e-vo for week of March 6

Dearest e-votees-

This Sunday our text comes from what Lost and Found (www.speedwood.com) calls the “lost chapter of Luke”. Luke 15 has the story of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son—the latter being our appointed gospel text for this week.

May you be blessed as we consider this familiar yet potent story.

Peace,
Karl

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1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 So he told them this parable:

11 Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 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. 13 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. 14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. 15 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. 16 He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. 17 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! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.” ’ 20 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. 21 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.’ 22 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. 23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.

25 “Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. 27 He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ 28 Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. 29 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. 30 But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ 31 Then the father aid to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 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, 11-32, NRSV

We have been being part of a preaching effort in the Oregon Synod for Lent using some sermon outlines furnished by Bishop David Brauer-Rieke base on the book Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening by Diana Butler-Bass. One of the main premises of the book is that the church has been built on a BELIEVE then BEHAVE then BELONG basis. But now there is a major change going on in the church which is leading, instead, to BELONG then BEHAVE then BELIEVE.

In our story we have three characters. The prodigal son is one who BELIEVES he would be better off without his old man so he approaches him an asks for 1/3 of the estate (since his only brother who is older would be getting 2/3 eventually). The father gives him the money. The son BEHAVES with his newfound wealth. But in the process the son finds out that he doesn’t BELONG with his fair-weather friends nor really to his family, at least from his perspective.

The older son is one who BELIEVES that his is entitled to special treatment. Why should, he supposed, his brother get the party when he is the one who did the work? This belief affects how the older brother chooses to BEHAVE. The older brother is out pouting by the shed. He chooses to opt out of the family party so he doesn’t really BELONG either.

Both brothers find something lacking in BELIEVE then BEHAVE then BELONG. The Father role models a different way – BELONG then BEHAVE then BELIEF.

The Father runs up the driveway to find the prodigal on the way home and loves him. The son BELONGs because the Father says so—done deal. The Father BEHAVEs in a loving compassionate welcoming way shaped by the experience of his son belonging. In that experience of belonging and behaving you can bet the son learned some about how to BELIEVE.

God is up to something good in welcoming us to BELONG then helping us to shape how we BEHAVE and this helps us to BELIEVE. We are akin to the prodigal.


God, teach us your ways. Show us your patterns. Forgive our missteps. Thank you for making us to BELONG in community, shaping how we BEHAVE as a community and beckoning us to BELIEVE as community. Amen.