Guilty – sermon on March 6, 2016

Luke 15: 1-3, 11b-32      Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus.  But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable: “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. 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. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed 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 servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: 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 servants.’ 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. 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 his servants, ‘Quick! Bring 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 asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 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. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property 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.’

Sermon: Guilty             by Rev. Doreen Oughton

My thanks to our players this morning, helping this story to come alive. It’s such a fabulous story, isn’t it? So comforting. The father who has been so hurt by this son, breaking up the family lands, running off like that… and any bad feelings associated with his actions just disappear when dad sees him approaching up the road. There is nothing but excitement and delight in the homecoming. Do you find it comforting? Completely, unconditionally comforting? We had a really rich discussion this week in bible study about a loving and merciful God, and the fact that this great forgiveness can give us pause. Of course we want a loving and merciful God, but we also want a just God, don’t we? At least one that understand justice as we do. One of the sharings on forgiveness today said the had thing about forgiving another is the importance of the offense. To wipe the slate clean before one has even had a chance to apologize might make it seem that it was no big deal – nothing really that bad happened, easy to let it go, shrug it off.

The older brother in the story seems to hold those feelings for his family, and maybe for us. He talks about never being given so much as a goat for all he’s done, but I wonder if what he really wants to say is, “Are you kidding me here?! You are throwing HIM a party – after the mess he made, the shame he brought, the pain he caused.” Because big brother not only stayed home, worked hard and obeyed, so he says, he also witnessed the fall out of little brother’s actions – the grief and worry of his parents, the change in their status. He felt the frustration of knowing that nothing HE could do could make it better.

But you know, I wondered about how the younger brother felt about his father’s reaction. Was he just relieved he wasn’t in trouble. Did he delight to have the cloak and the ring, the new sandals, a fatted calf? … How would you feel? Would you want to be at the party? How are others looking at you? Would you be able to let go of it as easily as dad did? Wouldn’t at least like a little time to prove yourself – to make some amends, show that you will stick around this time, earn back the trust?

God’s ways are not our ways. I don’t want to say God is not a God of justice, but according to Jesus, and the Psalmist, mercy, love and compassion seem to be of greater importance. Now the Psalmist says that God’s hand of discipline was heavy on him until he confessed. The father in the story didn’t wait for a confession before running out – the son’s turning back to him was enough to trigger the joy and the love. But the Psalmist couldn’t rest until he’d acknowledged his wrongdoing – he stopped hiding. And in doing so he opened himself up not only to God’s love and mercy, but to God’s guidance.

God’s ways are not our ways, and I think when it comes to forgiving others it might be right to strive to be as open and merciful as God is. But when it comes to our own wrongdoing, I’m not sure we are ready for God’s kind of grace. When we feel guilty, I’m not sure we want to rush into the party with the ring and cloak on. I think there is something inside of us that needs to be accountable – to say I’m sorry, to make amends where we can, to have some insight into the suffering we have caused. God might be all too happy to clear our guilt away, but we see eraser smudges all over ourselves. What does it take for us to feel clean, to feel comfortable entering the party?

The Catholics have a wonderful Sacrament – Sacrament of reconciliation that addresses this need (our need, not God’s). We threw baby out with the bath water (Reformation / indulgences)