Community Church Sermons

Year A

June 19, 2011

Pentecost 1

Celebrating Presence

Luke 15:11-32

Rev. Dr. R. Tim Meadows

Today is Father’s Day. Last Father’s Day I sent my Dad a card which explained the origin of Father’s Day. The card said that Father’s Day was established just after Mother’s Day, when a wise man stated the obvious by saying “So, we have Mother’s Day in May, celebrating the contributions of women to our world and our families …. Hey, wait a minute! I hope that this day on which we celebrate the contributions of males to our world actually had a better beginning, but who knows ---- it may just have happened this way.

Our scripture readings today focus on a Father ---- a father of whom Jesus approves; but let me ask you? What do you think of a father who:

- Without resistance accedes to the frivolous wishes of a petulant son.

- Appears surprised by the wasteful actions of that son.

- Openly and incessantly mourns the absence of that ungrateful son.

- Cannot wait for a confession, an apology, or a plea for mercy before embracing that ungrateful son.

- Throws a lavish welcome home party that he ends up missing because of another son’s unhappiness.

I can guess at some of your immediate reactions. You would probably say:

- This guy does not deserve to own a pet much less be a parent.

- The Bible clearly commands men to have control of their household.

- It is weak men like this that are central to the cause of our problems in society.

- We need men to stand up and be counted as men of authority.

- This man should learn to discipline these boys, so that they know what is right and who is boss.

- If they do not learn order and limits from him, where will they learn them?

- This man deserves what he receives from both sons.

You would say these and similar things and most in our culture would affirm you as correct, but this reprehensible picture of a father, is Jesus’ picture of God as father. In this story Jesus captures the predominant characteristic of God as father, which is simply, one who celebrates the presence of those he loves. In this story the father never keeps a record and never renders judgment on either son, he simply mourns their absence and encourages and celebrates their presence.

This picture of Jesus’ father however, is not the picture we typically offer of God. The more typical picture is something like this picture from the work of the English writer Adrian Plass. Listen now as our own Mavis McLean reads Plass’ piece entitled “PRODIGAL REWRITTEN”*……………………

At last he cometh to his senses and saith, “All my father’s hired workers have more than they can eat, and here I am about to starve! I will arise and go to my father and say, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee. I am no longer worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hired servants.”

So he arose and came to his father.

But when he was still a long way off his father seeth him and runneth to him and falleth on his neck and pulleth his hair and smacketh his backside and clumpeth him on the ear and saith, “Where the devil do you think you’ve been, Scumbag?” And the prodigal replieth, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee. I am no longer worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hired servants.”

The father saith, “Too right I ‘ll make thee as one of my hired servants, Master Dirty –stop –out –inheritance-spending- stinker –pinker-prodigal! I suppose thou believest that thou canst waltz back in here without so much as a by thine leave, and conneth me with thine dramatic little speech? Thinkest thou that this is ‘Little House on the Prairie’? Or mayhap thou reckoneth that I was born yestere’en? Oh, no. Third assistant bog-cleaner, unpaid, for thee, mine odorous ex-relative.”

Then the prodigal saith dismally unto him, “Oh, right, right – fair enough. So, er, just to get it straight, there existeth no question of lots of nice presents and instant forgiveness and an large celebratory meal involving the fatted calf, or anything of that nature?”

“In thy dreams, son!” replieth the father. The only gift thou art likely to see is the personalised lavatory – brush with which thou shall shortly be presented.”

And the father taketh the prodigal by that ear which previously he clumpeth, and hauleth him back to the farm.

And lo, the fatted calf beholdeth them approach from an long way off, and, summing up the situation perfectly, throweth an big party. And the fatted calf’s family and guests rejoiceth and doeth a bit of disco – dancing, and mooeth sarcastically over the fence at the prodigal as he passeth by in his tribulation.

And behold, as nightfall approacheth, the prodigal’s elder brother heareth distant sounds as of a bog - brush being applied, and strolleth out to the edge of the cess - pit after supper holding an large brandy, and he stretcheth luxuriously and picketh his teeth and lighteth an enormous cigar and looketh down and saith, “Evenin’ Rambo. I see thou hast returned, then? Likest thou thine rapid progress from affluent to effluent?”

And the prodigal looketh up and saith, “Verily, thou rebukest me justly with thine clever barb. When I had great wealth I shared it not with thee, but now I freely offer thee an good share of what is mine.”

And he flicketh at the elder brother with his brush, so that an weighty portion of something exceeding unpleasant ploppeth into his brother’s brandy glass, and his brother retireth, threating to tell on him.

And the prodigal findeth his father and saith unto him, “Behold, all these years during which I was in the far country, mine smug, pie-faced, hypocritical, dipstick of an brother must have caused thee to gnash thy teeth on an daily basis, so how come he getteth all the perks like brandy, cigars, and suchlike, while I remaineth up to mine elbows in other people’s poo?”

But his father replieth, “Thine brother is boring but biddable. Get on with thine work, thou less than Baldrick, and think thyself lucky.”

The father departeth and the prodigal saith to himself, “Blow this for an game of centurions. I wisheth I hadn’t come home now. Behold I am just as hungry, twice as guilty, and four times as smelly. Verily, if, by an miracle, any time off ever presenteth itself, there existeth in my mind no doubt about how I shall seek to occupieth it. Definitely – it’s an day trip to the pigs for me…”

The irony and humor in this piece are obvious and a bit exaggerated, but I wonder how many of us find this version of the story more believable than the version of the story Jesus told? I wonder how many of us find this version of the story more desirable than the version of the story Jesus told? I wonder if we found ourselves stranded and needing to come home; which of these two fathers would we want to come home to?

May God give us the grace to choose a welcoming, loving, father to receive us; and to be our model for receiving others. AMEN!

*The work “PRODIGAL REWRITTEN” is taken from the book The Heart Of The Family: Laughter And Tears From A Real Family. By Adrian Plass. Published by Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003.