The Prodigals Luke 15:1-3, 11-32; Isaiah 12:1-6; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Grace, mercy and peace be with you from God our Father, and our Lord, Jesus Christ, who lavishes God’s grace upon us.
Today we’re going to talk about being Prodigal -- about how not to be prodigal and how to be prodigal, based on the parable of the Prodigal Son.
In the dictionary the word prodigal is defined in two ways: 1) spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant, and 2) having or giving something on a lavish scale.
Like a lavish helping of gravy on your mashed potatoes; or a lavish amount of cheese in your chili; or a lavish amount of whipped cream on your pumpkin pie, or my favorite, a lavish amount of chocolate chips in your chocolate chip cookies.
We’re going to see how God is prodigal toward us in this second sense or meaning of the word, to lavish upon; and how He call us to be the same way toward others.
Jesus told this parable as a response to the criticism of the Pharisees, who thought that He was way too concerned about and too welcoming of the wayward.
They thought that in being despised and treated as moral outcasts, they were getting what they deserved.
Which is true; that is what they deserved.
What the Pharisees didn’t realize was that the same was true for them; and the same is true for us.
We all deserve to be snubbed by God, because we’ve all snubbed Him with our sin; we’re all wayward and prodigal in that way.
Jesus calls us to repent, and invites us into His fellowship, so that we don’t get what we deserve, but what He deserves.
We can’t even wrap our minds around all the good that Jesus deserves, but He shares it with His repentant children, no matter how prodigal and wayward they may once have been.
To help the Pharisees and us understand this, Jesus told this much-loved parable.
A man of some means had two sons. The oldest was the responsible one; the youngest was the spoiled one.
Disrespecting his father, the younger son asked for his share of the inheritance immediately, so he that didn’t have to wait until his father died to get it.
A pretty cold-hearted, selfish thing to do. He cared only about himself.
His father acquiesced and gave it to him. “Not long after… he set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.”
He was prodigal with it, in that bad sense of the word; reckless and indulgent -- he burned through his inheritance in no time.
And then times got tough. For whatever reason there was a famine in the land and food was hard to come by.
He finally managed to get a job slopping pigs; and he envied the pigs, because they ate better than he did.
Finally he came to his senses. He decided swallowed his pride and go back home and apologize to his father, and beg him to live and work as one of his servants.
He was taking a chance; he didn’t know how his father would respond. He had hurt his father terribly.
His father might say, “No, you’re getting what you deserve. Get out of here! You made your bed, now go lay in it.”
But he was desperate; he had nowhere else to turn. So he headed for home, hoping his father would forgive him.
In the same way, we really have no where else to turn but to our Heavenly Father.
His father’s response was more lavish and loving than the lost son could ever have imagined.
His father saw him coming and ran out to meet him; crying, he embraced him.
Perhaps falling to his knees, so terribly sorry for the way he had treated his father, the son, no longer wayward but now repentant, said to his father, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
But all his father saw was his dear son; all he could think about was that his son, whom he loved, was back home again.
He 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.
He didn’t treat him like a servant, but like his dear child.
23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ Let’s all be happy!
The father splurged to welcome back his son. He was prodigal in the sense that he threw this extravagant feast to celebrate his son coming home.
But it was really his mercy that he was being extravagant with, lavishing His love and forgiveness upon His Son.
So it could be said that he was being prodigal toward his son, in that sense of the word, pouring a lavish amount of love and joy upon his son; holding nothing back.
In that same way we could say that God is prodigal toward us, in the sense that He lavishes the full amount of His love and all the richness and blessings of His grace upon His dear, repentant children.
The older, more responsible son saw and heard all the commotion, and asked one of the servants what was happening.
The servant told him and he was steamed. He felt so unappreciated.
So he stayed outside and sulked.
His father went out to reason with him. First he let his son have his say.
“Father, I have honored you; I’ve worked hard for you all these years, and you’ve never done anything like this for me.
But that spoiled, immoral brat comes back home, and you throw him a party fit for a king.”
His father said, “My son, I love you. Everything you see, all I have, it’s yours, it’s all going to go to you.
Because I love your brother and welcomed him back doesn’t mean I don’t love you, or that I love you any less.
If it had been you that would have been wayward and came back home, I would have done the same thing for you; I would have welcomed you with the same affection and the same joy.
Don’t you see, what makes me love your brother, is what makes me love you.
He’s my son, he’s your brother; how can we not be happy that he’s back.
We had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’
Our Heavenly Father calls us all to repent and run to Him for mercy, so that he can welcome us into His arms, and lavish His love upon us.
In this sense, our God is prodigal toward us, in that He lavishly and generously gives us the fullness of His grace for the sake of His Son.
Never has there been a more extreme and lavish love than when God’s own Son suffered and died for the world.
For the sake of His Son, God gives complete forgiveness to all His repentant children, no matter their past.
He receives us with open arms, and lavishly pours all the blessings of His Kingdom upon us.
So let us denounce worldly ways, and embrace the godly ways of His kingdom.
Let us, in that good sense of the word, be prodigal toward our neighbor; that is, let us be lavish in how we bless our neighbor, as God is lavish in how He blesses us.
Let us lavish compassion and mercy upon our neighbor.
Let us lavish an abundance of help and assistance on our neighbor in his or her need.
Let us lavish forgiveness and goodwill on our neighbor who has hurt us or sinned against us, just as Christ has lavished His complete forgiveness upon us.
Let us receive with open arms, all who are seeking fellowship with Christ and His family, as our Father has so warmly received us.
Let us, with the help of the Holy Spirit, lavish love and devotion upon our Heavenly Father, and our dear Savior.
Let us lavish our worship and praise upon Him.
Let us lavish our gifts and service to do the work of His Kingdom.
Let us pour out our witness of the Gospel to the world, that all might know Christ and the abundant blessings He lavishes upon His children now, and the extravagant glory He lavishes upon them forever.
And as we do, God gives to us an abundance of the peace that passes understanding, to guard our heart and minds, in Christ Jesus, who lavishes His never-ending love upon us. Amen.