Musical Prelude and Service.

Psalm 32 & Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
How do you tend to respond to invitations to a banquet?
I want to believe most of us – if not all of us, are eager to attend. You are honoured to get the invitation and look forward to the social occasion.
That said, I have no doubt there is a mix of anticipation and anxiety. They tend to involve the same questions: What are we celebrating? What foods will there be? Who else will be there? What will we talk about? What should I wear? Do I need to bring something?
For some of us, those questions are anticipatory. But I also know for other people those questions bring anxiety:
Who else will be there? What should I bring? What will I talk about?
A social event, intended to bring people together in celebration and joy, despite its best intentions can end up being fraught with undercurrents of social anxiety, jealousies and resentments nobody knew were even a thing. And that doesn’t mean that celebration won’t be a success. They usually are, but they do come with questions and anxieties for people.
I want to believe that Jesus knew his parable of the father and two sons, most often named the Parable of the Prodigal Son, would leave an abundance of people empathizing with the older son. And I also expect, he hoped those of us wondering how the older child gets ignored again, will take time to explore those feelings and find away to be happy for the reunion of the father and lost son.
But there is a lot of baggage for the older son to deal with. Let’s be honest, we as human beings have a lot of baggage to unpack when it comes to our relationship with God and how it impacts our relationship to the people around us.
Jesus tells this parable as part of a series of stories describing the Kingdom of Heaven and its response to people finding their way back to God. It’s his response to religious leaders questioning his choice of table companions at dinner. How can he sit at the same table as the sinners he tends to choose?
So, let’s presume in this particular case Jesus is directing his lesson to those who live with at least a little bit of privilege. They have comfortable lives. These are not the poor, working class, or slaves that he normally walks with.
The parable is a lesson on the steadfast love of God and the complete forgiveness offered to those returning to a relationship with the creator.
We can also find in this story, a glance at those who resent the late comers to the body of Christ.
Jesus offers a few challenges to those who resent that those who have spent much of their lives in service to God not getting extra attention compared to those who show up late in the day.
There’s an implication in some of the wording that those who have been in service to Christ the longest have been missing out on something by this long relationship with God. That those just showing up and being welcomed in such an extravagant fashion have somehow gamed the system.
As I’ve reflected on this parable this week, what I come back to repeatedly is the implication in the older brother’s statement to the father’s response to the returning son, is that he hasn’t really been enjoying his time with Dad. “I have worked like a slave for you and obeyed all your commands.”
I have worked like a slave for you.
And the father’s response. “You are always with me. All that is mine, is yours.”
The implication for me in this moment is, “What are you waiting for? Why are you not always celebrating our relationship? Do you not know that I love you completely?”
Is living in relationship with God a burden?
Is it a form of slavery, that taxes your endurance?
Is following Jesus something that is completely lacking in joy and love?
Because if we are resentful of those who are late to the party but still get to join in, then we have really missed out on something? All that is mine is yours. What are we waiting for?
There is a lot that is wrong with our world. Right now, we can absolutely point to a great deal of suffering and a horrendous amount of injustice very close to home. Our hearts can break on a daily basis for those who are being targeted for violence and mistreatment. There seems to be a distinct lack of mercy in a great many parts of our world. There is a lot of work to be done.
And we can feel like it is in poor taste to express our joy in being a part of God’s world.
But God wants us to be joyous. God wants us to celebrate and to recognize the abundance of God’s love; God’s gifts and that God provides this nourishment to all of God’s creation.
If we are waiting for everything to be better; or for some mysterious time in the future when it is more appropriate, we are left as judgmental people gatekeeping who is welcome at a banquet that will happen sometime in the hopefully near future.
We are called to be messengers of hope. We are called to share the good new of Jesus Christ. I don’t think we can successfully be those messengers with a scowl on our faces. It is at the very least a challenge to preach Good News while frowning.
The time is now. We are in God’s presence and God is providing for us now. Let us celebrate and open our doors wide open for all to come in and sit down.
The psalm we read today speaks of the power of forgiveness. Of the life sustaining quality that comes with knowing we are forgiven by God. But it also speaks of living in the knowledge that God is always with us. That God’s love is steadfast.
“But whoever trusts in God, is surrounded by steadfast love.”
Is it a burden to follow God? Are we labouring like slaves to be in God’s presence, or do we recognize the grace and the abundance that we enjoy for being part of God’s family? Can we not see that we are part of an ongoing banquet to which everyone is invited?
We are in the season of Lent. I will continue to press on this point. We are in a season of reflection. A season of finding our focus.
We reflect on the desert journey of Jesus and those who were in exodus from Egypt. This is a time of acknowledging the challenges of our world. It is a time of recognizing the tests that we encounter along the way. But at the same time, we need to see the signs of life; the signs of hope that are sprouting all around us. It is a time to remember that we are called by God and we belong to God.
We are loved by God, and for that we can be grateful. We can celebrate and we can throw open our doors and invite all to be a part of the banquet as we say, Thanks be to God.
Amen.
Rev. Warner Bloomfield

Music provided with permission through licensing with CCLI License number
2701258 and One License # A-731789