Prodigal

                                  Fourth Sunday in Lent - March 31st, 2019

All the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the

 scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."

So Jesus told them this parable:

"There was a man who had two sons. 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. 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. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took

 place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. 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. He would gladly 

have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. 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! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him,

"Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your 

son; treat me like one of your hired hands."' 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. 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.' 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.

 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and 

is alive again; he was lost and is found!' And they began to celebrate.

"Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music 

and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, 'Your brother

 has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.' 

Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. 

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. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured 

your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!' Then the father said to him, 

'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 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.'" 

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

It happens. We wander off, thinking we need to get some air, and then we keep going. When we are

young and headstrong, we think we can do so much better than our parents. We think we might be

suffocating in their seemingly small and circumspect world. We realize all too quickly how hard it

is to be on our own. Our pride keeps us from crying out or calling for help, Yet. as we wise up, we

can return to be embraced by love that has never diminished, no matter how far we wandered.

Jesus is confronted by the religious leaders who do not like the company he keeps. Jesus responds

by telling a story to which everyone can relate. The prodigal son invites us to see ourselves as 

parent, child and siblings. We are wrapped in love and do not see it fully until we walk away or

are confronted by the dancing and celebrations for another. Our honesty and jealousy gets all

mixed together. And the only real answer to our twisting and struggling is to embrace fully the

love that is always, always waiting.

Today I ask God to help me have compassion for all, the parent, the child, the siblings and the 

prodigals. God's love surrounds us all, and we are called to return and find the ground of our

beings in that love which binds us all together.

Collect

Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which

 gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who

 lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.