Oh God, open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise.
Drop dead,
Dad! Drop dead and give me my share of your hard-earned money. I don’t
want to wait any longer for you to get out of the way so I can begin to
live my own life. I want you out of my way, out of my life now.
The Prodigal
Son – a story we all know well because it is considered to be the best
known, most widely interpreted parable in the Bible. Most of us have
been hearing it since childhood, whether we attended church regularly or
not, it’s that well known.
And yes, the
younger son essentially saying to his father drop dead and give me my
money is in essence what’s going on there. The younger son’s portion of
the family holdings – usually 1/3 of the total value, shouldn’t come
into his possession until his father dies. He tells his father to drop
dead.
The even
more amazing part is that the father agrees to commit suicide. He agrees
to act as if he were dead and give the younger son his portion. That
means that in essence they are both dead in the eyes of law and
tradition. It’s completely unheard of and so radically out of order that
no one knows how to handle the situation.
The father
and elder son remain behind. The younger son leaves the country to go
live the high life. He, like so many after him, find out that what
seemed like a fortune at the outset somehow doesn’t last as long as he
expected. It isn’t long before he’s gone through his inheritance, and
just his luck, a famine has struck the land. He’s down and out and
envying the pigs.
Before I go
any farther with this story, I want to take time to note that all of
today’s lessons, even the Psalm, which we didn’t use this morning, share
the same theme. They are all stories of reconciliation and restoration.
In Joshua
the Israelites who have been wandering in the desert for 40 years are
about to enter into the promised land. Before that happens they take
time to observe two important rites that will put them into a right, or
reconciled relationship with God. They take time to circumcise the
entire nation – something not done during their 40 years of wandering
and the quintessential sign of their covenant relationship with God.
They also celebrate Passover as they begin to eat of the food from the
land rather than manna which has been their food in the desert. They
made themselves vulnerable to attack in order to observe these rites and
make sure they were on appropriate spiritual terms before moving
forward.
The Psalmist
gives thanks for the gift of healing. It was commonly accepted that
illness was a punishment for some sin. Healing was a sign of forgiveness
and reconciliation. A right relationship has been restored between man
and God.
Paul, in his
Epistle, is talking about the reconciling act of Christ that makes us a
new creation. The human point of view is not to be regarded because it
is no longer relevant. God knew what was needed and took the appropriate
action that we might be in a right relationship forever and always.
All that
talk about reconciliation means what for us today? Its all just so many
words unless it has some place in our lives right now.
As you might
guess, I think it has some major implications for us at Ascension right
now. We’re 8 weeks away from the start of Pastor Brian’s sabbatical
leave. We’re also a congregation that is still trying to find its way
after some major upheaval and rather painful transitions. This isn’t the
same place I first came to 7 years ago. It isn’t the same place so many
of you have known for a great many more years.
When the
subject of Brian’s sabbatical first came up my immediate response was,
“Tell me what I can do to help make sure this happens.” I was an avid
proponent of this from the very beginning for two different reasons.
First, I believe it is the right thing for Brian at this point in his
ministry. He needs the opportunity to reflect on where he’s been and
where he’s headed. He also needs the opportunity to recharge his
spiritual and intellectual batteries that this time of study – both self
study and language study – will provide. I know what sabbaticals do for
our faculty members at the seminary. The work is intense and the time to
draw away for rest and renewal is critical to keeping good people doing
what they are trained and called to do.
I think it’s
an equally important opportunity for those of us who will remain behind
here at Ascension. However, I don’t see it as a waiting period where we
do nothing more than just mark time until the pastor comes back. This is
our congregation, our community and our ministry. Ascension was here
before Brian came and it will be here when the inevitable day comes that
he is no longer our pastor.
This is our
collective opportunity to find our own voice as God’s people in this
place. We need to enter into a period of active waiting. Not just
marking time, but actively searching, listening, looking for where God
is leading us. Every last one of us needs to take an active role in some
way in the ministry that takes place from May 8 until late July. We all
need to recognize that with or without pastoral leadership, we have a
place, a mission and a ministry that we are called to share with one
another and the world.
When the
sabbatical came up did you respond like or see one of the characters in
the parable? Was there some part of you that thought, for even a moment,
that Brian was the younger son? That the council was the father? Did you
have even a nano-second of response like the elder son? If you did that
just means your human. It also means we are all in need of
reconciliation at some point – for me that’s pretty much every day.
I know,
you’re all looking at me and thinking, “Easy for you to say – you’ve
been to seminary yourself.” I want you to understand that this wasn’t
easy for me. The first time I was asked to serve communion I said no.
The first time I served as a liturgist I had what I believe was the one
and only full-blown panic attack I’ve ever had. When I was first asked
to preach – by the chair of the synod’s professional leadership
committee – I backpedaled as fast as I could – then I agreed to do it.
Eventually I
did all of those things and more. I learned, and I kept doing it until I
was at least competent if not confident. I still prefer to stay in the
background to this day, but I’ll willingly step up front when I think
it’s appropriate. I also know that I will continue to be nervous and
that I’ll make mistakes. However, I know it’s survivable, and that grace
covers my mistakes. I still have to take time for centering prayer
before I come out here on a Sunday morning. You are a pretty forgiving
group and I trust that we are a loving family. I’ve reconciled myself to
the call God extended to me. And I’ve re-created myself to fulfill that
call.
Let’s use
this time ahead of us to find ways to pull together, to reconcile what
we were with what we are becoming. Most important, let’s make sure we
are becoming something that is more than the sum of our individual
parts. Take a chance when you’re asked to step in and help. Voice the
idea you have and see what might come of it. Be willing to step outside
what is your normal place in this community of believers. Know that your
fears and concerns are normal, but try to set them aside.
I’ve stepped
forward and agreed to do what I can. Each of us needs to figure out what
it is that we can do for one another. Some will make phone calls or
visits. Some will help get bulletins and newsletters ready. A few of you
will take the opportunity to share either your own thoughts or something
that speaks deeply to you from this pulpit. And our extended family here
in Austin stands ready to help us if they are needed.
On a much
deeper level, I truly hope we use this time to re-create Ascension
Lutheran Church. Let’s step beyond what we were and start looking more
actively at what we are now and where we want to go in the coming years.
Let’s actively look for reconciliation so we can move into re-creation.
There is so much we can do together.
Then, in
late July or perhaps early August, there’s going to be a feast. Our own
“prodigal” is going to return to us and it won’t be a surprise. We’ll
have plenty of time to prepare our own version of the fatted calf and
call everybody to come to the party. He will have had time to reconcile
and re-create and so will we. Then we can move on to recreation.
Amen
Anna Livingston
