SERMON: THE STORY OF THE PRODIGAL

THE STORY OF THE PRODIGAL:
FIRST-PERSON NARRATIVE OF THE PRODIGAL SON
NAYLOR UMC HOMECOMING
27 September 2009

I. Introduction (Luke 15:11-32)

11. Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons.
12. The younger one said to his father, `Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
13. "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.
14. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.
15. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.
16. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17. "When he came to his senses, he said, `How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!
18. I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
19. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.'
20. So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21. "The son said to him, `Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. '
22. "But the father said to his servants, `Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
23. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate.
24. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.
25. "Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.
26. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.
27. `Your brother has come,' he replied, `and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
28. "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.
29. But he answered his father, `Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.
30. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
31. "`My son,' the father said, `you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.
32. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'"

II. Narrative of the Prodigal Son

-- Stupid -- stupid -- how could I have been so stupid -- there I was, living in the lap of luxury -- and look what I traded it for -- I guess I just didn't know how good I had it
-- back then they called me prodigal -- excessive -- wasteful -- I didn't think I was any of that -- so what if I liked the finer things of life -- so what if I enjoyed wearing fine robes and drinking fine wine? -- so what if I enjoyed spending time in town with my friends -- feasting and having fun? -- is that prodigal? -- is that excessive? -- how is that different from any other young man of means? -- how is that different from you?
-- it's not like we couldn't afford it -- it's not like we were poor -- Father had worked very hard in life -- he had accumulated great wealth -- our villa was the largest in our town -- our family the most respected -- we had great flocks of sheep and goats -- we had a large vineyard -- groves filled with olive trees -- Father was a leader in the synagogue -- when he stood on the Sabbath and read from the Holy Scriptures, everyone would listen to his word
-- he also had a place at the gate of the city -- which, as you know, meant that he was a judge for our people -- we were a family of means -- we had money -- we had position -- we had prestige -- so why not enjoy it? -- how does enjoying what God has blessed us with make me a prodigal?
-- my brother didn't call me prodigal -- he had another name for it -- he called me spoiled -- well, maybe I was to some extent -- so what if Father did treat me a little better? -- so what if he was a little more lenient with me than Brother? -- it's understandable, isn't it? -- after all, our mother died giving birth to me -- I'm the baby -- I'm the memory of Father's first love -- when he looks at me, he remembers our mother -- and so maybe that did make him spoil me a little -- but what's wrong with that? -- like I said, it's not like God hadn't blessed us -- so why not enjoy it?

-- but, no -- neither of them would -- every day both Father and Brother would get up at dawn and head to the fields and work like common slaves -- I just couldn't understand that -- it just wasn't right -- it just wasn't seemly for men of our position to work in the fields with the servants -- isn't that what we had servants and slaves for in the first place? -- why should we lower ourselves to their level?
-- our role was to be the leaders -- the rulers -- the reapers of the wealth -- surely God didn't bless us this way just to bind us in hard labor -- surely God didn't intend for us to get our hands dirty -- after all, didn't our great King Solomon write in his book, Ecclesiastes, that such labor was meaningless?
-- in Ecclesiastes 2:22-26, he wrote, "What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? -- All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless. -- A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. -- This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without Him, who can eat or find enjoyment? -- To the man who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. -- This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind."
-- see what I mean? -- Solomon says that it is the sinner who has the task of toiling and striving under the sun -- but God blesses those who please Him -- obviously, God was pleased by our family -- He had blessed us so much -- so why continue to toil in the field? -- why continue to work? -- why not take our rightful place and enjoy the good things of life that God given? -- why not eat and drink and be merry and enjoy life?

-- my arguments didn't matter -- they fell on deaf ears -- Father would make me go to the fields, too -- but my heart wasn't there -- I was no good at manual labor -- I was no good tending sheep or goats or picking grapes -- I knew I was wasting my time -- I knew that God had called me to better things -- that's fine if Father and Brother wanted to do it -- but my heart was elsewhere for I had heard the siren call of the town
-- that was the one thing I enjoyed more than anything else in the whole world -- I enjoyed walking into town wearing my best robe -- with the sound of gold coins jingling in my pocket -- young men calling out to me as I passed -- older men nodding in respect as I went by, knowing that I would one day take my father's place at the gate and at the synagogue as the leader I knew I was -- that was what I was made for -- that was what I lived for
-- but, still, that wasn't enough -- after a while, I had tasted all the pleasures our little town had to offer -- it was the type of place that you would say rolls up the sidewalks at night -- of course, we didn't have sidewalks -- but you get my meaning -- the vendors would fold up the tents at night and the town would just go to sleep -- but I dreamed of more -- I dreamed of going to a place where the fun and excitement didn't end at sundown
-- I had been to Jerusalem with Father and Brother to celebrate the Passover -- now that was a place of excitement -- when we were there to celebrate the great feast, Jerusalem was filled with pilgrims -- with people from every land under the sun -- the celebrations lasted all night long -- you've never seen such a sight -- that was the type of place where I belonged -- not here in some backwoods villa -- and certainly not here working in the fields like a slave -- no, I needed more -- I needed better
-- I kind of felt like your prophet Howard Hughes, who was the richest man on earth for a time -- he had everything -- he had tasted all that life had to offer -- but when they asked him how much more money he needed to be happy, he said, "Just a little more -- just a little more"
-- that's all I wanted -- just a little more -- just the opportunity to live in a place of excitement and opportunity -- I place where I could go and make a name for myself -- but I had two problems -- first, I still lived in Father's household -- I was still under his rule -- I was still bound to follow his ways -- and he would never allow me to leave
-- and, secondly, I didn't have enough money -- the allowance that Father gave me was enough for here -- but it wouldn't be enough for Jerusalem -- I needed freedom and I needed money -- if I just could make my own decisions without anyone else telling me what to do -- if I could just be financially independent -- then things would be so much better -- then I would be free
-- but how could I make that happen? -- I spent days and weeks and months thinking about my dilemma -- I moped around the villa -- I just couldn't be happy -- the old sights and the old sounds and the old thrills around town just weren't enough -- I needed more, but I didn't know how to get it
-- and, then, a thought crossed my mind -- a bold plan -- an ambitious plan -- all of a sudden, I realized that I didn't need more money -- I already had it -- it was my share of Father's villa -- my inheritance -- this was a vast amount of money -- this was more than enough money to go and live in Jerusalem
-- in fact, if I had my inheritance today, I could go anywhere -- I could even go to Antioch -- or Ephesus -- or Athens -- or, for that matter, I could even go to Rome -- yes, that's where I should go -- it was said that all roads lead to Rome -- the heart of the civilized world -- the center of culture and government
-- in Rome, I could become someone -- in Rome I could fulfill my calling -- a young man of means and ambition could rise to power and influence and prestige -- God had gifted me with so much talent and intellect that surely this is what He wanted -- He didn't want me to be stuck here on this villa in the middle of Judea -- He wanted me to go to Rome and to be a leader among leaders -- why, with the money from my inheritance, I could rise in power -- I could buy my Roman citizenship -- I could even serve in the Senate or in the courts of Caesar himself
-- the only problem was, I couldn't get my inheritance until Father died -- according to our law, it was only at that time that Father's estate could be divided among Brother and me -- unless.... unless I did the unthinkable -- unless I asked for it now
-- but, of course, that would mean rejecting both Father and the law of Moses -- it would be the same thing as telling Father that I wished he was dead -- it would be telling him that I would be better off if he wasn't around
-- if I did this -- if I asked for my inheritance now -- I was cutting all ties with my family -- I was rejecting all of the relationships I had -- I would no longer be worthy of being called a son -- I would be separated once and for all time from Father and could never come home again
-- but, wasn't it worth it? -- wasn't my happiness here and now of more importance? -- why discipline myself and follow Father's rules and obey his wishes and serve him by working in the field all in the hopes of a future reward? -- why not live for life now and not worry about the future?
-- who knew how long it would be before Father died and I would receive my inheritance? -- and, if he did, Brother would get two-thirds of the estate anyway -- why not just get what could now and get out? -- I knew it would hurt Father -- but surely he would understand over time
-- and, so that's what I did -- and so that's how I ended up here -- living in a pig pen in a foreign land

-- oh, it didn't start like that -- it broke Father's heart, but he divided the estate among Brother and me -- and I took my share and I headed out to Rome -- I saw the sights of Jerusalem -- I visited the brothers in Antioch -- I bought fine robes and fine wine and passed by the temple of Artemis in Ephesus -- I listened to the Greek philosophers of the Areopagus teach at the place where Paul would later argue with them about God -- and then I made my way to Rome
-- oh, it was just like I imagined -- the city was thronging with people from every land under the sun -- Roman soldiers in their burnished armor and their chariots passed by -- Senators with their robes of purple brushed by on their way to Caesar's court -- I saw with my own eyes the Coliseum and the Pantheon -- I enjoyed a bath -- a hot bath with running water -- with other young men eager for fame and fortune just like myself -- Rome had gymnasiums and libraries and shops
-- oh, the shops -- they never closed and they had everything imaginable -- gold from Cush -- you know it better as Ethiopia -- spices and fragrances from the east -- food from every land in the known world -- it was just like I imagined
-- and there I was, striding into town with the finest robes and with the sound of my inheritance jingling in the pouch at my waist -- it was so easy to find friends there -- it seems like I had no sooner walked through the gates of the city than men and women flocked to my side -- eager to make my acquaintance -- we had such a good time together -- we laughed -- we played -- we drank -- we attended parties at the best estates -- everyone wanted to be my friend -- until the day I reached in my pouch and felt only a few copper coins at the bottom
-- how was that possible? -- where did it all go? -- I had nothing to show for it -- just a rented room around the corner -- just a few belongings -- I turned to my friends for help -- as much as I had lavished on them, surely they would be willing to lend a hand to me in my need -- but my friends were gone -- they had moved on to the next dreamy-eyed man from a foreign land who had walked through the gates of Rome looking for fame and fortune
-- I sold my robes -- I sold the few possessions I had managed to scrape together -- I eventually had to move out of my room -- I couldn't afford it any more -- I started living on the streets -- begging for hand-outs from those I had counted as friends not that long ago -- and, then the famine hit -- and I got hungry -- the hand-outs dried up as everyone was affected -- no one had anything to share -- they took what they had and just took care of their own family -- but, I no longer had a family -- I had taken care of that
-- finally, I had no choice -- I sold my services to a local farmer who sent me to his fields outside of town -- and, so here I am -- in the worse place a young Jewish man could ever be -- standing in a pig pen -- serving that which God called unclean and told us to avoid at all costs -- it's even reached the point where I would be happy just feeding in the pig's trough -- but no one even cares enough about me here to give me a pod from their swill
-- it's funny how life looks so different from this side of things -- before, I chafed under the rule of my Father -- before, I didn't think I had enough -- before, I longed for freedom -- for the right to make my own decision and to live my own life just as I pleased
-- I didn't realize just how good I had it -- I didn't realize that all of those rules and all of that service and all of that discipline was for my own good -- to protect me from my own stupid choices
-- I've really made a mess of things -- I've completely separated myself from my father -- I put up barrier after barrier between us -- I let my pride and my anger and my hurtful words come between my father and me -- I made an idol out of money and power and position -- I worshiped at the altar of "having a good time" -- I coveted and I lied and I stole just to get by -- but, worse than anything else, I dishonored my father and my God by totally rejecting him and walking away
-- now what can I do? -- it was stupid to leave -- but it's just as stupid to stay here -- as your prophet Forrest Gump would say, "Stupid is as stupid does" -- just because I ended up here in a pig pen because of my sin doesn't mean I have to stay here -- even if I was to just go back and live on Father's villa as a servant -- as a common slave even -- I would be so much better off than here -- for even a servant in the house of my Father has more than I have now
-- there's no way that I could ever go back to where I was before -- there's no way that I could ever earn Father's love again -- but maybe if I just turned around -- if I repented -- if I returned to him, he would let me live off the crumbs that fall from his table -- that would be something -- that would be better -- that would actually be more than I could hope for at this point
-- pride and sin brought me here -- I can't let pride keep me from going home

-- and, so, I made up my mind -- I would return home and throw myself at my father's mercy -- I would ask that he would not give me what I deserved but would instead give me what I didn't deserve -- even though I had rejected him -- even though I had turned away -- I would just beg him to pour out his mercy and grace in my life so I could just live as a hired hand on his estate
-- it's been months now since I headed home -- it took a lot longer to get home than it took to leave -- where before I had ridden in chariots and on ships -- now I had to walk -- and with every step, I repented in my heart -- with every step I practiced what I would say when I saw his face -- if he would let me see his face after I had rejected him the way I did
-- "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. -- I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' -- Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. " -- every step -- every cadence brought the words to my lips -- "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you"
-- and, so here I am -- back where I started -- that's the villa over there -- I'm on my father's land now -- the servants in the field saw me coming and ran to tell him -- what will he do? -- what will he say? -- will he reject me just as I rejected him? -- will he throw me out and refuse to see me?
-- another step -- another recitation -- "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you."
-- what is that ahead? -- who is coming? -- is Father sending the servant back out to me? -- whoever it is, he's running hard -- he's coming down the lane -- it's --- it's Father! -- but that can't be -- men of his stature don't run -- men of his position don't do that -- but, it's him -- it's really him
-- can it be? -- can he really be humbling himself and leaving his position of power to come here? -- to come to me?
-- here he is -- now, just like I practiced -- "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. -- I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.'"
-- what is he doing? -- why is he picking me up? -- what's going on?
-- you've been waiting for me? -- you've been looking for me? -- you're giving me your robe -- your best robe -- the robe you wear when you stand at the gate -- when you serve in the synagogue -- Father, no! -- I'm not worthy
-- your ring? -- you're giving me your ring? -- you're letting me back in the family again? -- no, this is more than I deserve -- just make me a common slave and that will be enough
-- sandals? -- you're putting sandals on my feet? -- slaves don't wear shoes -- you're saying that I am not a slave -- you're saying that I'm your son?
-- you mean all I had to do was to come home? -- all I had to do was return to you? -- I have nothing to offer -- I have nothing to give -- I'm not worthy of any of this -- but still you welcome me back with loving arms?

-- well, it's been one week and all is good -- I have been restored to my position -- everything that was lost has now been found -- everything that was dead -- my life -- my soul -- my heart -- my relationship with Father -- everything has been made new again
-- prodigal -- they called me prodigal -- they called me excessive -- but, it turns out that I wasn't the truly excessive one in the family -- Father was -- his excessive love has poured out on me -- his excessive mercy and grace has showered on me and I have been made new -- I have been restored -- I am his son again

-- but, what about you? -- where are you at with your Father who is heaven? -- as Christians, we all sin -- we all put barriers and obstacles between us and our Father -- as the Apostle John says in 1 John 1:8, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."
-- how many of us have wandered away from our Father? -- how many of us has sinned allowed barriers to come between us and our God? -- maybe you're not in a pig pen like I was, but maybe you are in a distant land -- far away from home -- far away from God -- far away from Abba Father
-- but, if anything, my story should tell you this -- Father God is prodigal with His love and grace and mercy -- and as John wrote in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." -- if we just turn around and head home, God will run to meet us and put the robe of righteousness around our shoulders -- He'll put the ring of family on our hands -- He'll put the sandals of justice on our feet
-- but, we have to take that first step -- we have to repent -- we have to turn from our ways -- and turn home -- and, if we do that, He promises to meet us there

-- what distant land are you in this morning? -- what pig trough of pride and idolatry and sin are you feeding at today?
-- Father is waiting here for you -- if you will only come, He will make all things new -- if you will only come, He will welcome you with open arms

-- let us pray