3rd Trinity III, 2022, Road Homeward

 3^rd Trinity III

Luke 15:1-32 

Tissot

Now many customs officials, despised by the people, who called them sinners and expelled them from their community, sought to be close to Jesus. They wanted to listen to him. The Pharisees and teachers of the law, however, were upset by this and said, "This man accepts sinners and eats with them!" 

So he told them this parable: 

"Who among you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine in the open and go looking for the lost one until they find it? And when they have found it, they lay it on their shoulders rejoicing. And when they come home, they call together their friends and neighbors and say to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost!' 

"I tell you, there will be more joy in the heavens over one human being, living in denial of the spirit, who changes their mind, than over the ninety-nine righteous who think they have no need of repentance. 

"Or

Tissot, Lost Coin

which woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one, does not light a lamp, sweep the whole house and carefully search until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost!' 

"In the same way, I tell you, there will be joy among the angels in the world of spirit over one human being living in denial of the spirit who manages to change their heart and mind." 

And he said further, "A certain man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, 'Give me the share of the estate which falls to me.' And he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey to a far country and squandered his estate in the enjoyment of loose living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine came over the land, and he began to be in need. So he went and attached himself to a citizen of the country who sent him out into his fields and let him herd swine. And he longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, but no one gave him anything. 

Tissot

"Then he came to himself and said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here of hunger. I will rise up and go to my father and say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against the higher world and against you. I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Make me one of your hired men [workers].' 

"So he rose up and traveled along the road to his father. When he was still a long way off, his father saw him, felt his misery, ran toward him, embraced him, and kissed him. And yet the son said, 'Father, I have sinned against the higher world and against you. I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Make me one of your hired men [workers].' 

"But the father called his servant to him. 'Quickly! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet and slaughter the fattened calf. Then we shall eat and be merry. For this, my son was dead and is risen to life. He was lost and is found again.' And they began to celebrate. 

Welden Andersen, Older Brother

"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he returned home and came
near the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants to him and asked him what it meant. He gave him the news, 'Your brother has come home again. So in joy, your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back again safe and sound.' 

"The son grew dark with anger and didn't want to go in. But his father came out and pleaded with him. He, however, reproached his father saying, 'Look! For so many years, I have been with you and have never neglected one of your commands. But you never gave me so much as a goat that I might be merry with my friends. And now comes this son of yours who has eaten up your wealth in scandal, and you offer him the fattened calf.'

However, the father said to him, 'Child, you are always with me, and all that I have belongs to you too. But now we should be glad and rejoice; for this, your brother was dead and lives; he was lost and has been found again.' "

3^rd August Trinity

August 7, 2022

Luke 15:1–10 

The gospel reading speaks of lost things. The caretakers and owners are concerned. The shepherd brings the lost sheep back because it is in danger of losing its life. The woman searches for the lost coin because otherwise, it cannot exercise its value in supporting life’s necessities. 

It is not for nothing that in both cases, the parable stresses that what is important is the one, the single unique individual. It is not primarily belonging to a group, the herd, or collection that is important. What is stressed is singularity. 

The Pharisees and lawyers are concerned with belonging to the group and abiding by its rules. Anyone not abiding by the group’s rules is shunned. But that is like expelling a sheep from the flock for an imperfection or taking a coin out of circulation because it is tarnished. 

Julia Stankova

From where the angels stand, it is the unique value of each individual human spirit that is important. Tarnish, imperfections are accepted as a matter of course. It is the way we were made—incomplete. It is the survival of the human spirit that is the important thing. 

In Jesus’ time, the rising individuality of the human spirit was endangered by being forced to serve group cohesion. Those who inhabited the shadowy borderlands of the group, such as Jews who collected taxes on behalf of the hated Roman oppressors, were strangely on their own. They were souls working on being independent, becoming single individuals. And Christ accepts them and eats with them because they seek to be close to him. 

The spiritual world has enormous respect for our freedom. We are free to wander away, free to live in denial of the spirit. 

Christ came down from heaven to look for, to gather together lost and endangered souls. He and his angels seek after those who have wandered away from awareness of the spirit. They don’t want to lose us. They are concerned for the life of our spirits. 

They seek after us until we find them. 

Our shift of awareness, our turning to see who is following us, and our change of heart result from their spirits seeking ours. 

Allowing ourselves to work our way toward spirit consciousness is our choice.  

And there is great joy in the world of the angels over every unique individual who manages to notice that they are being sought after. The Good Shepherd rejoices when our awareness broadens, our hearts enlarge and open, and we turn and set ourselves on the road homeward.

www.thechristiancommunity.org 

 

 

3rd Trinity III, Slide Past Trouble

 3^rd Trinity III

Luke 15:1-32 

Now many customs officials, despised by the people, who called them sinners and expelled them from their community, sought to be close to Jesus. They wanted to listen to him. The Pharisees and teachers of the law, however, were upset by this and said, "This man accepts sinners and eats with them!" 

Tissot

So he told them this parable: 

"Who among you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine in the open and go looking for the lost one until they find it? And when they have found it, they lay it on their shoulders rejoicing. And when they come home, they call together their friends and neighbors and say to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost!' 

"I tell you, there will be more joy in the heavens over one human being, living in denial of the spirit, who changes their mind, than over the ninety-nine righteous who think they have no need of repentance. 

"Or which woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one, does not light a lamp, sweep the whole house and carefully search until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost!' 

Tissot

"In the same way, I tell you, there will be joy among the angels in the world of spirit over one human being living in denial of the spirit who manages to change their heart and mind." 

And he said further, "A certain man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, 'Give me the share of the estate which falls to me.' And he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey to a far country and squandered his estate in the enjoyment of loose living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine came over the land, and he began to be in need. So he went and attached himself to a citizen of the country who sent him out into his fields and let him herd swine. And he longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, but no one gave him anything. 

"Then he came to himself and said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here of hunger. I will rise up and go to my father and say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against the higher world and against you. I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Make me one of your hired men [workers].' 

"So he rose up and traveled along the road to his father. When he was still a long way off, his father saw him, felt his misery, ran toward him, embraced him, and kissed him. And yet the son said, 'Father, I have sinned against the higher world and against you. I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Make me one of your hired men [workers].' 

Kathryn Doneghan

"But the father called his servant to him.
'Quickly! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet and slaughter the fattened calf. Then we shall eat and be merry. For this, my son was dead and is risen to life. He was lost and is found again.' And they began to celebrate. 

"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he returned home and came near the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants to him and asked him what it meant. He gave him the news, 'Your brother has come home again. So in joy, your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back again safe and sound.' 

"The son grew dark with anger and didn't want to go in. But his father came out and pleaded with him. He, however, reproached his father saying, 'Look! For so many years, I have been with you and have never neglected one of your commands. But you never gave me so much as a goat that I might be merry with my friends. And now comes this son of yours who has eaten up your wealth in scandal, and you offer him the fattened calf.'

However, the father said to him, 'Child, you are always with me, and all that I have belongs to you too. But now we should be glad and rejoice; for this, your brother was dead and lives; he was lost and has been found again.' "  

3rd August Trinity

August 8, 2021

Luke 15: 1-32 

In this series of stories, Christ frames the human condition. He is describing human souls as 'lost,' as having fallen like the coin, or as having wandered off, like the sheep. In these cases, the owner searches until 'the lost' is found. 

And then, there is the lost son. A poem by William Stafford* describes this way of being lost: 

Sometimes from sorrow, for no reason,

…you accept

the way of being lost, cutting loose

Bosch

from all else and electing a world

where you go where you want to.

 

Arbitrary, a sound comes, a reminder

that a steady center is holding

all else. If you listen, that sound

will tell you where it is and you

can slide your way past trouble.

 

Certain twisted monsters

always bar the path—but that's when

you get going best, glad to be lost,

learning how real it is

here on earth, again and again. 

Christ adds another element, another aspect to being lost. In the story of the lost son, He shows us that we need not passively wait to be found or rescued. We are not coins; we are not sheep. There is a third way; we ourselves can recognize ourselves as lost and hungry and far from home. And we can make our own, sometimes difficult, way back. 

The journey back requires that we acknowledge that it is we ourselves who have wandered off course through our own choices.  We need to be willing to apologize and to make amends. This means we are willing to take responsibility for developing an active, healing relationship with the divine world. 

That is the good news. And the even better news is that God is willing to meet us more than halfway home. He is on the lookout for us. He senses that we have come to ourselves and recognized our situation. And when we turn our face to Him, move toward Him, He runs to greet us with great joy and celebration. 

 

---

*William Stafford, “Cutting Loose”, in Dancing With Joy, ed. By Roger Housden

2nd August Trinity 2019, Joyous Feast

3^rd August Trinity

Luke 15:1-32

Now many customs officials, despised by the people, who called them sinners and expelled them from their community, sought to be close to Jesus. They wanted to listen to him. The Pharisees and teachers of the law, however, were upset by this and said, “This man accepts sinners and eats with them!”

So he told them this parable:

“

Tissot

What man among you, who has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine in the open and go looking for the lost one until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost!’

I tell you, there will be more joy in the heavens over one human being, living in denial of the spirit, who changes his mind, than over the ninety-nine righteous who think they have no need of repentance.

Tissot

Or which woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one, does not light a lamp, sweep the whole house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it she calls together her friends and neighbors and says, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost!’

In the same way, I tell you, there will be joy among the angels in the world of spirit over one human being living in denial of the spirit who manages to change his heart and mind. “

And he said further: “A certain man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Give me the share of the estate which falls to me.’  And he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later the younger son gathered ever

Fritz Eichenberg, The Prodigal Son, wood engraving

ything together and went on a journey to a far country and squandered his estate in the enjoyment of loose living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine came over the land, and he began to be in need. So he went and attached himself to a citizen of the country who sent him out into his fields and let him herd swine. And he longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, but no one gave him anything.

Then he came to himself, and said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here of hunger. I will rise up and go to my father and say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against the higher world and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me one of your hired men [workers].’

So he rose up and traveled along the road to his father. When he was still a long

Rembrandt

way off, his father saw him, felt his misery, ran toward him, embraced him and kissed him. And yet the son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against the higher world and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me one of your hired men [workers].’

But the father called his servant to him. ‘Quickly! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet and slaughter the fattened calf. Then we shall eat and be merry. For this, my son was dead and is risen to life. He was lost and is found again.’ And they began to celebrate.

Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he returned home and came near the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants to him and asked him what it meant. He gave him the news: ‘Your brother has come home again. So in joy, your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back again safe and sound.’

The son grew dark with anger and didn’t want to go in. But his father came out and pleaded with him. He, however, reproached his father saying, ‘Look! For so many years I have been with you and have never neglected one of your commands. But you never gave me so much as a goat that I might be merry with my friends. And now comes this son of yours who has eaten up your wealth in scandal, and you offer him the fattened calf.’

The father, however, said to him ‘Child, you are always with me and all that I have belongs to you too. But now we should be glad and rejoice, for this your brother was dead and lives; he was lost and has been found again.’

2^nd August Trinity

August 4, 2019

Luke 15: 1-32

When seeds are ripe, they fall to the ground and disappear. If the mother plant were sentient, she could feel this moment as a loss. The potential for new life has disappeared from her; but only apparently. For at the right season, those seeds will indeed sprout and grow and blossom.

Today’s gospel reading tells the story of humankind as a whole. At

John Macallan Swan - The Prodigal Son 1888

first, we were at home, close to God, our Father. But at a certain point, we broke away, took our gifts, and went out to explore and enjoy the world. And at first, came the joy and excitement. But eventually, we found ourselves, like the seeds buried in the ground, feeling nigh unto death. But whereas seeds are programmed to grow and rise, human beings need to make a choice. The lost son notices his own condition. As it says, “he came to himself.” And now he has the choice: he can continue crawling toward death, or he can overcome his pride, and his humiliation, seek out his Father, apologize for the waste and start over at a lower level.

Kathryn Doneghan

What Christ wants to tell us with this story is the amazing fact that the Father does not judge. The older brother tries to, but the Father receives His lost son with nothing but joy and forgiveness. The younger son has judged himself. He has discerned and taken responsibility for his own misdeeds. Under those circumstances, the Father does not need to judge or punish. He is a being of Love, whose greatest joy is to see us face to face. He has let us go from Him in the hope that we will one day find our way back to Him, stronger for our experiences. He rejoices in our coming back to Him because we choose to, since He is anyway aware of all our straying from Him, all our pretending that He doesn’t exist, all of our weaknesses.

Therefore here in this Act of Consecration, we are bringing You, O Father, the best we have to offer – ourselves. May You and Your angels rejoice at this celebratory feast. May we grow and blossom with new life.

3rd August Trinity 2018, Purchased Dearly

Luke 15:11-32

Durer

And he said further: “A certain man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Give me the share of the estate which falls to me.’  And he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey to a far country and squandered his estate in the enjoyment of loose living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine came over the land, and he began to be in need. So he went and attached himself to a citizen of the country who sent him out into his fields and let him herd swine. And he longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, but no one gave him anything.

Then he came to himself, and said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here of hunger. I will rise up and go to my father and say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against the higher world and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me one of your hired men [workers].’

Kathryn Doneghan

So he rose up and traveled along the road to his father. When he was still a long way off, his father saw him, felt his misery, ran toward him, embraced him and kissed him. And yet the son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against the higher world and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me one of your hired men [workers].’

But the father called his servant to him. ‘Quickly! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet and slaughter the fattened calf. Then we shall eat and be merry. For this my son was dead and is risen to life. He was lost and is found again.’ And they began to celebrate.

Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he returned home and came near the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants to him and asked him what it meant. He gave him the news: ‘Your brother has come home again. So in joy, your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back again safe and sound.’

The son grew dark with anger and didn’t want to go in. But his father came out and pleaded with him. He, however, reproached his father saying, ‘Look! For so many years I have been with you and have never neglected one of your commands. But you never gave me so much as a goat that I might be merry with my friends. And now comes this son of yours who has eaten up your wealth in scandal and you offer him the fattened calf.’

The father, however, said to him ‘Child, you are always with me and all that I have belongs to you too. But now we should be glad and rejoice, for this your brother was dead and lives; he was lost and has been found again.’

3^rd August Trinity

August 5, 2018

Luke 15:1-32

God created the world with a certain economy in mind. There are two forces at work in us. One is the burgeoning force of life. It is that in us which is warm and, ever-changing, generating the new. The other force is a cooler preserving force. These two forces are meant to work together in balance. Too much new, too much life, overwhelms awareness. Too much preservation gradually destroys life. Working together in balance, they help us along our path.

John Macallan Swan

In today’s reading, when his younger son asks for his share of the estate, the father generously gives it to him, even though it means diminishing his own goods. Those goods the son seems to have squandered. But in fact they have bought something very precious—they have bought experience. They have purchased the indelible experience of the limits of “the good life.” They have shown that there can be value hidden in want and need. And they have made possible the highly prized moment of the experience of ‘coming to oneself’. They have purchased a keen self-awareness, combined with deep humility, and the desire for reconciliation, to work off indebtedness.

The elder brother, in his narrow, small-heartedness, worked to preserve and accumulate only outer wealth. He never even threw a small party for his friends. The prodigal son, through his dearly purchased experiences, is ready to become truly responsive and responsible to the father in an open-hearted way that the elder brother could never be.

One theme of the story is generosity. It demonstrates the evolution and the workings of great-heartedness. The prodigal son may have been wasteful, but he spent freely on others. The father is lavishly magnanimous with both his goods and his forgiveness.

This is the picture of the Father of us all. Our Father has sent us all out into the world, loaded with His riches. He recognizes that we are all purchasing our experiences, partially at the expense of our relationship with Him. He feels our misery. He hopes with all his heart that we will one day come to ourselves. He waits for the moment when we can pray this traditional prayer from Ghana:

Journeying God,

pitch your tent with mine

so that I may not become deterred

by hardship, strangeness, doubt.

Show me the movement I must make

toward a wealth not dependent on possessions,

toward a wisdom not based on books,

toward a strength not bolstered by might,

toward a God not confined to heaven.

Help me to find myself as I walk in other's shoes.*

* (Prayer song from Ghana, traditional, translator unknown)

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3rd August Trinity 2016, All Shall Be Well (Redux)

3^rd August Trinity

Rembrandt, Wiki Commons

August 7, 2016

Luke 15:11-32

And he said further: “A certain man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Give me the share of the estate which falls to me.’  And he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey to a far country and squandered his estate in the enjoyment of loose living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine came over the land, and he began to be in need. So he went and attached himself to a citizen of the country who sent him out into his fields and let him herd swine. And he longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, but no one gave him anything.

Then he came to himself, and said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here of hunger. I will rise up and go to my father and say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against the higher world and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me one of your hired men [workers].’

So he rose up and traveled along the road to his father. When he was still a long way off, his father saw him, felt his misery, ran toward him, embraced him and kissed him. And yet the son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against the higher world and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me one of your hired men [workers].’

But the father called his servant to him. ‘Quickly! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet, and slaughter the fattened calf. Then we shall eat and be merry. For this my son was dead and is risen to life. He was lost and is found again.’ And they began to celebrate.

Meanwhile the older son was in the field. When he returned home and came near the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants to him and asked him what it meant. He gave him the news: ‘Your brother has come home again. So in joy your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back again safe and sound.’

The son grew dark with anger and didn’t want to go in. But his father came out and pleaded with him. He however reproached his father saying, ‘Look! For so many years I have been with you and have never neglected one of your commands. But you never gave me so much as a goat that I might be merry with my friends. And now comes this son of yours who has eaten up your wealth in scandal, and you offer him the fattened calf.’

The father however said to him ‘Child, you are always with me and all that I have belongs to you too. But now we should be glad and rejoice, for this your brother was dead and lives; he was lost and has been found again.’

Lacquered Box Depiction of Story of Prodigal Son

3^rd August Trinity

August 7, 2016

Luke 15:11-32

We are complex beings. Our souls are populated by many different aspects of our personality. One way to read today’s beautiful parable is to regard each character in the story as one aspect of a single human being.

We all have an inner, fun-loving son who is eager for what the world has to offer. In pursuing the

Turning Point, Frostad

world one-sidedly, he finds himself cut off from the Source, alone and starving.

We all have a loving Father within, who encourages our explorations and welcomes our return with compassion and joy. And we all have a law-abiding, jealous brother, who is keeping accounts, prone to anger. He feels himself short-changed but is missing the point.

This triad, Father, son and brother, is an image of the human will. We see the Father’s good will, the brother’s ill will, the son’s self-will.

And the most important moment in the story comes when the lost son ‘comes to himself’. In that moment, he recognizes that what keeps us alive is not merely food, but relationship. In coming to himself, he has found his own singularity, and at the same time he recognizes that he needs to re-establish a healthy relationship with his origins in the Source. In coming to himself, he comes to direct his own will.

Return of the Prodigal Son, Charlie MacKesey

Life brings us moments of coming to ourselves. Often it is illness or tragedy that brings us this opportunity. But we can also deliberately create moments of silent listening for our own, true voice, the voice that urges us to return to the Source. In such moments we receive the Father’s kiss. We receive the mantle of peace, the ring of unity, sandals of free power. We partake in the celebratory feast which keeps us truly alive. T. S. Eliot said,

We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.

Through the unknown, remembered gate

…

A condition of complete simplicity

(Costing not less than everything)

And all shall be well and

All manner of thing shall be well…*

*T. S. Eliot, “Little Gidding”.

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