A Tale of Three Prodigals

Thank you, Jen.

As we prepare to approach God's word, let us come before him in prayer.

Oh, Heavenly Father.

Prepare our hearts to receive your word, both written and spoken.

to what comes to us physically and what comes to us spiritually may we Be renewed. By your power and your call Upon Our Lives. We pray that the words of my mouth, and the meditation of our hearts may be acceptable in thy sight. Oh Lord. Our Rock and Our Redeemer. Amen.

Our scripture lesson. Is from the 15th chapter of the Gospel of Luke we'll be reading, verses one through three and then we'll be skipping up 2 verses 11 through 32.

this was the part that we are skipping is actually two additional Parables that Form a trio that are closely linked together. Both in this one chapter and in theme. It's the parable of these are The Parables of the losses. The lost sheep, the Lost coin, and the lost son.

Just to refresh our memories of the Lost sheep has the shepard leaving 100 sheep behind and searching diligently for the one lost, the parable of the coins, has a women searching for her lost coin.

Once The Lost is found. And yet, here we are about to read.

Does the father? Like the shepherd. And like the woman sweeping the house, God, the parallel to. Does he go out and search for the lost son?

Let's see.

Luke 15. Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Him, that is Jesus. Pharisees and the teachers of the law and muttered this man welcomes, Sinners and eats with them. then Jesus told them this parable, There was a man had two sons. The younger one said to his father, "Father give me my share of the estate", so he divided his property between them.

Not long. After that, the younger son gathered all, he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living

After he had spent everything,

There was a severe famine in the whole country. And he began to be in need.

So, he went and hired himself out to a citizen in that country.

Who sent him out to his fields, to feed the pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

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. I will set out and go back to my 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 so he got up and went to his father but while he's 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 and kissed him. The son said to him father I have sinned against heaven and against you I am no longer worthy to be called your son.

But the father said to the servants, quick grab the best robe and put it on him, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet bring the fattened calf and kill it, let's have a feast and celebrate for this son of mine was dead. And is alive again. He was lost and is found

So, they began to celebrate.

Meanwhile. The older son was in the field.

When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and ask him. What was going on? Your brother has come in your father, because he has He has him back safe and sound. The older brother became angry and refused to go in.

Remember the question?

The shepherd went out looking. For the lost sheep.

The woman swept the house looking for the Lost coin.

Does the father go out to look for the lost son?

Continuing... the older brother became angry and refused to go in. When he came near the house. I'm sorry, so his father went out and pleaded with him but he answered his father look all these years I have been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders yet you never gave me a young goat so I can celebrate with my friends but when when this son of yours? Who has squandered your properties, with prostitutes comes home you kill the fattened calf for him? My son, the father said you are always with me. And everything I have is yours.

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. The grass withers, the flower Fades, but the word of our God stands forever.

This parable, these Parables of the losses and then the founds.

Are parable of contrast, lost found younger, son older, son. Death. Life.

in this Parable, Jesus gives us the opportunity to

to seize life. And to renew life and to change the world, in which we live.

But we need to remember that in changing the world, we do not start with our brother. We do not start with others. We start with ourselves.

This parable is referred to as a parable of the Prodigal Son. My Title Here is a is A Tale of Three prodigals for indeed. We have a a prodigal son in this story. Goes off. And he, he spends his his wealth quickly and his then quickly in want. Do you do you know what the Powerball the what the definition of prodigal is got two choices for you.

Choice A. Rashly or wastefully, extravagant. Prodigal expenditures on unneeded Weaponry, a prodigal life-giving or given an abundance lavish, or profuse prodigal. Praise synonym would be profuse. Or option, B. difficult to control or predict because of unusual or perverse. Behavior, her, prodigal difficult sister synonyms would be, will full head strong, Wayward rebellious, as a prodigal child.

You hear the difference? Have y'all got your choice? I'm not going to ask you to raise hands. There's A. which basically means. wasteful or lavish to access at times, or

Wayward. Actually, that second definition (the B. choice) is the definition of wayward. The first choice is the definition of prodigal. It means lavish extravagantly. In the case of the younger brother wasteful, as he went out and spent all his inheritance, that's what prodigal means in English. We have taken it to. We seem to focus on that waywardness of the child and that is appropriate. It's just not the meaning of the word. Prodigal. Here, we have a wayward. And lavishly extensive in his spending younger brother.

And we often find ourselves relating. We know how sinful we are. We know how depraved we are. We know that we have not lived, the perfect life that Christ live. We know that we have not done what we ought to have done even when were able to do. Something, good and righteous. We sometimes turn our backs. We sometimes do just the opposite. Sometimes we do exactly what we know we should not. Do we are a sinful people. We are like a younger brother estranged from our father in a far land and

we cannot even imagine sometimes going back home because of how Badly, we have behaved.

But when we think about it, when we hear the story of Salvation that Jesus Christ died for us, so that we could have our sins forgiven.

Still with our heads bowed, we approach. God's throne of grace. And when we see our father, who's probably Past his prime come running towards us, we rejoice.

We are embraced in the arms of a loving God.

And so we can relate to that younger brother and we want to relate and we should relate to that younger brother because we have been saved from Arson by the blood of Christ. Spilled on the cross.

He was a prodigal child. Not Wayward, but lavish in his expenditures. But we come to our second, prodigal now the father he receives this wayward child and whereas we might say, okay come home you're you're going to have to do a little pennance here. We wants you to go out in the field and work and then you come in and and we'll have a dinner and we'll talk some more. What God does for us is what the father does for the Sun. Put on a robe robe of luxuriates. Put a Ring, the Signet ring on his finger. Kill the fatted calf because we are together again.

The father is rejoicing. God is rejoicing at his people.

He is indeed a prodigal father. Our's is indeed a Prodigal. God, who extends his grace to us,

Far beyond. What we could expect far beyond what in this world is considered reasonable. But God's faith. God's hope God's love, God's grace, God's word, God's New Life comes to us. Flowing Like the waters, cover the sea.

We must not be conservative in the in. What is the unlimited grace of God? Extravagance with that which is inexhaustible and and could is is no Vice. And so God and the younger brother and those who are close enough to the house to realize that the work day is over, come in. And they are celebrating and then we go and find the older brother.

Remember who Jesus is telling the story to the people of the church?

the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were muttering, this man receives Sinners and eats with them,

The older brother is prodigal in his resentment. Perhaps you're familiar with the the movie My Cousin Vinny, who's a new fledgling lawyer. And at one point, he's being a little resentful and I can I can just picture That Vinny looks just like that older brother, his arms crossed his foot tapping. And no way. Is he going to participate in the Redemption of his little brother while he was working all this time? And his brother was out having a good time. And learning his lesson. There's a little more lesson to be taught according to the older brother.

But we hear, That we are always welcome to receive the power of God as the older brother. The goat the fatted. Calf is always there for us, God's grace, and mercy, always shower down upon us. And instead of being resentful, we need to welcome in to our family. Into God's family.

Those who we might consider unworthy. cuz remember, we relate to the younger brother as well.

And so now, who is the Wayward, Son?

Who is not in the house, it's the older brother. That's who this story is about. That's the one we're supposed to keep our eye on.

And God goes out and implores us come in and join the celebration. Once I Rose above the noise and confusion just to get a glimpse Beyond this illusion, I was soaring ever higher. But I flew too high. Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man, though. My mind could think I still was a mad man. I hear the voices when I'm Dreaming. I can hear them say.

Anybody carry on our wayward son, they'll be peace. When you are done lay your weary head to rest, don't you cry. No more.

Somebody knows of Kansas. Very good.

We need to recognize our part in this, parable.

let's see if you know this song, this is a song that never ends.

Anybody know Shari Lewis? This is the song that never ends.

There you go. Some people started singing it not knowing what it was and they'll continue singing. It forever just because it is a song that doesn't end, it goes on and on my friend, some people started singing it. Not knowing what it was. There you got the idea,

With a dark and stormy night, they were all seated around the campfire, when someone suggested Daddy tell us a story so Daddy began, they were all seated around the campfire. When someone suggested that he tell us a story,

Like Shari Lewis and lycus Campfire story.

Where is the ending of this parable?

You are always missed with me. Everything I have is yours. But we have to celebrate now. That is who eat. That is what it means to be part of this family.

Be glad because

Remember how he said this son of yours? but the father says, because this brother of yours your brother, Was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found.

The ending of this parable. It's not written in the Bible. It's written in the fictitious life of an older brother. It is written in the real life. Of each one of us.

We get to decide how this parable ends.

One of the great disasters in this church an erant concept. That is an estimable Harm to the Christian church in America is that we focus too much on the the death of Christ, and not enough on the Life of Christ that younger brother. Was accepted back home. And as we relate to him, we are accepted in by Christ's death. But the power of the first-century church, the power that is available in the Church of the 21st Century. It's not.

Simply a power over death, but a power. To new life.

Jesus Christ was resurrected to a New Life. It is not simply. I am saved from my sins and now I'm set it's i'm saved from my sins. So I have a full life possible for me so that I can can celebrate With the little brothers that come home.

The younger brother. Was prodigal when he was off in the foreign land in the story. Does, the father was was prodigal in the in the thief that he had for his younger son?

And now I asked us to make this this Parable A Tale of Three prodigals. Let us pray.