Pursued

Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Pursued
Pursued
For the next several weeks we’re going to be considering prayer and our prayer lives. I chose this morning’s passage because so often people look at their lives and aren’t sure how to pray, aren’t sure God even wants them.
I love our passage because it’s a very familiar passage, a familiar story that Jesus told and it so rich in detail. You know it well as I do.
A young man thinking he knew all that was wise decides he wants his inheritance not in the future, but now. This would have been incredibly insulting to his father - it’s basically saying, “I wish you were dead.”
What is often missed is to give the son his inheritance would mean liquidating assets. This son is burning a lot of bridges.
He goes off and spends it all when a severe famine rises in that country and he begins to be in need.
So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.
We’re never told what country “that country” is. One thing for sure, he’s not working for a jewish man. Remember pigs were seen as unclean by jews. Jesus is telling this story to the Pharisees and the scribes - they would definitely be taken back by how horrible it would be. They would see that this young man had sunk to the low of lows in jewish culture. He would’ve been anathema to any self respecting jewish person. They saw the horror of his situation.
He’s insulted is father.
He’s gone off and squandered his life inheritance.
He’s gone from being part of a family business to a hired servant in another country to some gentile feeding pigs. Hired because no one wanted to do it.
He’s now sunk to the low of wanting to eat some of the pods that he’s feeding the pigs!
“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!
You know the story, the son determines to go back to his father, he’s determined that he will hire himself out to him as one of his father’s servants. He practices his speech as he’s making his way back.
Now picture this, stop and imagine this story actually taking place. This man has been in “that country”, a different country? We don’t know. He’s been feeding the pigs as the low man in the hierarchy of servants, he’s likely dirty, he smells from being with the pigs and from the journey.
And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
He arose and came to his father, ashamed, in total humiliation, having insulted him, dirty, smelly, ceremonially “unclean” having been with pigs.
BUT - aha! That wonderfully short conjunction that negates everything that came before. “But, while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed him.”
The son clearly not feeling worthy begins his speech. Luke 15:21
And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
And note what comes next:
But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.
BUT - there it is again, that wonderful little conjunction negating what came before. “But the father…” he does not seem to be even considering what the son is saying. He does not seem to consider where he’s been, the filth of the pigs, the sweat from the journey, the insult of his departure. None of it, though all of it could be held against him, seems to matter. Instead he gets the best robe put on him, a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet.
And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
Isn’t that just where you want to be when you smell of pig slop, pig muck, the sweat of a long journey, and the humiliation of returning home?
If we’re honest. Yes. It is where we want to be. We want to be celebrated. We want to be well fed. We want to be seen as important. We want to be accepted. We want to be loved without restraint.
This passage is ultimately a depiction of just how loved you are. If you consider the wayward child as yourself - God wants you to know you’re loved.
Throughout the passage we see the father pursuing. It’s the father who ran to him. It’s the father who called for the robe, ring and shoes. It’s the father who calls for the feast and the celebration.
This is the way God looks at all of us. God loves us anyway.
You’ve recklessly squandered every blessing? God loves you anyways.
You’ve sold yourself into slavery? God loves you anyways.
You’ve recognized your mistakes and want to confess? God loves you anyways.
You’re slowly making your way back? God sees you from a long way off and loves you anyways. God wraps his loving arms around you and welcomes you home, God robes you in his forgiveness and grace, God puts a ring on your finger - you’re family.
As we go on in the story, I encourage you to read through Luke 15 and the three parables of being lost and becoming found, we come to the older brother. He finds out what is going on and says, “But….but….but…” Everything the older brother feels is that the father’s love is not warranted towards the younger brother. And I want you to note that as the Father ran to his younger son, the father goes to his older son as well. The father is in pursuit of his children.
You Are Pursued
You Are Pursued
You are a child of God. God is seeking to bring you to Himself. Throughout the Scriptures you see God pursuing.
In the garden after Adam and Eve disobeyed - God comes walking to them.
Jesus comes walking along the shore and invites the first disciples, “Come, follow me.”
God pursues.
When it comes to prayer we often think there is some magical formula, a right way, all of that.
Perhaps the easiest way to pray is to us words you are already familiar. Decades ago I was challenged by Father Sam Gant to pray the Lord’s Prayer. He challenged our class that it was the only prayer that we needed. We balked at such a claim. We were young seminary students learning to teach the Bible, to lead in worship, to pray publicly.
He challenged us to pray the Lord’s Prayer 10 times in a row for a week and see what happens.
Pray the Lord’s Prayer 10 times in a row
Pray the Lord’s Prayer 10 times in a row
I can’t tell you what other people’s experience was. I can tell you mine was pretty profound. I began rattling it off by rote, the first couple times. Then by the third time I started to slow down. With each repetition I began to consider the words I was speaking to meditate on their meaning. I continued to slow down and really consider each word.
OUR - not just mine. It’s a word of community. Jesus in his prayer instruction invites us into a community. It’s possessive in nature. It’s not just “mine” it’s “our”.
FATHER - I am invited to refer to God the same way that Jesus did. I’m not just invited into community, I’m invited into a family. I am a child of God.
My journey went on considering each word of the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. It’s a powerful journey and changed my prayer life. I hope you might try it as well that it might change yours.
God is not expecting you to be perfect to come to him, God is instead pursuing you and ready for you to simply turn. He’s here. He’s present.
Pursued
Pursued
I have put some question sheets in the back you can take with you to reflect on this passage and prayer.
In closing I want to use this prayer from Richard Foster’s book on Prayer:
Dear Jesus, desperately I need to learn to pray. And yet when I am honest, I know that I often do not even want to pray:
I am distracted!
I am stubborn!
I am self-centered!
In your mercy, Jesus, bring my “want-er” more in line with my “need-er” so that I can come to want what I need.
In your name and for your sake, I pray. — Amen.
Challenge:
Pray the Lord’s prayer 10 times in a row daily this week.
How does the story of the prodigal son illustrate God's love and acceptance in our lives regardless of our past actions?
What does it mean to you personally to be 'pursued' by God? How does this change your perspective on prayer?
How can we practice extending the same love and acceptance to others that the father in the parable showed to his son?