Daily Bread

Now all the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’

So he told them this parable:

Then Jesus said, ‘There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.” So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and travelled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, “How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.’ ” So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”But the father said to his slaves, “Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!” And they began to celebrate.

‘Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, “Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.” Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, “Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!” Then the father said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.” ’

We are probably all familiar with the parable of the wayward or prodigal son. I was reminded, recently, by Rev Marie that often the crux of the story comes in the middle, and certainly my favourite line from the story is pretty much, bang in the centre:

"But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him."

In the story, the Father ran towards his son, and of course this parable is a metaphor for our compassionate God who runs towards us, which God does in and through his own son, Jesus.

Welcome and acceptance back into God's family is a two-way street. God doesn't run and embrace us if we don't want it! No, all we have to do is recognise our inner need for God — that we cannot do this thing called life on our own. This self-recognition has the effect of turning us back towards God, and it is called repentance. It is not self-deprecation or self-flagellation. We don't need to 'bewail our manifold sins and wickedness' — just simply recognise that we mess up and need God, for when we do this we open the floodgates of God's mercy.

There is an Anglican prayer, used after communion, that draws on this line from the parable, and I think it sums it up nicely:

"Father of all, we give you thanks and praise that, when we were still far off, you met us in your Son and brought us home. Dying and living, he declared your love, gave us grace, and opened the gate of glory."

Amen!

(based on the second verse of the hymn Here is Love Vast as the Ocean)

Holy God
Thank you that:
On the mount of crucifixion,
fountains opened deep and wide,
Through the flood-gates of your mercy,
Flowed a vast and gracious tide;
Grace and love, like mighty rivers
Poured incessant from above,
And your peace and perfect justice
Kissed this guilty world in love.