Rejection has Died…Reconciliation has Come
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
March 24, 25, 2007

I suspect that some of your eyes started to glaze over as the scripture lesson from Luke was being read. Some of you began to fidget a bit, stare out the window, think about other things. Some of you let your attention sneak away, you let your concentration crawl off to consider other matters. Another message about the prodigal son? It's like receiving that really long email from a friend. You know the ones. They have been circulating in cyberspace for years. But if you'll read it and send it on to ten more people, you'll have a blessed day, baby!

Or it's like that really long joke that's been around for centuries. You could recite the punch line in your sleep. The person says, "Tell me if you've heard this one, but…" You have. But you don't want to hurt her feelings.

Another sermon about the prodigal son? Some of you have heard the sermon so often that you even know the silly stories that go with the sermon! You do. Like the one about the Sunday School teacher who asked his class who resented the prodigal son's return the most. You remember what one little girl said, don't you? She exclaimed, "Oh, that's easy-it was the fatted calf!" But you already knew that.

Or you've heard some preacher compare the prodigal son to a man who got on a bus late one evening. The man was a little more than intoxicated-and he staggered down the aisle and plopped down next to a very proper-looking woman. She was clutching a Bible-and after a few moments, she waved it sternly at him and said with conviction, "I've got news for you, mister-you're going straight to hell!" The man jumped out of his seat and shouted, "Oh no, I'm on the wrong bus again!"

One minister said that delivering a sermon about the prodigal son reminded him of the preacher who dreamed he was preaching. And when he woke up, he was! They warned us in seminary about that. It's not a good thing to fall asleep during your own sermon! Another pastor began her sermon this way: "As I understand it, my job is to preach, and your job is to listen." "If you finish before I do, please let me know." And so, I offer you the same invitation.

Many of us have been sitting in sanctuaries and Sunday School classrooms for most of our lives. For us, it is difficult to see or hear anything new in the parable of the Prodigal Son. We have heard the story so many times that we believe that teachers and preachers have squeezed it dry of meaning. And at times, something even worse happens. As the saying goes, "familiarity breeds contempt." We hear the opening words of the parable, "There was a man who had two sons…." And some of us begin to groan. We greet the words with "been there, done that, heard that, let's move on to some new material." We react like some of the avid fans of popular television shows.

I have actually heard people say that they "live" for certain days of the week. They wait all week for the next dramatic episode of Lost or Prison Break or Grey's Anatomy. And yet, on many occasions they are disappointed and deflated when they discover they're showing a rerun. So, why do we keep showing this rerun? There has to be some new material in Habakkuk or Haggai or Obadiah or Jude or the Apocrypha that we have never covered in church before! What is it about this prodigal son story that has helped it endure around 2000 years of countless tellings? What is about this message that enables it run the marathon of the ages-and still have meaning? What is it about this parable that keeps it going and going and going like the "Energizer Bunny's Bible?"

I AM NOT SURE, BUT I WOULD GUESS THAT THERE ARE AT LEAST A COUPLE OF THINGS GOING ON HERE. For some of us who have gathered for worship today, it really is your first time to hear the story. And so, those of us who know it well must never forget that possibility. The prodigal son parable is one of those "gospel in miniature" stories. If I were to ask those of you have been parking in the pews for a while… If I were to ask those of you who know the Bible well… "Tell me one story that Jesus told that best describes the nature of God… Many of you would pick this one. And even for those of us who know it well… Well, sometimes even we are surprised by the serendipitous gifts from God given through these words. Contrary to the old cliché that you can't teach an old dog any new tricks-you can teach old, experienced people of faith new lessons! If they have the eyes to see and the ears to hear and hearts that are open… God will bring new meanings, new angles, new applications, new perspectives… God will breath new life into old words and old ways of thinking. Clarence Jordan says when Jesus tells a parable, it is "like a Trojan Horse." "On the outside it looks harmless." "But you let it in-and then, bam-it's got you!"

I mentioned in my newsletter article an experience of the well-respected Dutch theologian, Henri Nouwen. Some years ago Nouwen toured the city of St. Petersburg, Russia. While he was there he visited the famous Hermitage where he saw, among other things, Rembrandt's painting of the Prodigal Son. The painting was in a hallway and received the natural light of a nearby window. The artist's interpretation of the familiar biblical story mesmerized him. He couldn't walk away from it. Nouwen stood for around two hours, reflecting on the remarkable painting. And as he stood there, the angle of the sunlight coming through the window changed. With every shift of the sunlight, Nouwen detected a different aspect of the painting. He would later write: "There were as many paintings in the Prodigal Son as there were changes in the day."

And so, how might the story "get us" today? If you are hearing it for the first time, what do you think? Do you think the story is fair, or too fair? Does the parable even seem realistic to you? If you are trying to hear it again for the first time, has the Spirit of the Living God shed any new light on the parable for you? Did you listen to it closely? Or did you kind of "zone out" during the reading? Whatever the case, let us not give up on this story. Henri Nouwen was fascinated by the many different facets to Rembrandt's painting. We are invited to let the Spirit reveal and unveil multiple messages and meanings to this story as well.

AND SO, I WOULD LIKE TO TRY A LITTLE EXERCISE WITH YOU; I WILL SIMPLY RAISE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PARABLE-AND I INVITE YOU TO LET YOUR MIND WANDER! Please don't get in this habit every week-but for the next few moments-it's OK. If you hear a question that has some possibilities, some potential for meaning…wander down that pathway for a while. After we scatter off in all directions, I'll invite everybody to get back together at the end. Are you ready? If so, here we go… With whom do you identify the most in the story? The parent? The prodigal child? The older child? he fatted calf? Where are you at the beginning of the parable? The middle? The end? Are you praying for the return of your lost child? Or have you moved on? Are you worrying-or are you bitter? Do you have feelings of resentment about the resources that have been squandered? Or is the restoration of the relationship more valuable than any amount of money? Are you in the pigsty "coming to yourself?" Or are you still out partying, with no desire to come home? If you are thinking about coming home, will it be on your knees? Will you come home with deep humility? Or will you approach the house confidently and boldly?

When you catch a glimpse of your child approaching the house, will you continue to read the paper, or keep watching Wheel of Fortune or American Idol? Or will you leap out of your Lazy-Boy and run to your child? As your child approaches, what expression will be on your face? Will your welcome be conditional or unconditional? Once the party starts, are you inside the house celebrating? Or are you standing outside by the barbecue, arms folded, pouting, refusing to come in? What if you are a neighbor who has been invited to the party? How will you RSVP to this graceful gala? Will you even attend that good-for-nothing's celebration? If you were Paul Harvey and had to write "the rest of the story?" What happens after the party? How do all the family members behave? Does anybody change? Does this story make you feel guilty? Some people really struggle with this story. Some folks beat themselves up because they can't live up to the standards of the Father in their own relationships. Or does this story make you feel joyful? Full of gratitude? Full of praise? Have you come to understand that Jesus is talking about God?

Have you come to realize that everybody-younger children and older children-get on the wrong bus once in a while? All of us make mistakes. And yet even when we do, even when we lose our way… Whether we are wallowing in a pig sty or wallowing in pride… We are all God's children… Oh, it's time to come back now…I want all of us to hear this… Perhaps we cherish and treasure this story because it reminds us of the extravagant, joyous, amazing grace of God? It reminds us that we are all God's children… And God wants all of us…to come home.