The Sacrament And The Prodigal
Faith Development
Saving Grace
Another Look At The Word And The Sacraments
Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them...."
Jesus (said): "There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father.
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.
"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive; he was lost and is found.' " -- Luke 15:1-2, 11-32
"Dad," Grace said, "my friend Mary Anderson said it would be a good idea for me to ask you if you would like to have the pastor come and see you here in the your home. You really need some help, you know." She said it with conviction.
Her father, surprised by his daughter's strength, hedged. "It's been so long since I attended church. I don't know. I just don't know. Maybe if I can straighten up my attitude, forgive some people who have hurt me, and continue to stay on the wagon for a few more months -- maybe then the pastor could come. I'm glad you are going to church, but I'm just too old to start over again with God. I'm just not good enough. You, of all people, know that. I haven't exactly led an exemplary life. I'll think about it, but I just don't think it's right. Maybe later."
Grace didn't want to frighten her father, but she felt she just had to say it. "Dad," she choked on the word. "Dad," she started again, "I'm not surprised by what you said, but there may not be much more time 'later.' "
The next Sunday morning Grace met Mary outside the church. "How did it go?" Mary asked.
"He said, 'No.' Actually he said, 'Maybe later,' but that means 'No,' " she said sharply. "I knew he'd say that. All his life it's been 'Later.' Later he'd stop drinking. Later, he'd start treating me with some respect. Later, he'd start treating mom like a woman should be treated. Later, later, later. Well, there is no later for mom. She's dead and gone. She never had a real husband who cared for her. I'm tired of hearing 'Later.' "
Mary didn't comment on Grace's father's response. She just put her arm around Grace. "God will help you," she whispered as they walked into church.
Pastor Jeff was excited about the text on which he was preaching that morning. "As far as I'm concerned, it is the best story anyone has ever told. It is a story about the heart of God. It is a story about grace," he said softly. Then he spoke with force.
Justice means we get what we deserve. Justice is at play in this story. We all know what the prodigal son deserves. Punishment. The elder son is right, isn't he? The younger son has disappointed and disobeyed his father. He should be punished, shouldn't he?
Mercy means that we don't get what we deserve. Mercy is at play in this story. We feel great relief when God is willing to forgive his son and not punish him for what he has done. Maybe that means that God will give us mercy, too. Maybe he won't punish us the way we deserve to be punished.
Best of all, grace is at play here. That's the scandal in the story. That's what upset the elder son. That's what upset the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who heard the story. That's what caused them to mutter, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." That's what kept the elder son outside the party, isn't it? He couldn't tolerate the father's willingness to give his sinful brother what he in no way deserved.
Give him a year or two to prove himself, the elder son must have thought. What is to keep him from doing the same thing again? Give him the ring of ownership again? Throw a party for him? No way! He'll take advantage of you. You'll see. Father, you are blind as a bat. You just don't know what kind of a man your son is. You'll see! You'll see! No way can I come to a party for a man like him. No way! No way! What about me? You've never done anything like this for me! And I have done all the right things. All the right things.
And we might very well be thinking the same thing. There is a scandal here. Grace flies in the face of reason and justice. Grace defies common sense. Grace means that we get what we in no way deserve. If you aren't sure yet, confer with the prodigal himself. He isn't expecting anything but maybe the possibility he can become a servant. He has his speech ready, "I don't deserve anything ... but maybe, Father, I could just work as a slave for a little while...." He is shocked. He is disturbed. He is amazed. The ring on my finger? A party for me? No way! No way! I don't deserve it....
But the boy never gets to make his speech. The father takes over. Grace dominates the scene. Generosity beyond belief! Amazing grace. Saving grace.
The pastor choked on the words. He was preaching beyond his capacity and he knew it. He was out of control and something, Someone, was speaking through him. He was speaking, yes, but he was also listening as if Someone else was speaking. He was preaching the word of grace, which is beyond description. Lord, help me, he prayed.
Grace Livingstone was stunned. She had never heard anything like this before. She froze with fright. How could this be? "This is not what I thought God was like. It can't be true. It just can't."
Mary, noticing that Grace was stiff as a board, tense, and afraid, put her hand on Grace's. "It's okay," she said. "God loves you. Hold on."
"And the feast?" the pastor pondered. "It is a banquet for the undeserving. It is a party for sinners, a foretaste of the feast to come. If you don't think you are a sinner, you won't see your need to come; you won't repent. Or if you come, you won't get the benefits of what God gives. But to sinners who come home, there is grace.
"Grace. Pure grace. For you in Holy Communion. Come. Listen to the words again. 'For you. Given and shed for you.' Come. You and I are prodigals, fresh from a journey away from our Father. Undeserving. Needy. Prodigals. But the Father is waiting. He welcomes us with open arms, saying, 'Let's have a banquet.' Come.
"Here there is manna, bread from heaven, kingdom bread, the wonder bread of grace. 'The body of Christ for you.' Come. Taste it again for the first time. Come."
Something was forming in Grace's mind. It was something new. She had always been afraid of commitment. She couldn't trust men. She was afraid to trust anyone, even God.
Could God actually accept me? She mused. No way! a voice within her screamed. But there was another voice. Grace, come unto me. I am the good shepherd. I will take care of you. I love you. Come home.
Grace put her hands over her face and held it. Her head hurt. Two voices. Am I going crazy? What am I to do? God, help me. I can't handle this. I have had to fight all my life. God, I don't want to fight with you anymore.
"Grace, are you okay?" Mary's voice broke in.
"Just a headache." What a headache.
Grace, I love you. Come home.
When the usher came to the aisle where Grace and Mary were seated to usher them forward for Communion, Grace bolted for the side door, Mary right after her.
Questions For Personal Consideration
And/Or Group Study
1.
What was Grace's problem?
2.
If you were Mary, what would you say to Grace?
3.
What are the implications of the story from Luke 15 for Grace Livingstone?
4.
What are the implications for Grace's father?
5.
What connection do you make between the Pharisees and teachers of the law at the beginning of the story and the elder son at the end of the story?
6.
The father in Jesus' story went out to both of his sons. One, though befuddled, came to the party. The other, filled with resentments, refused to come to the banquet. He stood out by the barn muttering. What do you make of this?
7.
Reversals are important in all story telling. What reversals take place in this story?
Digging Deeper
1.
This story should not be called "The Story Of The Prodigal Son," but "The Story Of The Waiting Father."22 The story is not really about the son who repents, but about the father who is willing to forgive. The Pharisees and teachers of the law could understand if a sinner turned away from sins and repented. They would agree that God could forgive such a person. What they found thoroughly intolerable was what looked like a permissive God who didn't take sin seriously. Was Jesus unmindful of how offended God is when we sin? Wouldn't people take advantage of that kind of divine generosity? How can God restore to full family acceptance, people who come home after deserting him? Didn't the father understand that law and justice are necessary for an ordered society? The law is supposed to break our pride and convict us of our wrongdoing, isn't it?
2.
What bothered the Pharisees, the teachers of the law, and the elder son? The scandal of divine generosity is beyond our wildest dreams. It was grace they could not or would not stomach. Some people today have the same problem.
3.
If, as Jesus is saying, grace comes before as well as after repentance, if God's orientation is forgiveness, before we say we are sorry for our sins as well as after we confess, that means Jesus' declaration from the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing," is for everyone, good and bad. Yes, it does.
4.
Doesn't this make for what Dietrich Bonhoeffer calls "cheap grace"? No, it doesn't. Grace is free, but not cheap. It cost Jesus his life to offer grace like this.
5.
Jesus forgave everyone from the cross, but not everyone receives the benefits of that forgiveness. It's like a check for a million dollars is given freely, to undeserving people, but not everyone cashes it. Some ignore it. Some put it in a drawer. Some don't turn the check over and personally endorse it. Some don't appropriate what has been accomplished on the cross. Yes, grace is like receiving a check with our name on it for more money than we can imagine. All we need to do is believe in the one who gave it and personally endorse what has been given. Grace. Saving grace.
Jesus (said): "There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father.
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.
"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive; he was lost and is found.' " -- Luke 15:1-2, 11-32
"Dad," Grace said, "my friend Mary Anderson said it would be a good idea for me to ask you if you would like to have the pastor come and see you here in the your home. You really need some help, you know." She said it with conviction.
Her father, surprised by his daughter's strength, hedged. "It's been so long since I attended church. I don't know. I just don't know. Maybe if I can straighten up my attitude, forgive some people who have hurt me, and continue to stay on the wagon for a few more months -- maybe then the pastor could come. I'm glad you are going to church, but I'm just too old to start over again with God. I'm just not good enough. You, of all people, know that. I haven't exactly led an exemplary life. I'll think about it, but I just don't think it's right. Maybe later."
Grace didn't want to frighten her father, but she felt she just had to say it. "Dad," she choked on the word. "Dad," she started again, "I'm not surprised by what you said, but there may not be much more time 'later.' "
The next Sunday morning Grace met Mary outside the church. "How did it go?" Mary asked.
"He said, 'No.' Actually he said, 'Maybe later,' but that means 'No,' " she said sharply. "I knew he'd say that. All his life it's been 'Later.' Later he'd stop drinking. Later, he'd start treating me with some respect. Later, he'd start treating mom like a woman should be treated. Later, later, later. Well, there is no later for mom. She's dead and gone. She never had a real husband who cared for her. I'm tired of hearing 'Later.' "
Mary didn't comment on Grace's father's response. She just put her arm around Grace. "God will help you," she whispered as they walked into church.
Pastor Jeff was excited about the text on which he was preaching that morning. "As far as I'm concerned, it is the best story anyone has ever told. It is a story about the heart of God. It is a story about grace," he said softly. Then he spoke with force.
Justice means we get what we deserve. Justice is at play in this story. We all know what the prodigal son deserves. Punishment. The elder son is right, isn't he? The younger son has disappointed and disobeyed his father. He should be punished, shouldn't he?
Mercy means that we don't get what we deserve. Mercy is at play in this story. We feel great relief when God is willing to forgive his son and not punish him for what he has done. Maybe that means that God will give us mercy, too. Maybe he won't punish us the way we deserve to be punished.
Best of all, grace is at play here. That's the scandal in the story. That's what upset the elder son. That's what upset the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who heard the story. That's what caused them to mutter, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." That's what kept the elder son outside the party, isn't it? He couldn't tolerate the father's willingness to give his sinful brother what he in no way deserved.
Give him a year or two to prove himself, the elder son must have thought. What is to keep him from doing the same thing again? Give him the ring of ownership again? Throw a party for him? No way! He'll take advantage of you. You'll see. Father, you are blind as a bat. You just don't know what kind of a man your son is. You'll see! You'll see! No way can I come to a party for a man like him. No way! No way! What about me? You've never done anything like this for me! And I have done all the right things. All the right things.
And we might very well be thinking the same thing. There is a scandal here. Grace flies in the face of reason and justice. Grace defies common sense. Grace means that we get what we in no way deserve. If you aren't sure yet, confer with the prodigal himself. He isn't expecting anything but maybe the possibility he can become a servant. He has his speech ready, "I don't deserve anything ... but maybe, Father, I could just work as a slave for a little while...." He is shocked. He is disturbed. He is amazed. The ring on my finger? A party for me? No way! No way! I don't deserve it....
But the boy never gets to make his speech. The father takes over. Grace dominates the scene. Generosity beyond belief! Amazing grace. Saving grace.
The pastor choked on the words. He was preaching beyond his capacity and he knew it. He was out of control and something, Someone, was speaking through him. He was speaking, yes, but he was also listening as if Someone else was speaking. He was preaching the word of grace, which is beyond description. Lord, help me, he prayed.
Grace Livingstone was stunned. She had never heard anything like this before. She froze with fright. How could this be? "This is not what I thought God was like. It can't be true. It just can't."
Mary, noticing that Grace was stiff as a board, tense, and afraid, put her hand on Grace's. "It's okay," she said. "God loves you. Hold on."
"And the feast?" the pastor pondered. "It is a banquet for the undeserving. It is a party for sinners, a foretaste of the feast to come. If you don't think you are a sinner, you won't see your need to come; you won't repent. Or if you come, you won't get the benefits of what God gives. But to sinners who come home, there is grace.
"Grace. Pure grace. For you in Holy Communion. Come. Listen to the words again. 'For you. Given and shed for you.' Come. You and I are prodigals, fresh from a journey away from our Father. Undeserving. Needy. Prodigals. But the Father is waiting. He welcomes us with open arms, saying, 'Let's have a banquet.' Come.
"Here there is manna, bread from heaven, kingdom bread, the wonder bread of grace. 'The body of Christ for you.' Come. Taste it again for the first time. Come."
Something was forming in Grace's mind. It was something new. She had always been afraid of commitment. She couldn't trust men. She was afraid to trust anyone, even God.
Could God actually accept me? She mused. No way! a voice within her screamed. But there was another voice. Grace, come unto me. I am the good shepherd. I will take care of you. I love you. Come home.
Grace put her hands over her face and held it. Her head hurt. Two voices. Am I going crazy? What am I to do? God, help me. I can't handle this. I have had to fight all my life. God, I don't want to fight with you anymore.
"Grace, are you okay?" Mary's voice broke in.
"Just a headache." What a headache.
Grace, I love you. Come home.
When the usher came to the aisle where Grace and Mary were seated to usher them forward for Communion, Grace bolted for the side door, Mary right after her.
Questions For Personal Consideration
And/Or Group Study
1.
What was Grace's problem?
2.
If you were Mary, what would you say to Grace?
3.
What are the implications of the story from Luke 15 for Grace Livingstone?
4.
What are the implications for Grace's father?
5.
What connection do you make between the Pharisees and teachers of the law at the beginning of the story and the elder son at the end of the story?
6.
The father in Jesus' story went out to both of his sons. One, though befuddled, came to the party. The other, filled with resentments, refused to come to the banquet. He stood out by the barn muttering. What do you make of this?
7.
Reversals are important in all story telling. What reversals take place in this story?
Digging Deeper
1.
This story should not be called "The Story Of The Prodigal Son," but "The Story Of The Waiting Father."22 The story is not really about the son who repents, but about the father who is willing to forgive. The Pharisees and teachers of the law could understand if a sinner turned away from sins and repented. They would agree that God could forgive such a person. What they found thoroughly intolerable was what looked like a permissive God who didn't take sin seriously. Was Jesus unmindful of how offended God is when we sin? Wouldn't people take advantage of that kind of divine generosity? How can God restore to full family acceptance, people who come home after deserting him? Didn't the father understand that law and justice are necessary for an ordered society? The law is supposed to break our pride and convict us of our wrongdoing, isn't it?
2.
What bothered the Pharisees, the teachers of the law, and the elder son? The scandal of divine generosity is beyond our wildest dreams. It was grace they could not or would not stomach. Some people today have the same problem.
3.
If, as Jesus is saying, grace comes before as well as after repentance, if God's orientation is forgiveness, before we say we are sorry for our sins as well as after we confess, that means Jesus' declaration from the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing," is for everyone, good and bad. Yes, it does.
4.
Doesn't this make for what Dietrich Bonhoeffer calls "cheap grace"? No, it doesn't. Grace is free, but not cheap. It cost Jesus his life to offer grace like this.
5.
Jesus forgave everyone from the cross, but not everyone receives the benefits of that forgiveness. It's like a check for a million dollars is given freely, to undeserving people, but not everyone cashes it. Some ignore it. Some put it in a drawer. Some don't turn the check over and personally endorse it. Some don't appropriate what has been accomplished on the cross. Yes, grace is like receiving a check with our name on it for more money than we can imagine. All we need to do is believe in the one who gave it and personally endorse what has been given. Grace. Saving grace.
