Readings for the day (4th Sunday in Lent – Sunday, March 27, 2022):
Dear friends in Christ, grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Amen.
It is such a wonderful time of year, isn’t it? I look forward to March every year for a variety of reasons. One reason stands out among the rest – March Madness. I look forward to it so much that it even became a condition in getting married. I get control of the TV during March. And the tournament this year has not been a disappointment. It has been filled with twists and turns. Close games and exciting finishes. And of course, the amazing upsets. It has been a joy to watch the competition. And what’s really fun, is to watch teams like St. Peter’s, as they continue to pull off amazing upsets and to see the abundance of joy that these players have.
Much like March Madness, the parable that Jesus tells, the Parable of the Prodigal (or reckless) Son, is full of disappointment and joy. The younger son wastes no time in gathering his belongings. As soon has his father gives him an advancement on his inheritance, he’s gone to see what is waiting for him in the world. The father is certainly disappointed, but the younger son is overjoyed.
Back at home though, everything seems to be going just fine. At least from the older son’s perspective. He might even be happy that this younger brother of his has left. If this younger brother wished for their father to be dead, all so that he can collect his inheritance. Fine. Get out of here. Take your stuff and leave.
But then a terrible, awful thing happens. At least according to the older son. His little brother has the nerve to come back home. To come waltzing back to the family farm, having spent all of his inheritance money. Which is the reason for the name of the parable – the prodigal (or reckless) son. He was reckless with the gift that his father gave him. And yet, when he returns home, the father is filled with joy. The older son, however, is not joyful – at all. In fact, he is resisting joy by holding a grudge against not only his younger brother, but his father also. And it’s all because he’s clinging to his past. He’s remembering the stress and the heartache and the pain that this younger brother put his family through – especially what their father went through. And this grudge from the past is hindering his potential joy in the present.
Their father, though, is so overjoyed with the return of his son, that he throws a party. A big party. A celebration that this son who he thought was lost or even dead, has safely returned home. But the older brother wants nothing to do with him. He refuses to go to the party. He refuses to be excited about this news. He would rather complain and grumble, continuing to hold onto this grudge that he has against his younger brother.
When something upsets us, it can be hard to let go of it. We want to hold on to whatever it is that has caused us to be upset. We want to hold on to that anger. We want to hold on to this grudge against someone, because it gives us power over the other person. But when we do this. When we hold onto a grudge, we are clinging to our past. We are clinging to past events. And we think that we’re hurting the other person by doing so. But we’re not. The only person we are hurting is ourselves. We end up preventing ourselves from having joy.
This older brother could have been having a great time. Celebrating and welcoming his brother back home. But instead, he chose to stay in the field and grumble. Being pissed off that his father doesn’t throw him a party. So instead of hurting his brother, he hurts himself. Instead of having joy, he resists joy.
When we cling to the past, often we do so because it is comfortable. It’s what we know. It’s what we can control. We control what we remember of the past and what we want to hold on to. It is this “old” creation that we’re familiar with. But Paul reminds us that our past, this “old” creation, is not always the best. Because this “old” creation contains all of our past embarrassments and regrets. All of those mistakes and sins that we have made. And clinging to the past doesn’t allow us to break free from these grudges and regrets. Instead, it hinders us and keeps us chained to these sins.
Hopefully, though, we reach a point where we’re ready to repent, like the younger son. When he realized his error and willingly returned to his father, repenting of his ways, in order to become that “new” creation that is reconciled to God. When we are a “new” creation, those things of our past that prevented us from having joy, no longer matter as much. They aren’t as significant anymore in comparison to the “new” creation that we have become.
The party that the father puts on isn’t just a celebration for the younger son. It is a celebration that the family is back together again. The father goes out into the field to visit with his older son, seeking unity in the family. Come to the party he says. Celebrate with us. This brother of yours was lost and is found. He was dead and now alive again.
The father was reconciling – meaning bringing balance and good order back into the family. This is the Father’s doing; not ours. It is God who works through the saving work of Jesus, to bring balance and good order, or reconciliation, to the world. It is not something that we do, but what Jesus has done for you.
In Christ, you are a new creation. There is no need to hold onto the past. Stop clinging to your sins. They don’t matter anymore. What matters, is that Jesus is bringing the family of God back together again. From the ones who run off, wasting away the father’s generous gift. To the ones who dwell on the past, holding grudges and resisting joy. Jesus brings us all together, and when we’re in the Father’s presence we have absolute joy. Joy that is so much greater than watching a 15 seeded team beat not only a 7 seed, but also a 3 seed and even a 2 seeded team.
It seems unbelievable, but not with Jesus. With Jesus, everything old has passed away. See, everything has become new. You are a new creation because of Jesus. Free to let the past be. Free to let go of any grudge or anger. And truly experience joy. True joy in knowing that your sins are forgiven and that you belong here, in God’s family – fully and completely reconciled to God. Amen.
© 2022 Anthony Christoffels. All rights reserved.
The Rest for The Weary 