WE ALL LOVE A GOOD STORY! WE SEEM TO ESPECIALLY LOVE STORIES ABOUT FAMILIES… OUR ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY CERTAINLY UNDERSTANDS THIS REALITY – THINK ABOUT ALL THE ONGOING STORIES THAT TV SERIES SHOW US – A LARGE % OF THE ONGOING TV SHOWS SEEM TO BE ABOUT DIFFERENT KINDS OF FAMILIES – FROM THE WEIRD TO THE RIDICULOUS PERHAPS – BUT STORIES ABOUT FAMILIES NONE THE LESS… MANY TV SERIES INVOLVE AT LEAST A GROUP OF PEOPLE – WHO MAY NOT BE RELATED BY BIRTH BUT WHOSE “FAMILY BUSINESS” WE ARE INVITED TO WATCH & EXAMINE IN AN ONGOING WAY…

JESUS KNEW HOW TO TELL STORIES… WHEN CONFRONTED WITH FOLKS WHO DIDN’T LIKE THE WAY HE DID THINGS… WHEN CHALLENGED ABOUT THE KIND OF PEOPLE HE ASSOCIATED WITH… WHEN HE WAS FACED WITH FOLKS WHO JUST DIDN’T UNDERSTAND THE KIND OF GOD THAT JESUS CALLED, DADDY OR “ABBA”, JESUS MANAGED TO FIND A WAY TO BRIDGE THE GAP OF UNDERSTANDING… HE TOLD STORIES…

AND JESUS KNEW HOW TO TELL A GOOD STORY… A STORY THAT COULD STOP FOLKS IN THEIR TRACKS… A STORY THAT COULD MAKE FOLKS THINK… A STORY THAT STAYED WITH THEM SO THAT THEY HAD TO KEEP WRESTLING WITH IT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS TRULY IMPORTANT…

WHEN WE HEAR A GOOD STORY & CAN IDENTIFY OURSELVES IN SOME WAY WITH THE CHARACTERS IN A STORY, THE STORY RESONATES WITH US & STAYS WITH US…

CHARLES DICKENS ONCE DESCRIBED TODAY’S PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL SON AS THE “FINEST STORY EVER WRITTEN.” (ALL THE PARABLES IN THE WORLD, P. 285)

BARBARA BROWN TAYLOR SAYS, “the parable of the prodigal son stays young no matter how old it is, giving all kinds of people all kinds of ways to make the story their own. ” (SERMON CALLED, The Parable of the Dysfunctional Family)

JESUS KNEW HOW TO TOUCH THE HEART-STRINGS OF HIS LISTENERS… THIS PARABLE OF THE FORGIVING FATHER PROVIDES US WITH A STORY WHICH DEFIES TIME & HISTORICAL CONTEXT. THIS SIMPLE STORY SPEAKS TO US TODAY JUST AS CLEARLY TODAY AS IT PROBABLY SPOKE TO THOSE WHO HEARD IT IN THE FIRST CENTURY!

YOU KNOW THE STORY: A YOUNGER SON COMES TO HIS FATHER & DEMANDS THAT HE GET HIS PORTION OF THE FAMILY INHERITANCE RIGHT UP FRONT… THE FATHER OBLIGES HIS YOUNGER SON, EVEN THOUGH THIS IS COUNTER TO CULTURAL TRADITION. THE YOUNGER SON GOES OFF & SQUANDERS ALL OF HIS INHERITANCE AND FALLS PREY TO A TERRIBLE FAMINE IN THAT COUNTRY. HE HIRES HIMSELF OUT TO FEED THE PIGS OF A LOCAL FARMER… TALK ABOUT HITTING BOTTOM! THIS YOUNG JEWISH SON IS REDUCED TO FEEDING THE VERY ANIMAL THAT HE WOULD NEVER EAT & WHICH IS CONSIDERED “UNCLEAN” BY HIS FAITH TRADITION…

THE YOUNGER SON REALIZES THAT HE WOULD BE BETTER OFF AS A SERVANT IN HIS FATHER’S HOUSEHOLD THAN CONTINUING ON IN THIS DESPERATE SITUATION. HE RETURNS TO HIS HOMELAND & HIS FATHER’S HOUSE SIMPLY HOPING TO BE TREATED LIKE ONE OF THE HIRED HANDS.

BEFORE HE EVEN GETS TO THE HOMESTEAD THE FATHER – WHO HAS CONTIUED TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR HIS “LOST” SON – RUNS OUT TO HUG & KISS HIM… EVEN BEFORE THE YOUNGER SON CAN SPEAK HIS WORDS OF APOLOGY THE FATHER MOVES INTO A CELEBRATION! THE FATHER ASKS FOR THE BEST ROBE & A RING & SANDALS FOR THIS SON WHO WAS LOST. THE FATHER EVEN ORDERS UP A BANQUET TO CELEBRATE THE RETURN.

OH YES, THERE IS AT LEAST ONE OTHER CHARACTER IN THIS STORY, ISN’T THERE? THE ELDER SON, THE ONE WHO KNOWS HE WILL RECEIVE THE LARGER PORTION OF THE FAMILY INHERITANCE & WHO HAS REMAINED AT HOME FAITHFUL IN EVERYTHING TO HIS FATHER & THE FAMILY TRADITION… THAT ELDER SON RETURNS FROM THE FIELDS & DISCOVERS A HUGE PARTY ALREADY IN PROGRESS... THIS ELDER SON LEARNS THAT HIS YOUNGER BROTHER HAS RETURNED & THAT THEIR FATHER IS PUTTING ON QUITE A PARTY IN HIS HONOR… THE ELDER SON GETS ANGRY & REFUSES TO SHARE IN THE CELEBRATION. THE FATHER HAS TO GO OUT & TALK WITH THE ELDER SON… THE ELDER SON IS TRULY MIFFED – LIFE ISN’T FAIR! ALL HIS LOYALTY TO HIS DAD SEEMS FOR NAUGHT… IN SPITE OF THE REMINDERS BY THE FATHER THAT WHAT WAS DEAD HAS COME TO LIFE, THAT WHAT WAS LOST HAS NOW BEEN FOUND… AND THE STORY ENDS BEFORE WE KNOW WHAT THE ELDER SON WILL DO….

WHAT A STORY!! IT MAY REMIND US OF OUR OWN FAMILIES OR OF OTHER FAMILIES WE KNOW!

JESUS TELLS THIS STORY TO ANSWER THE QUESTION HE’S BEEN GETTING ABOUT WHO IS PART OF “OUR FAMILY?” ABOUT WHO IS WELCOME AT GOD’S BANQUET TABLE?

THE RELIGIOUS AUTHORITIES IN JESUS’ TIME WERE UPSET THAT JESUS KEPT PUSHING THE ENVELOPE - THAT HE ATE WITH TAX COLLECTORS & SINNERS, THAT HE WELCOMED THE POOR & THE OUTSIDER… AND NO WONDER! TAX COLLECTORS & SINNERS WERE KNOWN AS FOLKS WHO WERE FORCED TO ENGAGE IN DISHONORABLE PROFESSIONS IN ORDER TO SURVIVE… AND YES, JESUS DID WELCOME THE TAX COLLECTORS & THE SINNERS TO THE TABLE (BOTH LITERALLY & FIGURATIVELY) BECAUSE JESUS WAS ANTICIPATING THE INBREAKING OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD WHERE ALL THE RULES WOULD GET CHANGED!

JESUS WAS COURAGEOUSLY ENACTING A PROTEST WITH HIS LIFE THAT CHALLENGED THE REGULAR ORDER OF THINGS... JESUS INTENTIONALLY CHOSE TO EAT & TO MEET WITH THOSE WHO WERE CONSIDERED “UNCLEAN” & THOSE WHO WERE CONSIDERED “OUTSIDERS” BECAUSE BY HIS ACTIONS HE COULD DEMONSTRATE WHAT GOOD “FAMILY BUSINESS” MIGHT BE LIKE.…

JESUS DEMONSTRATED THE LOVE OF GOD IN THEIR MIDST BY THE STORIES HE TOLD. JESUS REVEALED THE LOVE OF GOD BY THE WAY HE ACTED AS AN AGENT OF RECONCILIATION IN A BROKEN WORLD.

THIS PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL SON INVITES US TO GLIMPSE THE “FAMILY BUSINESS” OF A FAMILY – A FAMILY WHO NEEDED RECONCILIATON… THE PARABLE CALLS US TO LOOK AT ALL SIDES OF OUR OWN STORY TO SEE WHERE OUR LIVES MIGHT NEED RECONCILIATION AS WELL…

RECONCILIATION IS DEFINED AS THE “COMING TO AGREEMENT OF TWO OR MORE PERSONS AFTER MISUNDERSTANDING OR ESTRANGEMENT.”

THE GREEK WORD USED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT FOR RECONCILIATION IS ONE THAT MEANS ‘THE RESTORATION OF HARMONY, SPECIFICALLY HARMONY BETWEEN HUMAN BEINGS AND GOD.’

AND WE DO NEED RECONCILIATION IN OUR WORLD TODAY…

RECONCILIATION BETWEEN US & GOD, RECONCILIATION AMONG HUMAN BEINGS, RECONCILIATION BETWEEN US & GOD’S CREATION… WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE COUNTLESS EXAMPLES OF BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS & EVIDENCE OF DIS-HARMONY ALL OVER OUR WORLD TODAY, EVEN AS THERE WAS IN THE TIME OF JESUS!

WE COULD LIST ALL VARIETIES OF BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS THAT NEED RECONCILIATION IN OUR WORLD – BROKENNESS DUE TO ISSUES OF SEXISM, RACISM, CULTURE WARS, INTOLERANCE… WE COULD LIST ALL TOO MANY EXAMPLES OF DISHARMONY & BROKENNESS IN OUR COMMUNITIES, HERE IN THIS COUNTRY, & CERTAINLY AROUND THE WORLD THIS DAY... WE CAN ALL TOO EASILY LIST BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS AMONG THOSE WITH WHOM WE WORK & RELATE REGULARLY & PERHAPS EVEN IN OUR OWN HOUSEHOLDS… SOME MIGHT SUGGEST THAT THE WHOLE CREATION CRIES OUT FOR RECONCILIATION!

JESUS DOESN’T TELL US THE STORY OF THE PRODIGAL SON TO LEAVE US DOWN IN THE DUMPS ABOUT THE NEED FOR RECONCILIATION, THOUGH…

JESUS TELLS US THIS STORY TO ASSURE US THAT THERE IS ALWAYS ONE WHO RECEIVES US WITH OPEN ARMS… NO MATTER WHAT WE’VE DONE… JESUS TELLS US THIS STORY TO REMIND US THAT THERE IS ONE WHO OFFERS EACH ONE OF US AMAZING GRACE!

JESUS INVITES US TO ENTER THIS STORY WHEREEVER WE NEED TO…

THIS IS A STORY ABOUT OUR “FAMILY BUSINESS”…

GOD FORGIVES US & SEEKS US OUT FOR RECONCILIATION NO MATTER WHAT WE MAY HAVE DONE… JESUS WANTS US TO KNOW & REMEMBER THAT IN GOD’S EYES, NONE OF US ARE OUTCASTS, THAT EACH ONE OF US IS WELCOMED, VALUED & LOVED BY GOD...///

THIS DAY WE HAVE WELCOMED A NEW CHILD INTO THE MIDST OF GOD’S LOVING COMMUNITY, INTO THIS FAMILY OF FAITH. THIS MORNING WE HAVE ALL PLEDGED TO ACCOMPANY THIS CHILD & HER FAMILY IN EXPANDING HER UNDERSTANDING OF JESUS CHRIST & OF THE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW…

THIS MORNING THIS FAMILY OF FAITH WILL TAKE ACTION ON THIS CHURCH’S BUDGETS FOR THE COMING YEAR – BASED ON THE HOPE THAT EVERYONE WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE “FAMILY BUSINESS” OF PLEDGING TO SUPPORT THE BUDGETS…

WE WILL ALSO HEAR THE REPORT FROM THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE ABOUT ALL WHO HAVE COMMITTED TO SERVE IN THE ONGOING WORK OF THE “FAMILY BUSINESS” OF THIS CHURCH…

THIS DAY WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF THOSE IN NEED AROUND THE WORLD… WE CAN EACH DIG INTO OUR WALLETS & PASS ALONG SOME OF THE BLESSINGS THAT HAVE COME OUR WAY. TODAY WE CAN EACH MAKE A DONATION TO ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING, A WORLD-WIDE UNDERSTANDING OF THE “FAMILY BUSINESS” OF OUR FAITH…

LET’S BE ABOUT DOING THE “FAMILY BUSINESS” IN THE BEST WAYS WE KNOW HOW…

JESUS SHOWED US HOW TO LIVE LIVES ENCIRCLED BY THE ARMS OF A LOVING GOD…

LET US GO OUT THIS WEEK TO DO THE “FAMILY BUSINESS” OF OUR FAITH… AMEN.