Grace to you and peace, from the one who comes out to meet us wildly in love and peace and in forgiveness. AMEN.
The parable of the two lost sons — the one who knew it and one who didn’t. The parable of the reckless father, who hikes up his robe [explain the offensiveness of that]. Agape, Christian rapper: “Old man ran at him with a big old hug, told his brother, ‘Put y’love into this big old thug.” And that pretty much sums it up. Some are called to come back home to God, and some are called to love those who are coming home...and often we’re both at the same time. Either way, God is faithful, and we are greeted by this sweaty, unbound grace. Like a slobbery bulldog lumbering down the gravel road, so our God comes bounding out to meet us in joy.
Don’t ever put yourself in the role of the father in this story; we can never be the father in this story — even as we love and wait for our children. The father in this story is only God. And we can only be one of the two sons...sometimes both at the same time. We are always and only the recipients of God’s unleashed love. Are you understanding me?
We need to hear that today. We need to see that in our minds eye: God lumbering out to meet us. This is a story, deep in these Lenten days, of love outpouring for you...and a a story of the amazing party being thrown at our return. Regardless of our past mistakes, our miscommunications, missteps, miscalculations in our lives, God comes running out for you, with reckless abandon. God comes out to meet you with the kind of love that can make everyone else jealous. Despite our shortcomings at home or with family...or our overindulgences or nasty habits, here comes God, so excited to meet you that there’s wheezing and panting!
And even those of us who’ve not been perfect, but have been pretty damn responsible and self-sustaining and helpful to our neighbors and taken care of our parents and friends and children, all these years — there’s certainly a place at the table for us too...even with our bit of bitterness and resentment toward the slackers who are getting grace heaped upon them. God holds us too — us church people, us good people, us responsible ones, us tax-paying people, us hard-working ones, us giving and compassionate ones, us tired ones. God says to you too, “My beloved child, all that is mine is yours. I have loved you from the moment you came to be. I have counted every hair on your head and loved every fiber of your being. But do you know who else I’ve always loved?...that wild and crazy brother or sister of yours.
“Come back inside,” God says to us too, “Come join the celebration. Come celebrate the lost being found and those who were once dead coming back to life! This is too good for you to be out here by yourself, lost in your anger. And I hear your anger, and I can understand it. It makes sense. But let it go. And come back inside: eat, dance, drink, warm yourself by the fire of the community, laugh...and love (the way I created you to be). “This is too good, too good to be lost in keeping score, to be lost in anger and bitterness,” God says.
(Gordon Compton in Stehekin: "When we get to the great feast that is to come, we're going to be awfully surprised at who's sitting across the table from us.")
Sisters and brothers in Christ — dang it, God’s right. We can get so lost in our anger and resentment and bitterness that we’re as in trouble as that kid in the pig pen. That’s what a mess anger and fear and resentments can make of our lives.
But, sisters and brother’s in Christ, we’re all getting invited into this party. We’re all gathered at this table, some of us hobbling in bitterness to the celebration, some of us long-faced, or angry or sad, and some of us at peace. But everyone is invited inside! The kingdom of God is a party! And everyone’s given a chair and a spot on the dance floor.
In this cold world of judgement and condemnation, in this world (and many times the church) that measures and keeps score, our God recklessly knocks over all our poker chips that we’ve been stacking at the table (look at all the good things I’ve done, accomplished, earned, worked hard for), all our winnings, our earnings (and all our failings, which have also stacked up) in order to pass the great tray of food: meat and fruit and vegetables and wine.
“All that is mine is yours,” God sings. Come, join the party, be at peace. Let go of anger and resentment, and even if you can’t let go of it right away, I’ll love you all along the way. Let go of fear and anxiety, and even if you can’t let go of it right away, I’ll keep loving you as you try.
But come back inside. We have to celebrate. AMEN.
#608 — “Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling”
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