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<P><FONT size=4>The father goes out to him and begs him to join the party, to
celebrate the return of the one who was lost and is found, was dead and is
restored to life. The father asks him to let go of his anger and
resentment, let go of his grievance, let go of his own righteousness and
superiority, let go of his sexual jealousy – and enter the Kingdom.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>Will he do it?</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>We don’t know. That’s part of the wonder of this
story: Jesus/Luke leaves the ending open.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>Personally, I don’t think he will, or that he can. I see
him as the type of all those righteous people who fail, by their own choice, to
enter the Kingdom.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>So his is a tragic story: he has failed to choose
life. He can console himself with bitter thoughts of how virtuous he is,
and how unfair the father is, and how “disordered” his gay brother is – while he
stands outside alone in the dark.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>That is his “hell” – and he’s chosen it for
himself.</FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://gospelforgays.com/?p=741"><FONT
size=4>http://gospelforgays.com/?p=741</FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Jerry Bartram </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Methinks whatever else Jesus means, he means us all to be
prodigals with the grace God bestows so prodigally on us. Even if that means
learning the hard way that it's better to 'pitch our moving tent a day's march
nearer home' than to stay in any far land. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><A
href="http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/laterallyluke/LLK151132LENT4.html"><FONT
size=4>http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/laterallyluke/LLK151132LENT4.html</FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Brian McGowan</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>It was not uncommon for parents to settle their estate before
their death. It was like retiring and putting the family farm into a
corporate trust for the children. As a second child, this boy could
rightfully ask for one-third of his father’s estate, just as the elder brother
could rightfully ask for two-thirds. Each child would be in charge of his
portion of the property, which included slaves, siblings, their spouses, and
even their children.<BR>Yet, knowing what we know of the elder brother, would we
want to work for him?<BR>Given the situation, are we so sure that the younger
brother obstinately <EM>walked out</EM> on his responsibilities or was he
<EM>driven out</EM> by an irresponsible older sibling?<BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><A
href="http://onefamilyoutreach.com/bible/Luke/lk_15_01-32.html">http://onefamilyoutreach.com/bible/Luke/lk_15_01-32.html</A></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Jerry Goebel: 2007 © </FONT><A
style="COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; text-underline: single"
href="http://onefamilyoutreach.com/"><FONT
size=4>http://onefamilyoutreach.com</FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT
size=4></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4> Interestingly
enough, theologian </FONT><FONT size=4>Karl Barth</FONT><FONT size=4> heard
something else in this parable. "We do not do justice to the story if we do not
see and say that in the going out and coming in of the lost son in his
relationship with the father we have a most illuminating parallel to the way
trodden by Jesus Christ in the work of the atonement, to His humiliation and
exaltation" (p. 23, <I>Church Dogmatics</I></FONT><FONT size=4> IV:2</FONT><FONT
size=4>, ©1958, </FONT><FONT size=4>T&T Clark</FONT><FONT size=4>). Unlike
the prodigal, our Lord didn't demand his inheritance from God, but still he left
for a "far country." There he lived and died as a servant (cf. </FONT><FONT
size=4>Philippians 2:5-11</FONT><FONT size=4>). The homecoming of the son of man
brought great joy in heaven, and created a community of joy on earth - the
church (which holds out open arms to tax collectors and sinners, as well as
pharisees and scribes).</FONT><FONT size=3> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><A
href="http://rockhay.tripod.com/sermons/texts/NT/gospels/luke_15_01-32.htm">http://rockhay.tripod.com/sermons/texts/NT/gospels/luke_15_01-32.htm</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Peter L. Haynes, 2001</FONT><FONT size=3> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=3><FONT size=4>The words spoken to the elder son
were implicitly directed to Jesus' opponents. They repeat, gently and
imploringly, the justification for the festive celebration: "Son, you are always
with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be
glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost and is found."
As the climax to a spoken parable in a setting of actual controversy over table
fellowship, the final words hang in the air trailing an unexpressed question.
Will the elder son join the festivity? Or will he let his own standard of proper
behavior prevent him from joining the celebration? Will the protesters'
commitment to the quest for holiness make them adamant that outcasts such as
these cannot be part of the people of God? For them to have accepted the
invitation would have required a seismic change in their understanding of what
the people of God were intended to be, a radical reorientation of both their
perception and their animating vision, one that would fundamentally transform
their social world.</FONT> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><BR><A
href="http://wiki.faithfutures.org/index.php?title=Lent_4C">http://wiki.faithfutures.org/index.php?title=Lent_4C</A><BR></DIV></FONT>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Faith Futures Jesus Then & Now</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>So how will things be different? Will the younger son repeat
his stunt seventy times seven times? Will he bring new technology from afar and
make the land more productive? Will he be a catalyst for a moment of revelation
by his brother? Will he find himself slain in a field at Cain's long
hand?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><A
href="http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2007/03/fourth-sunday-in-lent-c4.html">http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2007/03/fourth-sunday-in-lent-c4.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Wesley White, 2007</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>
<P>17"At last she came to her senses and said, `All my mamma's employees make a
living wage plus benefits, and they have more than they can eat. But here I am
eating Union Mission soup and starving? 18I will get up and go to my mother and
say, Mamma, I have turned away from God and disrespected you. I am not worth a
damn! 19I am no longer fit to be called your daughter; treat me as one of your
part-time employees.' 20So she got up and started back home. </P>
<P>"She was still several blocks from home when her mother saw her baby get off
the bus; her mamma's heart was filled with compassion, and she ran, threw her
arms 'round her daughter, and hugged and kissed her. </P></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><A
href="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3861/is_200201/ai_n9050471/">http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3861/is_200201/ai_n9050471/</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Ed Loring, 2002</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>
<P><FONT color=#ff0000 size=5
face="Times New Roman, sans-serif, serif, Arial"><B>O</B></FONT><FONT size=4
face="Times New Roman, sans-serif, serif, Arial">ne Sunday morning I divided the
congregation at a barrio mass into small groups. I asked them to discuss the
Gospel, the one we have today, the story of the defiant son and the prodigal
Father. After some time an old man raised his hand asking to speak. "How come,
Father," he asked, "that Jesus Christ allowed a bad story like this into the
Gospel? Isn't it clear that the father should not have forgiven his son? This
story is a very bad example to be giving our children. Do you think that we
could ask the Holy Father to have it erased?"<BR></FONT></P></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.bible.claret.org/liturgy/daily/sundays_pierse/cycleC/C_4thSunLent.htm">http://www.bible.claret.org/liturgy/daily/sundays_pierse/cycleC/C_4thSunLent.htm</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Gerry Pierse, 1998</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Sharon Ringe suggests that the title for this lesson should be
the "Parable of Two Beloved Sons." Whether we view the story from the younger or
the older brother's perspective, the result is the same. The younger brother
sees his father squinting as he watches his beloved son approach, then runs to
embrace him and pardon him for everything that has come between them. The elder
brother has his father's abiding presence, a share of all he possesses, and the
joy of celebrating their love in daily life. With God, as with this earthly
father, there is no end to the love. This is not a zero-sum game but a win-win
situation.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT
size=4></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><A
href="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1058/is_5_124/ai_n27172442/">http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1058/is_5_124/ai_n27172442/</A></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Beth Sanders,<I> </I>2007</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoBodyText><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT size=4>We have to
understand this, the elder son is offered an invitation to the celebration and –
because of his self-righteousness – he refuses to come in. God does not
condemn either child, God welcomes both children; but one child refuses God’s
invitation and chooses to remain in the dark, in his own personal
hell.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT size=4>Jesus sat with
sinners and tax collectors and invited the religiously righteous to the
party. They chose instead to curse our Lord and reject the
celebration. They were a breath away from celebration and chose hatred
instead.</FONT></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoBodyText><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT size=4>God does not
reject us, we reject Him! He throws open the door to all but we refuse to
dine with the ‘likes of them.” Yet, heaven is filled with the “likes of
them.” Heaven is all about the return from the brink of the “likes of
them.” Will God find us loving “the likes of them?”</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoBodyText><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><A
href="http://onefamilyoutreach.com/bible/Luke/lk_15_01-32.htm"><FONT
size=4>http://onefamilyoutreach.com/bible/Luke/lk_15_01-32.htm</FONT></A></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoBodyText><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT
size=4>Jerry Goebel</FONT></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoBodyText><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT size=4>- - - -
-</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoBodyText><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT
size=4></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoBodyText><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT size=4><FONT
face="Trebuchet MS"> </FONT> In truth, this parable
serves to remind those who have faithfully laboured in the Father's service,
godly churchies, that their standing in the sight of God is on the same basis as
the more notorious members of Christ's fellowship. Repentance (turning to God
for mercy) is the only basis for forgiveness and acceptance in the sight of God.
Once we understand that our own acceptance is wholly on the basis of God's
freely given mercy, we are then able to be "glad" with the Lord, "because this
brother of ours was dead and is alive again; was lost and is found."
<BR></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoBodyText><FONT size=4><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.lectionarystudies.com/studyg/lent4cg.html">http://www.lectionarystudies.com/studyg/lent4cg.html</A></FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoBodyText><FONT size=4><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT
size=4></FONT></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoBodyText><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT size=4>Bryan
Findlayson</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>I would emphasize the words which entitle this essay: "All
that I have is yours" (15:31). <STRONG>The problem of the older son is that he
has forgotten the mercy of God. He tends to see his life as one of service that
has, over the years, become interpreted as slavery. In seeing one's life in this
way we lose the capacity to understand mercy</STRONG>. We lose the capacity to
recognize the riches that we <EM>do have</EM> because we are always focusing on
what we <EM>don't have</EM>.</FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT
size=4></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.drbilllong.com/Lectionary/Lk15.html">http://www.drbilllong.com/Lectionary/Lk15.html</A></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=style1><FONT size=4>Bill Long, 2007</FONT> </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=style1><FONT size=4>v. 31. The verse ought to be memorized.
Each part is a sermon in itself. <EM>Teknon</EM> (child) is how the father
addresses the older son. Why doesn't he say, "My son"? "You are always with me."
Isn't that a big phrase? And, bigger still is, "All that is mine is yours." If
we truly took in that verse, we would never complain again.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.drbilllong.com/Lectionary/Lk15II.html">http://www.drbilllong.com/Lectionary/Lk15II.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>
<DIV><SPAN class=style1><FONT size=4>Bill Long, 2007</FONT> </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></FONT></DIV>
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