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The Prodigal Father
Luke 15:11- 32 Three kids were bragging about their dads. One of the kids said, “My dad’s so smart he can talk for one hour on any subject.” Another one replied, “My dad’s so smart he can talk for two hours on any subject.” The third kid, wanting to top his friends’ boasting said, “My dad’s so smart he can talk for 3 hours and doesn’t even need a subject!”^1 As we worship this morning, we celebrate the goodness of our Heavenly Father, and we also remember our earthly paternal figures. We remember their love and support; the challenges they have faced and the impact they have made. We remember them for who they are or who they were; and, we can choose to be grateful regardless of their nature. As we take the time to reflect on God’s word, I want to share with you the parable of The Prodigal Father. You are familiar with the story of The Prodigal Son ; the guy who partied super hard and squandered his very life. However, I don’t want to talk about the prodigal son, but instead the prodigal father. Perhaps, you have never seen the story in the Bible of the father who left home chasing after his own desires. Perhaps, you have never heard the Biblical story of the father who selfishly spent everything he had and made on himself without sending a single child support check. Perhaps, you have not heard this story as a single narrative; but, if we put together the parental stories of many folks in the Bible we can see a very complicated picture where messiness and brokenness is all over the place. (^1) Retrieved from https://www.dodgevilleumc.org/2015/the-fathers-role/
We can name Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Gilead, and David. These were folks who had to deal with lots of dysfunction and pain in their families. They were great in some respects. However, they left much to be desired in other areas. The reason I am talking about messiness, brokenness and dysfunction is because we have learned to associate the word prodigal with these terms. The negative connotation of prodigal comes from the wild behavior of the youngest child as described in the parable of The Prodigal Son. The young man was a hot mess. He treated his father with contempt. He extravagantly wasted the inheritance he received from his family. He created lots of shadows and troubles, and brought shame upon himself with his reckless behavior. But, here is the thing. In the parable, the youngest son is not the only one who can be described as prodigal. The older brother was prodigal, too. By definition, prodigal not only means wasteful. It also means extravagant. When we look at the story, we see how the older son threw an extravagant fit. The older son wildly voiced his dislike for his brother as well as for his father. His anger was excessive and unrestrained. In addition, his view of himself was over-the-top. The older brother was prodigal as well; a different kind, but nevertheless a prodigal son. But, there is more. The sons are not the only ones who are prodigal. Actually, the father is the most prodigal of the three. When the father was demanded to release the inheritance, he replied not with the needed correction most of us would administer; instead, he replied with extravagant generosity. The father not only gave a part of his wealth to his youngest son, but he also gave the oldest son his
Church, this parable reminds us of the “overwhelming, never ending, [and] reckless” love of God. God loves us lavishly and extravagantly. For a prodigal people, God has streams of unending mercy, grace, and love. I believe that the prodigal love of our Father God is the foundation of all hope. When the lost son was in a desperate situation – when he had no money, no shelter, no food, nor did he experience love or compassion – what made him come back to his senses, what made him hope for forgiveness and acceptance again, was the extravagant generosity of his father. He thought, “All my father’s hired workers have plenty of food” (Luke 15:17). The father was generous not only to his sons, but to the whole household. Here is what I want us to remember. God is our Heavenly Prodigal Father. And, when we find ourselves in moments of despair, shadows, and conflict, we can hope for a better future because God, in his extravagant love, is always creating new opportunities and offering salvation. When we are at odds with God and each other, we can find a way forward by receiving and channeling God’s radical love and grace. We can experience healing and restoration because the Prodigal Father pours upon us relentless, outrageous, and unexpected goodness and mercy. It’s because we have a Prodigal Father that our mess and wreckage becomes a message. We have an extremely GOOD, GOOD, Prodigal Father!
