Homily Sunday October 23 Prodigal God Alternative Lectionary part 2
One of the challenging threads of the Gospels is echoed in today’s reading from Luke. Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, seems to attract the wrong kind of people.
Instead of devout religious folks, observant Jews, Pharisees, and leaders in the society, his followers, as Luke puts it, are “tax collectors” and “sinners.” These weren’t respectable people in a society built on honour and shame.
Jesus appealed to moral outcasts, and that very fact scandalized the Pharisees.
And perhaps even more difficult for the good Jewish people Jesus was scandalizing, was that he told parables like the two short ones offered today, which are both situated before the parable of the Prodigal Son.
First we have the shepherd who will not leave the wilderness with his 99 sheep until the one lost sheep is found. Then he will leave and have a celebration. So Jesus says there will be more rejoicing over one repentant sinner, than over 99 who have no need of repentance.
Then this is reinforced by the story of the woman who won’t cease the search for her lost drachma, then rejoices when it is found, leaving Jesus to conclude there is “more rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner.”
This teaching of God’s grace is hard for us to understand.
The Pharisees and other religious leaders complained Jesus not only attracted tax collectors and sinners, he ate with them. Table fellowship was highly valued in the first century culture, and Jesus was showing acceptance and respect for those who were rejected and outcast.
Now you may be wondering what all this has to do with our “Prodigal God” theme which began last week with Bishop Terry preaching on the parable of the Prodigal Son.
What Jesus is trying to do is challenge the assumptions of the religious leaders, and all his listeners about God’s grace, sin, and salvation.
In both short parables, the lost sheep, and the lost coin, are both incapable of being found, except through God’s grace. They represent people who are spiritually lost, like the prodigal son. The sheep is lost through helplessness, the coin through thoughtlessness, and the son through wilfulness.
Sin is difficult for us to deal with. We all sin to varying degrees, part of our human nature. But in Jesus we find forgiveness through repentance and faith.
Salvation also enters into our parables, because if we think we have found God, and are sure in our faith, then one of the pitfalls we face is that we are tempted to look down on others who haven’t found God.
Jesus teaches that salvation doesn’t come to those who search hardest for God, but instead through God’s grace, not through our own merit.
That is a difficult concept for us. The joy is in finding those who are lost, those who are marginalized, those who are excluded.
Archbishop of Canterbury William Temple said the church is the only institution that exists for the benefit of those who are not members.
In the parables the Pharisees don’t see themselves as lost sinners saved by God’s grace. Indeed they feel superior to sinners. But Jesus teaches heaven rejoices when sinners repent.
Now to most people today Christianity represents both religion and moralism. But in the early church, and in Jesus teaching that was certainly not the case.
After all in the early church in the first three centuries there were almost no church buildings, no full-time clergy, no sacrifices, no Temples or Cathedrals.
Instead early Christianity was “The Way,” a way of sharing table fellowship and the sacraments in the homes of believers or the Catacombs of Rome; A Way of following Jesus who was himself the ultimate sacrifice.
Indeed religious people were offended by Jesus. It was outsiders, the underclass who formed the backbone of the early church. Jesus attracted the irreligious, and offended the believers of Hebrew scripture—the only Bible in his day.
Today the problem particularly in the west is that churches are not appealing to sinners and outcasts, or to younger brothers described in the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
We are challenged as we undertake this Diocesan study to consider that while we mean well, we are too often like the older brother---we have worked hard, we have kept the faith, we have supported the church, and we like things the way they are.
Don’t we have enough on our plate without looking for new models of mission and ministry?
There are no easy answers. But all over North America and Europe many parishes and churches of all denominations are facing the same issues. It’s ironic that the areas where the church is fastest growing are those where the western churches did mission in the 20th century, in Latin America, Africa and Asia. We have a lot of financial resources, but lack in membership. They have few resources, but are growing quickly.
Let us close with a prayer from a Celtic resource Book.
“Grant us a vision, Lord,
To see what we can achieve
To reach out beyond ourselves
To share our lives with others
To stretch our capabilities
To increase our sense of purpose
To be aware of where we can help
To be sensitive to your presence
To give heed to your constant call,
In the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Amen”
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