party and finds out from a servant it’s to honor his lazy no good brother.  Now he’s angry.  The father appears to be picking favorites and it’s not him.   It’s obvious he still respected his father from his response, though he still comes across as ungrateful.
Verse 29: “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.”

I find it interesting the younger son is coming home saying he’s willing to be a servant, and here the older son says he feels like he’s been working like a slave.  His father reminds him in verse 31, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.”  The eldest son could have thrown his own party.

The father
My first thought is that the father failed at parenting 101.  Both sons are disrespectful.  The first made a mess of his life with his poor choices and brought embarrassment to the family name.  Then the father acts in ways which make no sense within the Jewish culture of the time.  The response should have been, “Sorry kid you’ll have to wait until I die to get an inheritance.”  If a child acted in the way the younger son did, he more likely would have been disowned.  Then you have the way he acts during their reunion.  The leader of the family would not have run to anyone.  The father acted inferior to his son by falling on his neck.  That was something a servant did to his master.  The father hosts a huge party, then he leaves his responsibilities as host and goes outside to talk to his older son.  That was not a normal thing.  You didn’t leave your guests.  His willingness to focus on reconciliation was acting crazy.

I can imagine the reaction of the Pharisees; that’s crazy, inconceivable, ludicrous.  They would have been outraged at the father’s behavior.  Kind of like they were outraged at Jesus’ behavior.

There are many great lessons in this parable.  If you look at the younger son, you can take away the lesson that if you recognize you’ve chosen the wrong path in life it is best to acknowledge it humbly and face your consequences.  He demonstrated repentance. 

If you look at the older son, the lesson might be that it is important to recognize what you have and not be jealous of what others have.  The parable ends before we see him repenting, but that’s the happy ending of the story I make up.

However, I don’t believe those two characters are the focus of the story.  The story was prompted by the Pharisees judging who Jesus was showing love to.
15:2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."

The example Jesus was giving us to follow in response to their statement was that of the father’s love.  You think tax collectors are bad, just imagine a son that asks for his inheritance before you’re dead and then sells the family property!  Yet the father showed him not only mercy but outrageous grace. 

His other son refuses to come inside, and the father leaves his role as host to go reach out to him.  That’s outrageous love.

In past readings of this passage I’ve sought to find myself in the brothers and saw the father as God.  Studying it this month I’ve come to believe that the father is the character of the story that Jesus is asking us to identify with.

Love completely.  Offer forgiveness freely.  Focus on reconciliation. 

The father is an example of God’s grace.  I believe Jesus was reminding the Pharisees and us that we are to offer grace to each other.  Love each other like God first loved us.  Jesus was demonstrating that love for us to follow.

We are halfway through Lent.  It is a time of self-reflection and repentance.  I believe it is also a time to meditate on the kind of love we have been shown.  Love that is outrageous.  Forgiveness that is not earned.  Reconciliation to God once more.  That is the gift at the end of these 40 days.  It is also our example of how to love.  We are to show amazing grace to each other because of his wondrous love.


Amen


Here’s my ukulele song based on this scripture.

https://soundcloud.com/darci-strutt/what-kind-of-child

What Kind of Child
By Darci Strutt
Based on Luke 15:11b-32

The younger son couldn’t wait for his Daddy to die
He demanded what would be his then he said good-bye
Before long life turned tough, he feared that he would die
Then I had to ask myself what kind of child am I

Am I like the young son
Wishing I was free
Am I like the older one
Filled with jealousy
Neither son’s the character Jesus dreamt for me
The father full of love is who he’d wish I’d be

The older son resented working in the field
His disrespectful language was anger he concealed 
His unloving nature needed to be healed
Am I sometimes like him, would it be revealed

Chorus

The Pharisees asked Jesus how he could love a sinner
He seemed to hang around them and even go to dinner
So Jesus taught a lesson about outrageous grace
Love like God the Father sends to the human race

Chorus