God in the End

Luke 15:11-32

 Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons.

The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them.

A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living.

When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need.

So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs.

He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything.

But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger!

I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you;

I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”’

So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.

Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate;

for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.

“Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.

He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on.

He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’

Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him.

But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends.

But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’

Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.

But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’”

Romans 8:31-39

What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?

Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.

Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

As it is written,

            “For your sake we are being killed all day long;

                        we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,

nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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It’s hard for me to believe that it’s been a whole year since we started the journey called We Make the Road by Walking, using the book of the same name by Brian McLaren. But here we are, at chapter 52 of the weekly studies. This last chapter is entitled, appropriately, God in the End. And as we have walked this journey, week by week, to this point, this book which is subtitled A Year-Long Quest for Spiritual Formation, Reorientation and Activation has shown us how from the beginning to the end, Alpha to Omega, God is with us, and that the journey we are walking is, ultimately, God’s journey.

So this last chapter pairs the story of the Lost Sons with the beautiful and important reminder from Paul that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. What a great way to wrap up this particular journey.

The parable of the Prodigal Son is paired up in the gospel according to Luke with two other parables that come just before it – the Parables of the lost coin and the lost sheep. Jesus tells these three together, according to Luke, in response to some grumbling Pharisees and scribes, who were saying among themselves,

“This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

So Jesus tells three stories of the lost being found – the first two involving an in-depth search, and the third involving a Father who is both generous beyond our understanding, and patient and forgiving also beyond our understanding.

This third parable, which you may have noticed I have initially called The Lost Sons instead of The One and Only Prodigal Son, has received extensive study, interpretation and commentary over the years. There is so much in this story that reveals to us much about who we are as well as who God is. And as I have been considering this week in particular the path that we walk with God, this journey of life, the story has made me reflect as well on the various journeys reflected in this story.

The youngest son, the one commonly known as the Prodigal, decides to ask for the portion of the inheritance that will someday be his, and a few days after he receives it, he heads out on his own. We don’t really know what his original intent was. Maybe he had a business plan of some sort. Maybe his intentions were honorable. But sometime after he left, he found himself on a path where, before long, all his resources were gone. The translation we read today says he squandered it all in dissolute living. The Greek words also can be translated as scattering it all recklessly. So who knows what he did? It could be anything from drinking, to gambling, to a series of lousy investments, to getting in over his head in debt. All these could be considered a reckless approach to life, whether then or now.

So when a famine comes, he is caught with no reserves.

He finds work, but still doesn't have sufficient food to survive. And when he realizes that his dad is still out there, the plan he devises does not involve his dad forgiving him, giving him a second chance, but rather that he will return in shame and ask to be hired help from here on out, just so that he has a way to survive.

So imagine his surprise when his father comes running, wraps him in a loving hug, and immediately plans a celebration feast to welcome him home and express his joy!

Now his older brother chose a different path for his life - the path of obedience. He stayed with his father, learned the family business, and as far as we know from the story, kept on the straight and narrow, as they say.

And so when his brother returns and is welcomed home with open arms, the older brother’s feelings are not so hard to understand, are they? Here he is, sticking around with his father, towing the line, probably doing both his share of the work and his brother’s, and it never even occurred to him that he might actually deserve a party. But now, his brother is home, and the celebration has begun, and the fatted calf that he probably even raised to be fatted and ready is being cooked up for the one who screwed up bigtime!

So this story tells us what happens when we choose the path of obedience, doing what’s expected of us, or when we choose the path of going it alone, striking out in a new direction, deciding for ourselves what is best.

Whichever path we take, God loves us, and provides for us, and not only welcomes us home, but celebrates our arrival with a great feast.

The older son could have had a party – all he probably had to do was ask.

The younger son could have counted on mercy from his father – all he had to do was come home – not even ask!

Paul tells us that he is convinced that nothing – NOTHING – can separate us from the love of God. Not scattering our resources in reckless living. Not resentment and anger hidden behind dutiful obedience. Not powers, not angels, not life of death. Nothing.

Psalm 139 tells us there is nowhere we can go that God is not there.

Whatever path we choose in life, God will walk with us, and will do what it takes to turn the messes we make into something good.

But – in all this discussing and considering and choosing our life’s paths, there is something that we risk missing. A path that we may overlook.

This is the journey that God is on. Because God is on a path, too. And Jesus calls us all to come, to follow him. We should not so much be asking God to be on our path, as we should be asking God to help us get on God’s path. Because it’s God’s journey that we are called to be part of. And if we miss out on joining in as God makes the road by walking, we miss out on so many opportunities to not only catch glimpses of God’s kingdom, but also to provide glimpses to others.

And here is a part of the mystery that is God – we are not alone, no matter what path we are on. But that does not mean that we are always on the path that God is calling us to. God is always with us – we can never be separated from God – but in Jesus Christ God calls us to a path that requires us to turn from our own paths – to repent – to turn and go in a different direction. Onto God’s path.

Where is God’s path? God is out in the community. Where do we need to be to join in God’s journey? We have good, strong hints in the Beatitudes.

·      God is with the poor.

·      God is with those who mourn. 

·      God is with those whom society humbles.

·      God is with those who are famished and parched for justice.

·      God is with those who imitate God by showing mercy through emotion, action, and dedication.

·      God is with those who, with genuine hearts, wrestle with God, and are changed, and live in a way that strengthens the whole people of God. 

·      God is with the peacemakers, with those who work for shalom for the whole people of God. 

·      God is with those who have been persecuted for the sake of justice.

These are the paths to which God calls us to join in, where Christ says, “Come and see!” “Follow me!”

For as tempting as it is to set out on a path of our own choosing, a path to make of ourselves as much as we can, or a path to abide by all the rules of what it takes to succeed, if we first draw close to God, if we seek first the kingdom of God, and God’s righteousness, then God will lead us on a path that will most certainly not align with our personal preferences, will not follow society’s rules, and will lead not to success but to faithfulness. But it will be a path of joy, a journey that will bring us alongside sisters and brothers in faith, a path that we can look back upon and see how God’s kingdom is at hand, even here and now, a path that leads to a table upon which Christ has prepared a great feast, nourishing us and strengthening us for God’s work in the world. If we find ourselves, on whatever path we take, drawing near and turning when necessary onto the paths God has laid out for us – because to repent means to turn and go in a different direction - , when we turn our direction onto the paths that lead us to the poor, the humble, those who mourn, the peacemakers, those who seek justice, in order to greatly honor them, to walk along with them, then we are truly using our God-given gifts on God’s journey, not just our own.

I pray that each of us, individually and as the community of New Life Presbyterian Church, will seek first God’s path, God’s journey, and do whatever it takes to turn our lives onto that path, trusting that whatever is the calling to which we are being called, that God will walk with us, and will never leave us, and that God will perfect our imperfect attempts to do God’s will in the world, so that the best thing that can be said about us is this: “these people welcome sinners and eat with them.”

Amen.