Community Covenant Church - Sermons - Trading in Pigs and Self-Righteousness for Holy Love

March 18, 2007

Trading in Pigs and Self-Righteousness for Holy Love

Scripture Reading - Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

1Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

3Then Jesus told them this parable:......

....... "There was a man who had two sons. 12The 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. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He 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! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20So 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.^[a]'

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. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24For 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. 26So 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. 29But 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. 30But 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. 32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "

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How many times have your caught yourself relating to someone? Perhaps you did so while reading a good book (good books have characters we can relate with, don’t they); but perhaps it was a movie, a drama or soap opera on TV, or maybe your memory goes back to those days when families would sit around the radio and listen to the “Adventures of the Lone Ranger”, “Jack Armstrong, All-American Boy”, or the Shadow; and you found yourself relating with your favorite radio hero.

Today people become strangely enmeshed with American idol contestants, and identify themselves with characters on TV dramas like “Lost” and “Survivor”.

It is not at all uncommon to “connect with” living or literary personalities as we grow to better define or understand our own identities.

Today’s text from Luke 15 gives us some colorful characters with whom we might relate. For here we find a story about two children and a parent; about wealth and poverty, about rebelliousness and obedience, about sorrow and celebration. It would indeed be very unusually if there wasn’t someone within this story told by Jesus with whom you could relate.

To whom do your best relate?

1. The “Prodigal Son”

Perhaps you relate best with the one the Church has referred to for centuries as “the prodigal son”; you know, the one who took his inheritance, squandered it on fast living, but who eventually can home to discover His Father’s undying love and grace for Him.

- Is that your story? Did you, for even a short period of time, squander the time, talents and treasures God had given you for life, only to “come to your senses”, and humbly come back to your Heavenly Father’s home to be embrased by His love? If so... I’m so glad you’re here!

- But perhaps you relatemore specifically to that “I don’t need God” attitude of “the Prodigal”, and you’ve taken what is yours and are only now finding that your sins have eaten you up in the world, along with many of your possessions.

Perhaps you are just now beginning to yearn to be a part of a family where you are loved unconditionally, and where the blessing of God’s provisions and the protection of His Word is experienced. If so... I’m glad you’re here too, and I pray that you find us to be such a family.

- Perhaps you relate to “the prodigal sone because you too have that “I don’t need God” attitude, and are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to get away and prove that you can handle life on your own.

It is a great temptation faced by all people, usually in their teenager years. Can you relate? If so... good luck, but just remember that our God of love and grace anxiously awaits your return, keeping His eyes open no matter how far or how long you are gone.

Most people relate to this “youngest son” at somewhere in his journey, though some people never make it home to experience a “happy ending”, as did the one we read of in Luke 15.

2. The Other “Prodigal”

But perhaps, as I read this familiar parable of Jesus, you related more to the other “prodigal”. The other “prodigal”? Well yes.... the other son who is also guilty of wasteful living in a different sense. For as I read this story again, one I’ve read & heard hundreds of times; one I’ve preached on a dozen times, what caught my attention was the older son.

You see, this story was told by Jesus as one of three stories talking about things that were lost; the other two spoke of a lost sheep found by the shepherd and the lost coin found by woman. And as in both those stories, all three stories invite observers to share in the joy of the One who found what was lost; the sheep, a coin, a son.

But what is different in today’s story is that there is another son whose faithfulness to the Father gets in his way of celebrating his father’s joy.

So in the sense of being lost from his father’s ways, this older son is also “prodigal”.

There are two prodigal sons; the one who refused to live in his father’s house, and one who refused to live in his father’s joy. They both chose to do what they did, and in the process they both robbed themselves of the blessings available to them from the father.

Do you at all relate to this older son? Have you been a faithful child of God, having grown up in the Church your whole life, or been a part of church life for so long that it seems you’ve always been here?

If so, you’re in good company... your story reflects that of many noteworthy Christians.

There was St. Teresa, who lived in the 16th century. She never left the Father's home. She went into a convent at an early age and developed a life of self-discipline that would fill anyone with awe. She spent hours a day in prayer. But she too was “lost” until one day, when she was in her mid 40's, she was entering the chapel to pray as she did everyday. And as she entered she noticed a picture, a picture which had been on the walls for years. It was a picture of Jesus being scourged prior to the crucifixion. And suddenly the realization came to her the Christ had been scourged for her.

Those who have studied her life say that this was the great turning point. She had stayed at home in the Father's house. She had done the right thing. But that day she needed to know that the Christ who was whipped was whipped for Teresa. And there was joy celebrated in heaven that day--not over a soul returning from wild living but for a soul returning from the fields after a hard days work to feel the joy that only God can give us..

United Methodists certainly know about the older brother in today’s story, because their own John Wesley was the best of them. He was so earnest, so methodical about his devotional life that people called him a Methodist and the name stuck. But it was not until his 35th year, after years of ministry, when he was at Aldersgate, that Wesley experienced God in such a way that he was able to write:

"I suddenly felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt that Christ had died for my sins, even mine and had saved me from the law of sin and death."

Wesley had never gone to the far away country. But Wesley needed to know how much God loved him too. He needed to feel some excitement about his religion. He needed a homecoming party. Staff, www.eSermons.com modified

The truth is we all do.... we all need a homecoming party, a place where we too can enter into the father’s joy.

Can you relate to the older son? Can you relate at all to his hesitance to celebrate His father’s joy? After all... his younger brother had squandered his share of his inheritance.. in Jesus’ day that would have been 1/3 of his father’s possessions. Wouldn’t we too want to focus in on our brother’s sin rather than celebrate his salvation? Can you relate?

One final thing I noticed in this reading that never struck me before, is found at the beginning of the story where is says:

....... "There was a man who 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.

Who did the Father give his property too?

He gave it to them, didn’t he. He gave each son their share of the inheritance. The older got 2/3, the younger 1/3 of their father’s possessions.

Later in the story when the Father says to his older more obedient, more righteous son,

'My son,..... you are always with me,

and everything I have is yours.”

Is not the Father saying that the robe, the sandals, the ring, the house, the fatten calf.. even the musicians used to celebrate the younger sons’ return, were all things once owns by the Father but now belonging to the older son?

- No wonder he was angry.

- No wonder the older son didn’t want to participate in this party orchestrated by his Father with his own resources.

- Shouldn’t he have had a say in how these things were used? They certainly shouldn’t have been used to celebrate a person who had made nothing of their lives, who had contributed so little to the world in which he had been born and now shows up smelling like a pigsty. Right? Can you relate to this older son?

But here is the problem and the challenge for those of us who can relate with the older obedient brother. Our Lord Jesus’ teaching, here in Luke 15, is about celebrating the lost being found, and not about who has acted right and who has acted wrong.

As Robert Capon once said, as he connected this parable with our living in God’s Kingdom:

The name of the game from now on is resurrection,

not bookkeeping."

Citation: Robert Farrar Capon, ‘Between Noon and Three’. Christianity Today, Vol. 30, no. 7

Friends, do you see what I see? The Church, which has been given by God to His faithful children, is not to be a courthouse, but a place of resurrection and celebration.

While we encourage each other to grow in the Lord and allow our lives and our minds to be transformed increasingly into a likeness of Christ with the Spirit’s help, the church is to be a place where the overwhelming love and grace of the Father is felt by every lost soul who enters the doors. And, those already inside the doors of the Church are the ones whose possessions exist to put on the party. Our possessions are not reserved for those who are worthy, but are to be used to keep an eye out for the lost, and to celebrate when the lost are found.

A classic story is told by Tony Campolo in his book The Kingdom of God Is a Party

Evidently, one night Tony Campolo found himself in Hawaii, looking for a bit to eat. He went up a side street and found a little place that was still open and straddled a stool at the counter. He writes:

This was one of those sleazy places that deserves the name, "greasy spoon." I did not even touch the menu. I was afraid that if I opened the thing something gruesome would crawl out. But it was the only place I could find.

The ... guy behind the counter came over and asked me, "What d'ya want?"

I said I wanted a cup of coffee and a donut.

.......

As I sat there munching on my donut and sipping my coffee at 3:30 in the morning, the door of the diner suddenly swung open and, to my discomfort, in marched eight or nine provocative and boisterous prostitutes.

It was a small place, and they sat on either side of me. Their talk was loud and crude. I felt completely out of place and was just about to make my getaway when I overheard the woman beside me say, "Tomorrow's my birthday. I'm going to be 39."

Her "friend" responded in a nasty tone, "So what do you want from me? A birthday party? What do you want? Ya want me to get you a cake and sing 'Happy Birthday'?"

"Come on," said the woman sitting next to me. "Why do you have to be so mean? I was just telling you, that's all. Why do you have to put me down? I was just telling you it was my birthday. I don't want anything from you. I mean, why should you give me a birthday party? I've never had a birthday party in my whole life. Why should I have one now?" (Pelletier?)

Campolo goes on writing:

When I heard that, I made a decision. I sat and waited until the women had left. Then I called over the ... guy behind the counter, and I asked him, "Do they come in here every night?"

"Yeah!" he answered.

"The one right next to me, does she come here every night?"

"Yeah!" he said. "That's Agnes. Yeah, she comes in here every night. Why d'ya wanta know?"

"Because I heard her say that tomorrow is her birthday," I told him. "What do you say you and I do something about that? What do you think about us throwing a birthday party for her—right here—tomorrow night?"

A cute smile slowly crossed his chubby cheeks, and he answered with measured delight, "That's great! I like it! That's a great idea!" .....

"Look," Campolo said, "if it's okay with you, I'll get back here tomorrow morning about 2:30 and decorate the place.

The woman cooking behind the counter chimed in, and volunteered to make the cake.

Campolo finished the story by writing:

At 2:30 the next morning, I was back at the diner. I had picked up some crepe-paper decorations at the store and had made a sign out of big pieces of cardboard that read, "Happy Birthday, Agnes!" I decorated the diner from one end to the other. I had that diner looking good.

The woman who did the cooking must have gotten the word out on the street, because by 3:15 every prostitute in Honolulu was in the place. It was wall-to-wall prostitutes…and me!

At 3:30 on the dot, the door of the diner swung open, and in came Agnes and her friend. ..... we all screamed, "Happy birthday!"

Never have I seen a person so flabbergasted…so stunned…so shaken. Her mouth fell open. Her legs seemed to buckle a bit. Her friend grabbed her arm to steady her. As she was led to sit on one of the stools along the counter, we all sang "Happy Birthday"' to her. As we came to the end of our singing with "happy birthday, dear Agnes, happy birthday to you," her eyes moistened. Then, when the birthday cake with all the candles on it was carried out, she lost it and just openly cried.

The man behind the counter mumbled, "Blow out the candles, Agnes! Come on! Blow out the candles! If you don't blow out the candles, I'm gonna hafta blow out the candles." And, after an endless few seconds, he did. Then he handed her a knife and told her, "Cut the cake, Agnes. Yo, Agnes, we all want some cake."

Agnes looked down at the cake. Then without taking her eyes off it, she slowly and softly said, "Look, Harry, is it all right with you if I…I mean is it okay if I kind of…what I want to ask you is…is it O.K. if I keep the cake a little while? I mean, is it all right if we don't eat it right away?"

Harry shrugged and answered, "Sure! It's O.K. If you want to keep the cake, keep the cake. Take it home, if you want to."

"Can I?" she asked. Then, looking at me, she said, "I live just down the street a couple of doors. I want to take the cake home, okay? I'll be right back. Honest!"

She got off the stool, picked up the cake, and carrying it like it was the Holy Grail, walked slowly toward the door. As we all just stood there motionless, she left.

When the door closed, there was a stunned silence in the place. Not knowing what else to do, I broke the silence by saying, "What do you say we pray?"

Looking back on it now, it seems more than strange for a sociologist to be leading a prayer meeting with a bunch of prostitutes in a diner in Honolulu at 3:30 in the morning. But then it just felt like the right thing to do. I prayed for Agnes. I prayed for her salvation. I prayed that her life would be changed and that God would be good to her.

When I finished, Harry leaned over the counter and with a trace of hostility in his voice, he said, "Hey! You never told me you were a preacher. What kind of church do you belong to?" In one of those moments when just the right words came, I answered, "I belong to a church that throws birthday parties for whores at 3:30 in the morning."

Harry waited a moment and then almost sneered as he answered, "No you don't. There's no church like that. If there was, I'd join it. I'd join a church like that!"

Wouldn't we all? Campolo reflected, Wouldn't we all like to join a church that throws birthday parties for whores at 3:30 in the morning?

Well, that's the kind of church that Jesus came to create!

Tony Campolo, The Kingdom of God Is a Party (Word, 1990); used by permission from Thomas Nelson Publishing

Can you relate to Tony Campolo? I can, and I agree with him.... that this is kind of Church Jesus came to create, and it is the kind of church I want us to be. I want us to be a church that lives to throw parties for people who once walked far away from God, but now cherish His loving embrace.

I want us to celebrate those who come to their senses in the pigsties of life, and I also want us to throw homecoming parties for those among us who come to the amazing realization of God’s love for them, even as they’ve lived their whole life obediently within His house. AMEN

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (r).