CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH
The Rev. Fred Weimert March 14, 2010
“Without Care”
I think all
of us
would have to say
that one of the most
difficult challenges
that
Christians face,
would
be the words of the Sermon on the Mount.
Especially the part
where Jesus
said “Love your enemies,
Pray
for those who persecute you.”
Jesus qualified those
words in Matthew’s gospel
by saying:
“For
if you love those who love you,
what
reward do you have?
Do
not even the tax collectors
do
the same?
Luke pictures Jesus
saying much the same thing
in his
sermon on the plain.
I think all
of us would confess that these are difficult teachings
for any human being to
attempt to live by.
There are
bad people in this world
who
would be more than happy to:
do
us bodily harm…
or
economic harm…
or
just harm for the heck of it.
How can a loving God
ask us to do
something so difficult…
Or better, How can a loving God
ask a people
who God claims to love…
to risk life, limb,
reputation and personal security…
by
loving our enemies?
Certainly those are reasonable
questions
and all of us have
probably raised them at times.
But there
is another question that is seldom asked…
a question just as logical
as those questions we
are not afraid to ask God.
We don’t ask this question
because it chops at the
roots of our comfortable theology
the theology
we have about ourselves
and
about the community of faith
as we relate to God.
This very logical question might be
worded this way:
“God, if we are not suppose to
just
love people who love us…
because even tax collectors and
sinners
love others in that
fashion…
How
is it God,
that
you get away with
only
loving the people
who love you?”
Fred, you’re
putting words in our mouths!
We would never ask God that!
We
believe God loves everybody!
Do you?
Do you
believe that God loves everybody, equally?
God doesn’t
love those who respond in love and faith
to God…
to
Jesus…
just
a little more?
Don’t you
believe that God loves those
who
keep the commandments…
just
a little bit better?
Isn’t it that you
believe
that God
loves everybody the same,
but…
Those who don’t believe the right
things,
or do the right things…
Those
people
are going to have to be punished…
eventually…
eternally.
To help
stir up discomfort
in some people who were
awfully comfortable with
their concept of God
Luke in his
fifteenth chapter…
Pictures
Jesus getting together
with
some tax collectors and sinners
In the sight of some more holy
people…
people
like us:
Luke
15: 1-3
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:
Actually
Jesus told three parables,
each about lost things.
The
last two of these stories
were
only told in Luke’s Gospel.
The
first , the one about a lost lamb
and
a shepherds searching,
Matthew
also tells a similar story.
The
second was about a lost coin,
and
a woman sweeping her house to find it.
Finally Jesus tells a third story,
probably
the best known,
and
probably the most difficult…
The
story of a loving father
and
a wasteful, prodigal son…
a
son who was lost.
Luke
15: 11-31
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
traveled 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.
People were probably thinking at
this point
this
kid is getting what he deserves,
and
certainly we believe that sin has consequences.
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."'
What do you think
is
this kid more apologetic or calculating?
Is
he sincerely sorry
or
just sincerely hungry.
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.'"
Here
ends the reading.
At the
beginning of this story
Luke told us
that the audience for
this story
was the
group of grumbling
Pharisees
and scribes.
And these people were
grumbling
because
Jesus was welcoming
and
eating with Tax collectors and sinners.
So I think we can rule out the idea
of Jesus’ audience
relating themselves to the younger son…
this foolish,
careless, pig food eating son.
Jesus’
audience were righteous
kosher
people…
they
kept the law,
they
didn’t keep pigs.
So I would
guess that message of this story
lies is in the response of the older
brother…
the responsible,
faithful,
obedient,
law-abiding brother.
Can you understand this brother’s anger and concerns?
I know Jesus’ audience could.
What they probably couldn’t understand
was this Father’s gracious welcome…
they probably feared he was enabling this younger son.
How would this spoiled child ever learn anything?
But the one who needed to learn was the older son.
I use to take some comfort in the father’s line to the older son:
'Son, you are always with me,
and
all that is mine is yours.
My comfort in these words
lay in my belief that
one day the father would die
and the older son would inherit everything…
and be in charge.
and the younger son would be out.
But how many of you think
that the Father in this story
has something to do with God… (show of hands)
Me to…
How many of you are expecting
God to die
and leave you/me in charge.
I don’t either…
That kind of puts a damper on my comfort.
How can such theology help the church to grow…?
If we don’t get rewarded for doing good.
if we aren’t rewarded over and above this prodigal?
or these sinners and tax collectors?
Why bother being faithful,
or good at all?
It isn’t easy,
but the key still lies in those words:
'Son,
Child, you are always with me,
and
all that is mine is yours.
'Child,
you are always with me,
and
all that is mine is yours.
What greater promise could we receive
than the assurance that nothing will ever separate us from the love of God, in Christ,
and all that God has is ours…
even our prodigal siblings
who may have at this moment no clue of the depths of God’s love
and forgiveness…
And who may only learn to appreciate this gracious gift
as they see it lived out in our individual lives
our communal life…
over years of welcoming them…
and loving them
in Jesus name.
The name in which we were welcomed
when we too didn’t comprehend it
and hardly deserved it.
It may well be that God’s love
is equal for all...
that God’s grace
is extended
to those who need it more…
or most.
Those who would test the patience
of even a saint.
That choice is God’s alone.
Sadly such people
may well go through life
without understanding the secret the we all know.
a secret that allows us to live
without care or fear:
'Child, you are always with me,
and all that is mine is yours.
May we be satisfied
with that great good news.
Amen.