Category Archives: Devotions
We all know God loves us, but far too often the stresses, anxieties and problems in life crowd Him out of our view. Here find a moment to re-focus and remember how incredible it is that God loves us, and what it means to live in His presence, in the peace that passes all understanding…
Confessions of a Small Church Pastor: I Kind of Like it Here
Thoughts which carry me to Jesus, and to the cross.
“There will be some left behind, like when an olive tree is beaten— two or three ripe olives remain toward the very top, four or five on its fruitful branches,” says the LORD God of Israel. At that time men will trust in their creator; they will depend on the Holy One of Israel. They will no longer trust in the altars their hands made, or depend on the Asherah poles and incense altars their fingers made.” (Isaiah 17:6–8, NET)
“ Therefore, so that I would not become arrogant, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to trouble me—so that I would not become arrogant.I asked the Lord three times about this, that it would depart from me. But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me.” (2 Corinthians 12:7–9, NET)
Many troubled by various diseases came running from every direction, and putting the health of their souls first, through confession, they were then freed of their illnesses.
First I become indignant and then I become sad when a person to whom I am trying to give spiritual counsel tells me: “Well, I am trying to make up my mind whether or not I should accept Christ.”
This scene is taking place in our society over and over again, as proud adamic sinners argue within themselves: “I don’t know whether I should accept Christ or not.” So, in this view, our poor Lord Christ stands hat-in-hand, shifting from one foot to the other, looking for a job—wondering whether He will be accepted!
Is it possible that we proud humans do not know that the Christ we are putting off is the eternal Son; the Lord who made the heavens and the earth and all things that are therein? He is indeed the One, the Mighty One!
Thankfully, He has promised to receive us, poor and sinful though we be. But the idea that we can make Him stand while we render the verdict of whether He is worthy is a frightful calumny—and we ought to get rid of it!
This morning I received an email which infuriated me.
Most of it I agreed with, as it detailed the various problems in my church brotherhood. There are, like every denomination (whatever they call it), problems that people try to resolve politically. Well, the last problem they mentioned was the existence of churches under 100 in attendance, and as many, saw these churches as a waste of personnel and financial resources.
Of course they offer solutions, most of which include either selling the facilities and closing the church, or allowing another larger church to come alongside and manage and take responsibility for the smaller church. In my observation, this usually ends up with the larger church using the assets from the smaller church, with less people than it had before it came alongside to “help.”
It is, in my opinion, either poor stewardship or simply straight out covetousness of the small church assets in many of these cases. (and its not my own church body – there were brotherhoods and denoms doing this 30-40 years ago) EEither way, we give up places where God put His people, who built a place where people could come to know they were forgiven, to become part of the family of God==to be people God would work through to save the world.
In my readings this morning Iw as hit with this again. It is the small weak remnant of grapes that cast off their idolatry and look to God. It is Paul’s weakness that God uses to do the greatest ministry – it is when we are huumble and broken that we don’t leave Jesus at the door, but welcome Him in, begging for help….
It is when we confess and are absolved of our sin that we see the healing of our lives happen. It is not when we are strong and healthy, when the church is well managed and the programs are working like clock-work; its when we cry out in despair. I am not saying I want my church to always be “small”, my first church didn’t stay at 14 people. But yet I never weant to lost the joy we had seeing the church – told to chose its doors, defy the stats and become a refuge for many.
God works through the small church. He worked through the smallest of families, in the smallest of tribes, in the smallest of nations. God works through broken people. and whether we average 50 or 5000 I want my church to remember that it is still… small and that we need God to do the work.
Tozer, A. W., & Smith, G. B. (2008). Mornings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings. Moody Publishers.
Pasquale, G., ed. (2011). Day by Day with Saint Francis: 365 Meditations (p. 218). New City Press.
Job’s Death Wish… and finding Jesus there!
Thoughts which carry me to Jesus, and to the cross
““Oh that my request would be realized, and that God would grant me what I long for! And that God would be willing to crush me, that he would let loose his hand and kill me.” (Job 6:8–9, NET)
Hard fights are rarely fought except by those with the greatest strength.”
In each case, this line of theological thought expresses well that divine initiative brings about sudden conversion and that therein exists the indispensable spiritual basis for theology. Consequently, the words of Paul—“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20)—are foundational for Ratzinger’s understanding of theology.
“The knowledge of God is a way; it means discipleship. It is not revealed to the uncommitted, permanently neutral observer but, rather, is disclosed in the measure in which one sets out on the way.” Such knowledge requires deep conversion so that it remains a constant encounter. True reasoning requires “a purification of heart.” It is bound to the Logos and includes death and resurrection.
His words came out of a place of great despair, for everything he treasured, everything he found joy in, was stripped from him over the course of moments.
He was broken, overwhelmed by grief and pain and suffering, and his cry, his desire to die seems like the only hope.
He doesn’t have the strength that St. Francis alludes to, to battle thi hard fight. He just wants to get past it, and the only option appears to be death. Even his wife realizes this – as she encourages him to curse God and die.
I may not have lost as much as Job, but I’ve lost a lot at times. There have been pains in my life I didn’t think I could get through, times of hurting and to be honest, times where I wished Jesus would either return, or call me home. Not because I wanted to get to heaven, but because I wanted to escape from life.
And in a real way, the answer to life is found in death.
Not our physical death as we know it, but as we die with Christ in baptism, only to rise–united with Him as He lives.
it takes some thought to think through the change, to realize it with our mind, but our heart realizes it at the altar, and when we hear His word, and our old nature struggles with the fact we are loved, that we are forgiven, as demons struggle to keep their hold on us, trying to load on the guilt and shame removed at the cross of Jesus.
To help people experience that blessing, to experience that love is the purpose of all ministry, From facilitating worship through music, to the sacraments; from feeding the poor to counseling and advising the rich.
This is the true administration, the proper stewardship of the gifts of God, for the people of God.
To help them know and understand, and experience, as Job spoke, ““As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that as the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God,” (Job 19:25–26, NET)
Pasquale, G., ed. (2011). Day by Day with Saint Francis: 365 Meditations (p. 187). New City Press.
De Gaál, E. (2018). O Lord, I Seek Your Countenance: Explorations and Discoveries in Pope Benedict XVI’s Theology (M. Levering, Ed.; p. 211). Emmaus Academic.
De Gaál, E. (2018). O Lord, I Seek Your Countenance: Explorations and Discoveries in Pope Benedict XVI’s Theology (M. Levering, Ed.; p. 212). Emmaus Academic.
Hope for a Nation with Questionable Leadership… and struggling people.
Thoughts which carry me to Jesus, and to the Cross….
“In his pain Manasseh asked the LORD his God for mercy and truly humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. When he prayed to the LORD, the LORD responded to him and answered favorably his cry for mercy. The LORD brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh realized that the LORD is the true God. After this Manasseh built up the outer wall of the City of David on the west side of the Gihon in the valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate and all around the terrace; he made it much higher. He placed army officers in all the fortified cities in Judah. He removed the foreign gods and images from the LORD’s temple and all the altars he had built on the hill of the LORD’s temple and in Jerusalem; he threw them outside the city. He erected the altar of the LORD and offered on it peace offerings and thank offerings. He told the people of Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel. The people continued to offer sacrifices at the high places, but only to the LORD their God.” (2 Chronicles 33:12–17, NET)
“Certainly you will see it with your very own eyes— you will see the wicked paid back. For you have taken refuge in the LORD, my shelter, the sovereign One.” (Psalm 91:8–9, NET)
For they do not believe that the time of their affliction is at hand, and they do not want to believe it, even though they can see it, hear it, smell it, taste it, touch it, and feel it.
(It is the position of some would-be teachers that everyone who comes into the kingdom of God by faith immediately obtains all there is of God’s spiritual provision.
I believe that such a teaching is as deadly as cyanide to the individual Christian life. It kills all hope of spiritual advance and causes many believers to adopt what I call “the creed of contentment.”
One day as he was walking with blessed Francis, the saint said to him: “Brother, I tell you that from now on you do not have to confess your tribulation to anyone. Do not be afraid. Whatever happens to you that is not your doing will not be to your blame, but to your credit. Whenever you are troubled, I give you my permission just to say seven Our Fathers.” The brother wondered how the saint could have known about this; smiling and overjoyed, he got over the temptation in a short time.
Oftentimes in his encyclicals, Benedict invites the faithful to encounter Christ through Scripture and the sacraments. The theme of encountering Christ pervades all his writings. A selection of these papal writings illuminates the concept of revelation and the Christocentric approach that he already unfolded profoundly at Vatican II.
I look at the news this morning and social media, and to be honest, I don’t know what to do with it. I see so much that is a a fulfillment of Luther’s words in the first quote, where the affliction is denied, as we are told if this sie gets their way, everything will be okay, only to be echoed by the other side. And the tension and trauma that increases where the two sides collide is written off, as justifiable. Further, many on both sides are described by Tozer, as those who count themselves as good, llving Chirstians because of something that happened in the past, a baptism, a prayer, a moment of enlightenment that guarantees their being in the right, apart from anything meaningful in their interaction with God today.
They know something is wrong, but they see it as completely outside of their own lives, their own relationship with God. Maybe it is because of that they cry out for God’s vengeance without seeing Christ’s desire to save all, their adversaries and themselves.
Francis’s advise to a man caught in such tribulation is simple. Pray, and pray intimately to the Father. Say the pray Jesus taught, not as a rote, magical incantation, but as a prayer…intimately seeking the intercession of God in your life, to see His will be accomplished, to see His care for all come into being.
Benedict encourages the same thing – for people to encounter and relate to Jesus through the conduits God has provided for just that purpose, for only that purpose. The word of God (aka the scriptures) and the Sacraments are their for us to fulfil some duty, to ring up enough points that we gain some prize. They are times where God opens up His heart, that the Spirit can operate on ours, opening it up and bringing a life that we lack.
This is what happened with Manasseh, the son of King Hezekiah. Completely overwhelmed by the consequences of his, and his people’s sin, he finally cries out to God, and as God responds to his cries, Manasseh realizes that God is the only true God, the only God that can save and transform him. The broken king, looking for hope finds it–not as we look for hope, but in simply praying to a God he did not know well, who responded.
That change is Manasseh was truly revolutionary. He became the King, the leader he should have been, with the absolute priority of helping people grow in their relationship to God. He removed the obstacles, the false gods they were tempted to worship and look to for assistance. He restored the offerings that were given, not to appease God, but to recognize and receive the gifts God poured out on His people! To go from being one of the most evil of kings, to being a holy king–perhaps one of the best.
Not through his own efforts, but because God heard his cry for help, and he came to know this was the one true God.
May all our leaders, all of them, find God answering them, as we see the consequences of sin blow up around us. And I pray, that they lead us, as do all leader, to see the LORD our God. Amen.
Robinson, P. W. (1539). On the Councils and the Church. In H. J. Hillerbrand, K. I. Stjerna, T. J. Wengert, & P. W. Robinson (Eds.), Church and Sacraments (Vol. 3, p. 329). Fortress Press.
Tozer, A. W., & Smith, G. B. (2008). Mornings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings. Moody Publishers.
Pasquale, G., ed. (2011). Day by Day with Saint Francis: 365 Meditations (p. 167). New City Press.
De Gaál, E. (2018). O Lord, I Seek Your Countenance: Explorations and Discoveries in Pope Benedict XVI’s Theology (M. Levering, Ed.; p. 194). Emmaus Academic.
Attitude Check: How do we look at “those” sinners?
Thoughts which drive me to Jesus, and to the Cross!
“Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God on behalf of my fellow Israelites is for their salvation. For I can testify that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not in line with the truth.For ignoring the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking instead to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law, with the result that there is righteousness for everyone who believes.” (Romans 10:1–4, NET)
“The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself like this: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: extortionists, unrighteous people, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.” (Luke 18:11, NET)
It seems to be a comfort to some Christians to sit back and blame and belabor the Jews, refusing to acknowledge that they have information and benefits and spiritual light that the Jews never had.
It is surely wrong for us to try to comfort our own carnal hearts by any emphasis that Israel rejected Him. If we do that, we only rebuild the sepulchers of our fathers as Jesus said!
Back in high school, our youth group had a practice or tradition. If something didn’t seem right, someone would yell out, “attitude check!!. The others would respond, “Praise the Lord.” It would refocus us on Jesus, it would refocus us on His love and mercy, and on His rescuing us from sin.
I think the church today needs an attitude check, I think her pastors and priests need one to, especially this guy, typing these words.
You see, we all limit God’s grace. Like the Pharisee who couldn’t believe God could relate to “lesser” people who were broken. Or like those Tozer identifies, who are content to blame and not give a rip as to whether people come to know Christ.
It’s as if we say, “Yep, they deserve it,” as we walk away from those without hope, those blinded by sin. It doesn’t matter if the sin is against he first commandment, as people put their trust in other gods, or make themselves out to be gods, whether the sin is dishonoring parents and other authorities, whether it is being caught up in sexual sin of some form, or simply those who gossip, spreading lies and rumors and even defending their right to do so.
We can’t give up on them, we can’t casually say, they reject God and “dust off our sandals” and leave them. (This is one of the most abused passages in the gospels, as people use it to justify indifference and hatred) We have to work, as Paul described his ministry, with everything we are, trying to help people mature in Christ, as we reveal Christ, their hope of glory.
That’s the attitude of Jesus, not just writing the person off because they are progressive or conservative, nor because of a massive sin in their past (their are all massive) or because of issues they struggle with today.
Let us struggle with this, and continue to depend on the hope we have in Christ Jesus, even as we pray, and even cry over those whose struggle is so visible… and yet, denied.
Tozer, A. W., & Smith, G. B. (2008). Mornings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings. Moody Publishers.
The Hard Choice, when you know illogical peace.. you know
Thoughts which carry me to Jesus, and to the Cross
“After we located the disciples, we stayed there seven days. They repeatedly told Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem.” …
“While we remained there for a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. He came to us, took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it, and said, “The Holy Spirit says this: ‘This is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man whose belt this is, and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’ ” When we heard this, both we and the local people begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be tied up, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” Because he could not be persuaded, we said no more except, “The Lord’s will be done.”” (Acts 21:4, 10–14, NET)
58 “You are all so cheerful, and one doesn’t expect that,” I heard someone say.
Paul was in an interesting position.
All his advisors took the same position, for they had all indeed heard the same message from God. If Paul goes to Jerusalem, there will be nothing there for him but pain, and even death. They warned him not to go because of this message, and they were led by the Spirit to warn him of his fate.
Yet he went anyway, with eyes wide open, led by the same Spirit that warned him through those he loved, through those he sacrificed much of his life to bring the gospel.
In those cases where heavy decisions are to be made, how do you go against the counsel of so many people you admire, How do you decide who is right between Paul and the church?
I think the key has to be found in Paul’s attitude in this situation. He was completely at peace with the situation, He was ready, he couldn’t be persuaded, and so, content and at peace , he embraced what was to come. It was, to use Josemarie’s word, unexpected. It doesn’t make sense to embrace suffering, it is illogical, some might even say stupid and a waste of assets and gifts from God.
It is the peace that makes the difference, the presence of Christ that assured Paul and us that “all things work for good for those who love Jesus.” If someone is that content with the sacrifice they are called to make, then what a blessing it is, we should encourage them, and praise God for what will happen, for it is His will.
And that is how we endure – looking to Jesus the one who completes us.
Escrivá, Josemaría. Furrow (p. 23). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
The Need for Reverent Worship….and the Challenge of Guiding it….
Thoughts which carry me to Jesus, and to the Cross…
“The people were delighted with their donations, for they contributed to the LORD with a willing attitude; King David was also very happy.” (1 Chronicles 29:9, NET)
““But who am I and who are my people, that we should be in a position to contribute this much? Indeed, everything comes from you, and we have simply given back to you what is yours.For we are resident foreigners and nomads in your presence, like all our ancestors; our days are like a shadow on the earth, without security.O LORD our God, all this wealth, which we have collected to build a temple for you to honor your holy name, comes from you; it all belongs to you.” (1 Chronicles 29:14–16, NET)
53 Servite Domino in laetitia!—I will serve God cheerfully. With a cheerfulness that is a consequence of my Faith, of my Hope and of my Love—and that will last for ever. For, as the Apostle assures us, Dominus prope est!…—the Lord follows me closely. I shall walk with Him, therefore, quite confidently, for the Lord is my Father, and with his help I shall fulfil his most lovable Will, even if I find it hard.
I have been doing a lot of thinking recently about the idea of reverence in life and in a life of worship. (see Romans 12:1-3 – worship is far more the Sunday Morning!) It goes along with my version of the ancient rule that how we worship/pray determines how we depend on God, which determines how we live. (Lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi is the old phrase.
With that floating around in the back of my mind, my readings this morning included David’s provision for the Temple. He made all the arrangements, he subsidized most of it out of personal wealth, then he realized he needed to share that opportunity with others. This is all the vivendi part of the concept, the way in which they lived out living in the grace of the God whom they worshipped.
You see it in the embracing of difficulty, cheerfully, that St. Josemaria describes! Joy that is a consequence, he teaches, of the faith, hope and love he receives from the Lord. It is the same joy and attitude describes there in Chronicles, a joy that comes from realizing all that we have is from God. it all belongs to Him.
This to me is the core of reverence then, the attitude towards God that is found as we contemplate and live, reflecting the joy that comes from realizing how He comes and blesses us! I would say you have to experience that joy before reverence develops–but that means reverence has to come out of the joy of being blessed by God.
One might even say that reverence then is the reaction to the grace of God. It can be quiet and in awe, it can be loud as full of joy as when singing Handel’s Messiah. But as a reaction it needs to be natural, not forced. It may be shaped by cultural norm, or what is available in the language of the one God has given the gifts of faith, repentance and deliverance to, as they express their awe. And certainly their attitude toward the deliverance itself matters, someone who knows the depth of their sin maybe more enthusiastic than one who considers themselves less of a sinner, or just a normal sinner.
As an example – a stoic person from Finland, who grew up in a family that loved them, but no one spoke of it, would respond reverently different than a family from Jamaica–neither group wrong in their reverent worship – but surely different! Forcing the Finns to worship in a manner reverent to the steel drums and even dancing of the Jamaican would be awkward, the same as forcing the Finn to smile and laugh would cause them so much stress, they couldn’t focus on the God who delivered them from sin, and Satan and an eternity in Hell.
So what do you do in a multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi expression of joy and reverence community? How do you facilitate and encourage reverence? I believe the key is not focusing on the vivendi, but rather on the reason for worship/prayer. To focus on the gifts of God, being given to the people of God, . This requires making it clear that we should respect each other in their way of celebrating the presence of God, but not dwelling ther, but immediately returning to the fact that the Lord is good, He is with us, and He gives himself to us.
With the focus on Jesus, and the work of God in us, the response will happen, it will be natural, and it will be reverent….for it is only a response.
Escrivá, Josemaría. Furrow (p. 23). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Do we know what Patience is? Really?
Thoughts that carry me to Jesus, and to the Cross:
“But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and merciful God. You are patient and demonstrate great loyal love and faithfulness.” (Psalm 86:15, NET)
God communicates his will to humanity so that the whole human race may take part in his divine life. In his high priestly prayer in John’s Gospel, Christ prays to the Father, saying:
I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belong to you, and you gave them to me, and they kept your word. I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. (John 17:6, 20; author’s translation)
The purpose of God’s revelation to humanity is for humanity to share in his divinity
Patience.
A virtue that is quite misunderstood at its core.
We think of it as being willing to wait a time in order to see our wants and desire come to fruition. I waited patiently in line for this, or I waited patiently for my promotion, or to be noticed by that person. Too often patience is intertwined with our own self-centeredness, our own narcissistic
I think if the goal is primarily about us, while it is delayed gratification, it isn’t the fullness of what patience is, at least scripturally. I think patience, Godly patience, is waiting for the best to occur to someone else. God’s will was to bless us, for us to take part in His divinity, in His glory, in His eternal life. It was already His, He didn’t have to wait for it, but He waits for us to join Him, to share in that life He plans for us.
Does He benefit? Yes, in seeing us benefit.
Is God willing to be patient with our understanding, our internalizing His revelation? Absolutely! All scripture testifies to His guiding our individual and communal journey toward Him.
There is nothing more important in life that this, nothing more amazing to think through, nothing more important to wait for–For that is what God is patient with, turning our very lives into works of art.
This is why we praise our God, for His vision of making us one with Him and in Him, and His patience and love which makes this happen.
(and now, let us imitate God, and be patient with others whom God is working on….)
De Gaál, E. (2018). O Lord, I Seek Your Countenance: Explorations and Discoveries in Pope Benedict XVI’s Theology (M. Levering, Ed.; p. 180). Emmaus Academic.
The Deeper Spiritual Life is … what exactly.. and how do we attain it?
Thoughts which drive me to Jesus, and to the Cross
“Therefore I sent for you at once, and you were kind enough to come. So now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to say to us.”” (Acts 10:33, NET)
The deeper spiritual life is not something just to be talked about—it is a quiet enjoyment of daily blessing and peace and victory that is lived day by day; beyond empty profession and without any two-faced circumstances!
I have a number of friends that are treading on roads they think will lead them to a deeper spiritual life. They have bought the books by Dallas Willard, or by Fr. Timothy Gallagher. They are reading old classics and new books they share their passion and desire, yet, after a few years, they try to go deeper, they want to do more, they want to find something that will give meaning to their faith.
And they want to share the answers they are in pursuit of, they want others to join them on their journey.
I applaud the desire, it is one that we can trace back through names, both Catholic and Protestant, to the early church, including this Roman Centurion, who wasn’t content with the little he knew of God, and sent for the apostle Peter at God’s direction.
The oddity is that it was at God’s direction. The text actually says that the man’s prayer had been heard…and this was the response.
In other words, Cornelius already had a deep walk with God – for God had come to him. Sure there was another step – send for Peter, and another, listen to Peter, and another get baptized.
It is no wonder then that upon Peter’s arrival, Cornelius prophetically announces, “now we are all in the presence of God,” as everyone settled into hear Peter say what he had been prepared to say, but didn’t know he would.
They were ready to simply enjoy the blessing and peace and they would find out Victory that they had in Jesus, that would be confirmed by the Spirit who fell upon them there, who would be guaranteed to be there a few minutes later in Baptism.
You don’t get a deeper spiritual life than that, you simply become aware of it, in much the same manner, we listen to God… we rejoice in the peace and blessings He gave, to contemplate the mystery of our Salvation…
We don’t do anything to grow more mature as a Christian, save in depending more on the promises of Christ, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. The growth is caused, empowered and directed by the Holy Spirit….. who then guides us as we go and serve others!
Tozer, A. W., & Smith, G. B. (2008). Mornings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings. Moody Publishers.
For the Joy Set Before Us… For the Feast Set Before us! A Lenten Sermon on Luke 15:11-24
Concordia Lutheran Church
March 30, 2025
For the Joy Set Before Us…
For the Feast Set Before us!
Luke 15:11-24
† Jesus, Son & Savior †
May the grace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ prepare you for the party thrown in Jesus’ honor, and in yours!
- Who/What is the main thrust of the passage?
We call it the parable of the prodigal son, focusing in on the rebellion of this wayward youth. Because, well, we’ve all been there.
Or we could call it the parable of the Prodigal’s Dad, and focus on the old man, representing God, and focusing on the desire for the son to come home, to be restored, to know the love of Father.
Or we could call it the parable of the real prodigal, and focus in on the elder brother, who though acted in the right way, didn’t, couldn’t experience the love Father—he was blinded by his own desire and jealousy of the younger son’s “freedom.
Or as I will today, focus on a different aspect, and call it the “parable of the prodigal’s party!
For we dwell in the middle of Lent, and need something incredibly joyful to look forward to, and this party, the party the Father and our brother Jesus throws, is to be the most joyful day every known, by man, yet also the day God has crafted since before the garden…
So the parable of the prodigals’ feast, the feast set before us. That draws us to the cross of Jesus.
- Uniting to the wrong host/feast!
We, and I am speaking of all humanity, are horrible at waiting for that which we want. It’s called delayed gratificaiton by psychologists and philosophers, and requires both great wisdom and experience, as well as faith in the one providing what is desired.
The young prodigal didn’t have it – he wanted an enjoyable feast now, as did his brother. No thought to the cost, what was wanted was wanted, and wanted now!
So he goes in search of his party, and finds a feast…no one wants.
15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
That phrase “Persuaded a local farmer to hire him,” is far more than just applying for a job. In Greek it means to “join in a relationship”- he became part of their household, a very minor part, given the worst job—providing the feast for the pigs!
Wrong family, wrong feast, and at a tremendous cost.. .
You see, all sin is basically a search after something that can be experienced now – and we turn to idols to provide the party we think we want, to be honest, that we think we deserve.
The problem is that such sin brings with it a different definition of what we deserve. And what we deserve, at that point, isn’t all that exciting, and it is not joyful.
- Repentance!
How different a party is seen when he rejoins his family!
22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began. Luke 15:22-24 (NLT2)
He is dressed for it, equipped once again a trusted member of the family!
The robe, called a stole in Greek, is the symbol of office of one with authority, one whose wisdom and holiness is to be trusted and relied upon! The signet ring is the corporate executive credit card, and authority to negotiate and enter contracts, and the sandals symbolize the authority to judge and impose discipline.
And this transformation, removing the word prodigal from his identity is the cause of the party. This is what repentance truly is, the change of our hearts and minds upon encountering a love so unexpected, so overwhelming, so life changing that our identity changes.
To be so loved, that what the Father prepared years to sacrifice, would be sacrificed in view of our return!
- Action Versus Experience
Ultimately, the difference between the repentant prodigal and the prodigal’s brother was that one did all the right actions, but didn’t know His father’s heart, and the other experienced the love that heart had for him, living in the reality of God restoring him fully to life.
One got to share in the feast, in the glorious sacrifice that proclaimed the glory of the Father, for it was a love feast, a celebration of reconciliation and of peace.
Action is no substitute for experience. The former demands, and often overlooks its reward. Experience is knowing we do not deserve to be loved, yet we are. That we don’t deserve God’s mercy and pity, yet we receive it. That we are loved…
And we need to celebrate that – with the feast the Father provides in this life, and eternally…
And the overwhelming, unexplainable peace that comes, as we commune with God.
Amen!
The Cost of Discipleship is far less than you think (or has been told to you)
Thoughts carrying me to Jesus, and to the Cross…
“And when the people saw it, they all complained, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”But Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I now give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone of anything, I am paying back four times as much!” Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this household, because he too is a son of Abraham!For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”” (Luke 19:7–10, NET)
But hope in the resurrection allows us to take the proper measure of our brief time in this world, and this does not make us neglect our neighbor, it stirs up greater generosity. We have seen this in the lives of many mystics. The saint with a soul soaring upward into heaven does not forget the world; to the contrary, he or she is in the most radically free position to transform it. Chesterton said his first attractions to Christianity came when he realized that Christians were the only ones to preach the paradox that one must be “enough of a pagan to die for the world, and enough of a Christian to die to it.” Hope allows us to love the world radically, without practical calculation or cost analysis.
Back int eh 1980’s, there was a great focus on the the idea of the “Cost of Discipleship.”
Some of it came because of the great work by Bonhoeffer bearing that name, which many people would read and not finish! Or if they did, would struggle and give up applying it. Others would talk about it based on Jesus’ parables and stories–illustrations like the general going to war, or the warnings about following Jesus costing family, friends, and even require accepting martyrdom and persecution.
In some ways, the Kingdom of God was put forth as requiring such a sacrifice that you would be considered a “hero” of the faith, a saint because of inner fortitude and a willingness to pay any cost to be with Jesus, and it turns the Church into a rest haven for weary crusaders fighting against that “ole Satanic foe.”
Count the cost – the pastors and evangelists told us… and held up images of those who left everything to go on the mission field, or serve in the inner city, or give up the tech career to work in the church. They counted the cost, and accepted the cost, and paid for it with their blood, sweat, and relationships.
And often burnt out – for the cost analysis they did was inaccurate, and minimized the cost to one’s heart and soul. (that is another blogpost entirely!)
Simply put, if our focus is on the cost analysis, we won’t make it.
But those who encounter Christ, as Zacchaeus did, don’t calculate the cost of walking with God, he didn’t perform a cost analysis or look at his bank account when he determined where God was leading him. He did check his credit card balance before throwing a massive parry at his house, so people could meet Jesus, he did it. And as he restored and multiplied his victims wealth, there was no one at his should, laying out a payment plan.
There was no need for a cost analysis, because he could see the value God put on restoring him… and nothing could compare. Those who serve God for 40-5070 years will tell you the same thing – nothing can compare to what they have, indeed they rejoice in their hardships!
This is why Fagerberg’s saints are so generous, why we are free to love radically–even to the point of bloodshed and death. dying for the world that we had to die to.
Which brings up a last point… if we were dead in sin prior to being brought alive in Christ, what price could we have paid, and what cost is there now?
This isn’t cheap grace _He paid for it…and as we receive it – we realize that only our relationship with Him, and walking with Him as we love others with Him matters.
Fagerberg, D. W. (2019). Liturgical Mysticism (p. 96). Emmaus Academic.
