Loving God help us to follow you
On the road before us
To be your people in a world in crisis
And to stand with the vulnerable and the fearful.
Song “I’m leaning on you”
https://youtu.be/ZokSGsGDum4
God of life we give thanks
For your wonderful world
For whales and worms
For falcons and finches
For snakes and snails
For bees and beetles
For tadpoles and toads
For your lasting love.
We are sorry that we have broken the gift of your beautiful world and almost destroyed it, through being greedy and by just thinking of ourselves. We are sorry.
Silence.
Help us to love one another and look after your world. Amen
We say the Lords Prayer in our own language.
Reflection on Luke 15v11-32
Religious outcasts have gathered to hear Jesus, but the more religious members of the community grumble. This man welcomes people with whom no respectable Jew would have anything to do, and actually breaks bread with them.
We are introduced to a farming family, a father and his two sons. The root meaning of the word property is life, but here the word is being used in the sense of means of family income, that which gives life to the family.
The younger son decides to take his share of the property (about one third) and make his own way in the world! He squanders it all and is left starving, and takes a job as a pig handler very offensive to Jews who dont eat pork. He eats the pig slops to survive. To fill his stomach pods possibly St. John's Bread, a sweet meal, but with little nourishment, even the wild carob, bitter with even less nourishment. These were used for famine food. Yet, it is more likely that the pods, possibly corn cobs, were edible. No one gave him anything. He had no have food to spare and was starving to death.
The son returns to the family very broken very repentant and his father is overcome with joy and welcomes him. Like the father when we turn round and recognizing our own mess and mistakes God welcomes us like the father. The father is overwhelmed because the dead son is alive. The Jews called the ungodly dead, but in the New Testament it applies to those who have not responded to God. He said to him the best robe possibly the son's former robe or one of the father's robes, or a robe kept for an honored guest, a ring, possibly the father's signet ring, but at least a ring whereby the father bestows authority on his wayward son. Sandals, the mention of sandals is somewhat strange, but, given that servants tend not to wear anything on their feet, the parable is probably making the point that the father is not treating his son as a servant. The fattened calf, meat was only prepared for extremely important (usually religious) occasions. This is about preparing a banquet in celebration for the lost son's return to the family.
The elder brother's reaction is bitter. He claims his father hasn't even given him a young goat, a worthless animal. Like the wayward son, the stay-at-home son is also lost, lost in himself.
In describing his wayward brother, the elder son calls him this son of yours. His father describes him as this brother of yours an interesting twist.
Irrespective of the elder brother's tantrum, the father does not withdraw his love from either son. Turning our lives around/repentance and forgiveness bring healing and joy, but only to one son.
In the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin, Jesus makes the point that God accepts those who come to him in repentance. In fact, he searches for them and rejoices over one sinner who repents. The self righteous son stays aloof and fails to experience his father's love.
One son was lost to his father in body, the other was lost to his father in mind. Both had free access to the father's unlimited bounty, both needed to rely wholly on his kindness, but only one chose to do so, and this the worthless son.
Jesus is expanding in Luke 15 the theme of lostness with Luke’s help. Jesus has been addressing the Pharisees and the scribes, the religious authorities, those who have, for all these years been working like a slave for you, and never disobeyed your commands but have a bad heart attitude. The older son was incapable of entering sympathetically into his father's joys and sorrows just as the self righteous rich cannot identify with the poor, the refugee, the homeless.
Our faith is an inheritance and we can squander it. Our society has been given an inheritance and we can end up selling off the silver. Our world has been given an inheritance and we are destroying it. Will we return to God? Will we recognise our bankruptcy?
Song “We labour unto glory”
https://youtu.be/cRuPZCXShg4
We walk alongside our sisters and brothers
Whoever they are,
And just as we are
Solidarity in dark times,
Give us your strength, wisdom
And compassion. Amen
