In the Name of God:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The story of the prodigal son is SO familiar, isn’t it?  We know it so well . . . it’s inspired painters, playwrights, choreographers, musicians . . . even philosophers . . . oh, and of course, biblical commentators . . . they’ve written a LOT about this parable.  The story is such a good one that it’s become part of our culture and the phrase, ‘the prodigal son’, regularly crops up in our everyday conversation.  We know the story so well that when we hear it we probably cast ourselves as one of the characters in the story . . . probably as one of the two brothers.

Maybe we think of ourselves as the “bad” kid . . . the one who caused our family all kinds of trouble and grief.  Maybe we’ve reformed . . . maybe not . . . but even if we’ve been welcomed back into the family, we can probably still easily remember being the prodigal child.  We can probably still feel the wicked thrill of doing the forbidden . . . and we can probably still taste the bitter regret of repentance.  I hope we know the joy of being forgiven.

Or maybe we think of ourselves as the “good” kid . . . the one who always did what was expected . . . the right thing . . . but was never appreciated enough.  Maybe we resented a brother or sister who got away with “murder” . . . maybe we’ve resolved that conflict . . . maybe not.  In any event, we can probably still feel the . . . envy? . . . of watching someone else have the fun of doing what we wouldn’t allow ourselves to do.  All this, too, is probably still fresh in our memories.

Any of us who grew up in families with more than one child certainly know about sibling rivalry.  But when we cast ourselves as one of the brothers in today’s story . . . and so give that brother our sympathy . . . we’re probably misunderstanding the story.  Did you know that this parable is sometimes called the parable of “the TWO lost sons”?  It’s not just the younger son, squandering his inheritance with wild living, who’s misguided.  The elder son is equally misguided.  He, too, does not understand how we are meant to live.  The elder son is no morally better than his younger brother.  BOTH of the sons in this parable are self-centered – although each in a different way – and they both are CLUELESS about how to get real joy out of life.

Actually, these two brothers are quite a bit alike.  Neither of them understands the nature of their father or their relationship with him.  Neither of them understands life.  You see, both these young men see life as being all about rules and duties and obligations . . . and they expect all these laws to govern their relationship with their father and his behavior toward them.  It’s this limited and stifling view of life that the younger brother tries to escape . . . but he can’t because he carries it within him.  Soooo . . . after making some really bad choices, and landing in terrible situation, he expects to be punished.  The elder brother doesn’t understand life, or his father, any better.  He equates being a son with being a servant.  Soooo . . . after years of confining himself in a system of rules and duties and obligations, he expects to be rewarded.  And is outraged when this doesn’t happen.  There’s little joy in this picture . . . and very little true freedom.

Ah me.

Look at today’s story again.  Try to hear it . . . to see it . . . freshly.  Let’s look a little more closely at dad.  Notice that it’s the father who takes the initiative, watching for his wayward son and going out to meet him as soon as he is seen.  The father welcomes back his young son with open arms, forgiving him . . . restoring him to his former position.  That’s what the business of putting a robe on his shoulders, shoes on his feet, and a ring on his finger is all about . . . these are symbols of position and authority.  The father is making it clear that his son is still his beloved son.  The relationship based in love still holds.  The father’s love cannot be contained or confined by rules or outlines of expected behavior.  We hear nothing of the younger son’s reaction to this . . . but I imagine that he’s utterly astonished.

We DO hear about the elder son’s reaction.  Out of envy, or fear, or self-righteousness, he is furious with his father for welcoming home his brother.  Again, the father takes the initiative and comes out to his son.  But this son does not even greet him.  Rather, this son launches into a tirade against his father.  He won’t even acknowledge his relationship with his brother, calling him “this son of yours”.  He is furious because his father has broken the rules.  As I said, these two brothers are quite a bit alike.  They’re both trapped in a confined and limited world.  Their difference lies in the fact that one of them tried to escape, while the other embraced the prison they allowed the world to create for them.  And dad forgives them both.

This parable is, of course, a parable of our relationship with God.  And we have these brothers living within us.  Do we view our relationship with God as one simply of obedience and reward . . . or disobedience and punishment?  Do we fear that we’re breaking rules and therefore deserving of damnation.  Or do we cling to rules and duty hoping that they will be our salvation?  OR . . . do we truly believe that we are sons and daughters of God?  Do we accept the fact that we are forgiven?  And are we willing to accept the fact that OTHERS are forgiven, as well?

There are various stages in the spiritual journey.  Like the younger, so-called prodigal son, we each must repent of our sins.  We each must ask for forgiveness.  But then, when it is granted, we must ACCEPT it.  This can be harder than it may sound right now, because we each of us knows in our hearts how imperfect we are . . . we each of us know that we are likely to sin again . . . and we each of us know that we are unworthy of the unwavering, steadfast, forgiving love of God.  And yet we must accept God’s forgiveness.  We must let go of our insecurities . . . we must stop clinging to our weaknesses . . . we must stop hiding in our imperfections . . . and accept the fact that we are beloved children of God . . . just as we are.

And THEN we must accept the same fact about our brothers and sisters.  This is the next stage in a spiritual journey of forgiveness, and it can be a really tough one.  It can be hard enough to accept our own forgiveness . . . but to accept the fact that those who have done us wrong, who have hurt us and harmed us, may be forgiven, too . . . well, that can be a very bitter pill.  We know how rotten we can be, and these people are even WORSE!  But if we can’t accept – no, embrace - the fact that we ALL may be forgiven . . . well, if we can’t welcome this fact, then we’re still trapped in a world governed by rules . . . just like the elder brother in today’s story.  And we’ll never taste true freedom . . . or real joy.

Whew!  This is really rough . . . but okay, let’s imagine we’ve gotten this far on our journey.  We’ve accepted the fact that we can be forgiven, and we’ve let go of all sorts of guilt and shame.  And we’ve even accepted the fact that some really awful people can be forgiven, too, and we’ve let go of all sorts of anger and resentment.  Guess what?  The journey’s not over!  Now we’re supposed to actually do the forgiving ourselves!  When we hear the story of “the prodigal son” rather than casting ourselves in the role of one of the two brothers, we should cast ourselves in the role of the benevolent father.  We should try to emulate God.

God, the father, comes out to greet us with open arms . . . not counting our sins, but offering us forgiveness.  ALL of us.  And we are to do the same.  In Christ, we are adopted as sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters to each other.  And we are called to live out this relationship throughout our lives.  As we heard in the letter to the Corinthians this morning, in reconciling us to himself through Christ, God has given us the ministry of reconciliation.  We are ambassadors for Christ.  God makes God’s appeal to the world through us.  And so, like the father in today’s story, we must take the initiative . . . we must go out to meet our sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters in Christ . . . and we must embrace them and share with them the freedom of forgiveness.  The freedom and JOY that is found in being children of God.

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