“Lost and Found” (Luke 15:11-32), 3/9/25

            So you might know that there are different versions of the Lord’s prayer. Our version could be called the Protestant version. The Catholic version is pretty much the same, except for the line about forgiveness. We pray, “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” In the Catholic Church, it’s “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Or, as one 4 year old put it, “And forgive us our trash baskets as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets.” Has anyone put trash in your basket lately? Then you’re in the right place! We’re going to take a little journey with the family we just met. Yes, where is the prodigal son’s Mom and what would she have to say about her son? That’s the question of the day! But she’s not around to ask. Maybe she went abroad to visit her sister. But there are things that we can learn from this family. Let’s see what they have to say to us today.

            Let’s imagine the story first from the prodigal son’s point of view… SIGN Here I am, the prodigal son. Nice to meet you. How would you like the name prodigal in front of your given name? Prodigal means reckless, wasteful. In fact, you all who just read my story don’t even know what my name is. I’m sorry about that. All I can tell you is that I woke up one morning and decided I’d live up to my name. Prodigal, that is. I said, I’m in a hurry today to live life on the fast side. Dad, I don’t want to wait for you to die so I can get my inheritance. I want it right now! HAND OUT  Gee, thanks dad, thanks for this money. See ya, bye for now! And off I went.

            I had a grand time, for a little while at least. And then suddenly, all my money was gone. I was back where I’d started, except I didn’t feel quite the same as I did before. I was a little scared, a little less sure of myself. In fact I was petrified and desperate. That’s why I took that job feeding pigs. You all know I can’t eat pigs! They are unclean according to my faith. That experience certainly helped me come to my senses. Wow, I was young, and I had been so stupid and self-centered. It was time for a turn around. It was time to go home. I was so surprised to see my father coming towards me on the road. He had his arms held out as if to give me a hug. And that’s what he did. We feasted that night. And I felt welcomed like never before, except for my older brother, that is. I don’t remember seeing him at the feast. Hey, here he comes. Let’s let him tell the story in his own words..

            SWITCH SIGNS. Well, you’ve already heard from that younger brother of mine. I’ve resented him from the day he was born. He’s nothing but trouble. It doesn’t help that he’s so good looking. Our father spoils him rotten. He can’t stand up to him. That boy gets anything he wants. I’ll tell you a secret. I was kind of glad when he left home. Good riddance! He was gone for quite a while. I thought I’d get to be an only child again. And then my father would have to love me the best. But that wasn’t in the cards. One day last week, there was that pain-in-the-neck little brother, strolling down the road, coming towards us. Father and I had been doing just fine by ourselves. I was so happy to have Father all to myself. But no, as soon as Father saw my little brother, his face got all soft. And I knew the good life was over for me again. Kind of like the day that little brother of mine was born. I couldn’t watch their reunion. The whole thing just made me so mad.

            Later on, Father had the nerve to throw him a party. He even slaughtered our beloved calf that we had been fattening up for the longest time. We were saving it for a special occasion. I was secretly hoping Father had saved it for my birthday. I was out in the field when the party started. They hadn’t even told me what was happening. Boy was I angry! How dare he celebrate when his rotten son and gone and spoiled everything. They’re both so selfish. I just stood there, outside the door. There was no way I was going in to that party, even when Father begged me to. Neither of them deserved me honoring them with my presence. Life’s not fair. You work hard, and you get nothing for it.

            SWITCH SIGNS My two boys, they are my pride and joy. I love both of them. But you know children, none of them are exactly the same. How can a parent love them the same? I am so proud of my older boy. So responsible. Always trying to do the right thing. Just between us though, he’s a bit judgmental. You know what I mean? That sin of self-righteous indignation sneaks in now and again. And my younger son. Well, what a fine looking lad he is. It just broke my heart when he let his passions get the better of him. He was young and foolhardy when he asked me to give him his inheritance early. It was quite unusual. I probably gave in too easily. Because as soon as he got his hands on that money, off he went. We had no idea where he was. He was gone for quite a long time and I was so worried about him. It almost killed me. Until one day, suddenly there he was, coming down the road. As soon as I saw him, I ran to him and threw my arms around him. No matter what he had done, I knew I’d always love him. I was just so glad to have him back home. I know, I went a bit overboard with the party and all. And his brother paid the price. That self-righteous anger of his reared its ugly head. I didn’t think he’d go so far as to refuse to come into the party. But he did. I hope both my sons know how much I love them.

            We had a chat last night, my sons and I. I asked their forgiveness. I feel like I haven’t been a very good father. When my oldest was growing up,  I was all about work, work, and more work. That’s all I cared about when he was little. I hardly had time for him at all. I could see how he idolized me. I was his father and he needed a role model. I was the only one he had. And so, because I didn’t show him enough love, he became a workaholic also. So concerned with following the rules and doing the right thing. He means well, but he and his brother just don’t get along.

And the younger one, Oh my. He was born in my later years. I was a little wiser then. I didn’t care so much about work. I didn’t want to miss any part of his childhood. I spoiled him so much that he grew to believe anything he wanted he’d automatically get. Not a good way to raise a child. We’re a complicated family, aren’t we? Which one of us needs forgiveness the most? I think we all do. God knows none of us are perfect. We impact one another in so many ways. We couldn’t begin to sort it all out. Is your family like that too?

            Okay, no more hats. Now it’s just me. When we hear this story, we tend to focus mostly on the prodigal son. He’s the one who makes the mistake. He’s the one who leaves. He’s the one at fault. So he’s the one most in need of forgiveness. But today I invite us to think about this story again. And think about our own family stories. Is it easy to sort out who did what and why? And who is to blame for this and that? In her book Forgiveness, Marjorie Thompson says that “if we start our ideas about forgiveness with the isolated individual, we’ll get it wrong.” The starting point must be community and at the center of the community is God. She writes, “Forgiveness is an outpouring of love from the inner life of the Trinity and can only be fully understood when experienced as a transforming power in the life of a human community that mirrors God’s being” (p.7.)

            That’s a long way of saying that it’s kind of cool that we believe in a God who in God’s very essence, is a community: Creator, Christ and Holy Spirit. Do you remember The Shack? If you read that book or saw the movie, you might get what I’m talking about. That book is fiction, but it’s a really creative way of imagining how God comes alive in the ways that we talk about the Trinity, as an active and dynamic way of imagining God. If you don’t know this book/movie, picture all the characters in your family. How do you all fit together? What roles do you play? Like for example, if your Uncle Jerry is known for telling jokes, what happens if you isolate him, see him just as an individual all by himself. If he has no one to tell his jokes to, is he still the family jokester? Think about the roles you play in your family and how the dynamics shift and change, depending on who is present. And then let’s wonder about what forgiveness means in the midst of a community. Who truly needs forgiveness and who has the power to offer it? Let’s close with this prayer from our Lenten Study book, p.73.