|
||
|
Text: Luke 15 * No other single narrative better depicts the goodness of God in light of the stubbornness of humanity. I have become convinced that part of our struggle to live in community (to “be with God” and “be with each other”) is not only our perception of each other, but our misperceptions of God. “God created us in his image and we decided to return the favor”. George Bernard Shaw * If the pre-requisite for “loving others” is “loving God”, then vital to “loving God” is considering Him “loveable”. ►Authentic faith must always begin with God. * Too often our theology is based on “second-hand information”. Whether our faith history included significant exposure to some form of religious expression or whether there was little mention of God (indifferent), we cannot underestimate the profound impact that such attitudes and activity has had on our spiritual formation. Could it be that our hesitancy toward involvement with God is based on the impressions of him delivered to us intentionally (in lessons) or modeled for us inadvertently (in life)? * The point is that we all have and all are learning life from someone (multiple someones). But, the fundamental mistake we make is when we start with what’s been suggested and draw our conclusions accordingly. * One of the points of this particular story is that we must allow God to define himself (“revelation”). Jesus was totally pre-occupied with the Father’s glory (making sure that he was recognized for who he really was). John 17:25-26 "O righteous Father, the world doesn't know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. And I have revealed you to them and will keep on revealing you. I will do this so that your love for me may be in them and I in them. ►Sometimes it’s easy to believe that God is great, but hard to believe that he is good. Psalm 100:5 “For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Exodus 34:5-7a “Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and called out his own name, the LORD, as Moses stood there in his presence. He passed in front of Moses and said, "I am the LORD, I am the LORD, the merciful (the word means “to touch”- touched by our needs) and gracious (unselfishly seeks our best) God. I am slow to anger and rich in unfailing love and faithfulness (steady; he’s “for us”; he “believes in us”). I show this unfailing love to many thousands by forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion” (he has acted to remove anything that would stand in the way of a relationship with him). NLT * We usually use the word “good” in some benign fashion to describe something that was ‘pleasing’ to us (i.e. to describe a pleasurable dining experience or rate a movie). * The goodness of God, as reflected in the scriptures, is not to be understood as some abstract quality, but defined by his interaction with his creation. The declaration that “God is good” is a matter of trust; that God always acts in a way that’s best for his people, even if it does not always appear pleasing to us! * It appears to me that the things that make him great are more observable, but the things that make him good are only realized in relationship with him. “O, Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds your hands have made. I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, your power throughout the universe displayed… How great thou art!” (children’s prayer: “God is great, God is good…”). Maybe that’s the appropriate place to start. RESTLESS AND DISILLUSIONED “give me my share…” v.12 (in essence, the son is saying, “I wish you were dead”.) * Discontentment has a way of distorting our view so that we are unable to enjoy what we already possess…keeps us grasping for what we already have! * I have come to realize that the path to contentment runs right through my hunger for God! Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end.” * Addictive behaviors are simply an attempt to satisfy an eternal desire with a temporary pleasure. * I think what disappointed the Father was not so much the son’s desire for individuality or the chance to “try his wings”, because love is always FOR the one being loved… …neither was the Father’s disappointment so much in the foolish demands of the son (Father-love is approachable and at times, accommodating). …the greatest disappointment was in the son’s misguided assumption that his father desired anything less than his purposed-best (the disappointment was in the “squandered life” that interrupted his potential and possibility). “set off for a distant country…” v.13 ►The distant country is first a trip we take in our imagination before it becomes reality. The “distant country” is not necessarily a geographical location… you don’t even have to leave home to be running away! It’s where we convince ourselves that “there” (wherever “there” is) we are certain to discover fulfillment. * Sometimes only the pain of our shattered expectations can cause us to realize what’s best. DISORIENTED (v.15) * Conditionally, He’s now the ‘hired-hand’ although he’s still the beloved son (lost his sense of identity). His life had lost its “center”…nothing to “orient” him. No point of reference to offer perspective. The result? “confusion”. * When I’m confused, often (not always) some good things happen… … I become a better listener, because my preconceived notions about God and life are seriously challenged, … I discover that I can no longer trust myself, …I am more prone to introspection… stop long enough to ask: “Where am I? How did I get here? What am I going here?” … I often become more honest in my evaluations of my current circumstances. I more readily admit that I don’t have life and God figured out! …I learn to challenge those deep heart-impulses and distinguish between which ones I need to hold onto (and nurture) and which ones to abandon. ►God’s love is compelling, but it is never restrains us. It gives with no strings attached; no stipulations; no insistence of return. It allows for the process of discovery (“coming to our senses”). ►Love says, “You can always come home”; but be warned about all that can be lost while you’re gone! Always realize that rebellion is a self-imposed distance. * Love anticipates the joy of restored relationship and makes provision for return. It is forgiveness offered before we even ask! It dreams! “While he was still a long way off, the father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran (undignified in that culture for a senior figure to run) to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him…” vs.20 “Why did he notice him when he was such a long way off?” “Had the father envisioned this scene daily in his mind?” May I suggest that the father’s eyes were ever on the horizon, longing to see the silhouette of his son returning home. “Does this sound like a father who was reveling in his son’s despair? Does he strike you as a father who envisioned this day so that he might deliver his well-developed, fully rehearsed scathing rebuke and lecture?” No lectures; no terms; no probationary period… just love! As you might discover, the Father is the real “prodigal” in the story (‘prodigal’- (Gr.) means ‘lavish, abundant, giving profusely, wasting, giving too much, extravagant’). There’s nothing noteworthy about the son’s behavior, because if we are honest, we’re all prone to it. 1 John 3:1 “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” * In order to create a sense of community, the church must become a place of… … lavish welcome, … extravagant grace, … incomprehensible love, … life-giving restoration. “Remember the first time that you ran away from home?” I remember announcing to my mother that I was leaving (she didn’t seem overly threatened or concerned about that announcement). I remember I didn’t make it much farther than the row of shrubs along the front of my house. Honestly, I’m not sure why I left. I didn’t pack too much because I didn’t plan on being gone that long and I knew that eventually, I wanted to come back. I remember several instances during that day (which was probably more like 20 minutes) when my mom would come to the screen door and call for me. It wasn’t a harsh voice, or an agitated one…it was an appealing voice. All that I needed to do to come home was to respond to love. The question now is… “Why do we keep running away?” I find that rebellion is not necessarily a “mean streak”, it’s just a tendency (sometimes I run because God hasn’t accommodated me, or recognized me properly for my outstanding efforts for him!). I have noticed that when I run, I have a tendency to resist love; or being called “son” (much less be celebrated for returning). In might be easier for us to take if the image of God that Jesus portrayed was one in which we would come back and father would lecture us and go over those “house rules” one more time! Instead, he celebrates our return. * It’s hard, because it requires that we identify those tendencies to run and intentionally choose to stay home, because we often interpret grace as the freedom to roam. “I’m free”!! But, free to “what”? Freedom itself does not guarantee fulfillment in life; it’s simply the privilege to choose. * Maybe part of the problem is that we have “gotten over” the love of God. We seem to have exchanged a child-like enthusiasm for a more “sophisticated” approach to God. (one more “methodical” and “systematic”… one that, quite frankly, has sucked the life out of our relationship and left us less than appealing to a world that’s trying to figure Him out).
|
