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width=380 align=left>March 10, 2013</TD>
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align=left><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><STRONG>Sermons for
Lent 4</STRONG></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Luke 15:1-3,
11b-32</SPAN><SPAN>- <STRONG>"The Other Prodigal Son"
</STRONG></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Luke 15:1-3,
11b-32 - <STRONG>"Are You Part of the Scandal?"</STRONG> by Leonard
Sweet</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=522030504-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=522030504-06032013> </SPAN>Luke 15<SPAN
class=522030504-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> , </FONT></SPAN> the sermon title "The Other
Prodigal Son"<SPAN class=522030504-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff
size=2 face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN> <SPAN
class=522030504-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=522030504-06032013> </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>In 1986 Henri
Nouwen, a Dutch theologian and writer, toured St. Petersburg,
Russia, the former Leningrad. While there he visited the famous
Hermitage where he saw, among other things, Rembrandt's painting of
the Prodigal Son. The painting was in a hallway and received the
natural light of a nearby window. Nouwen stood for two hours,
mesmerized by this remarkable painting. As he stood there the sun
changed, and at every change of the light's angle he saw a different
aspect of the painting revealed. He would later write: "There were
as many paintings in the Prodigal Son as there were changes in the
day."<BR><BR>It is difficult for us to see something new in the
parable of the Prodigal son. We have heard the story so many times
we believe that we have squeezed it dry of meaning. Not only that,
but, as the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt. When we hear
the opening words of the parable once again, "And there was a Father
who had two sons," we greet the words with ho-hum. Heard it. Heard
it. Heard it.<BR><BR>Yet, I would suggest that just as Henri Nouwen
saw a half dozen different facets to Rembrandt's painting of the
Prodigal Son, so too are there many different angles to the story
itself. This morning I would like for us to re-examine this familiar
story by looking at the other prodigal son... </SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>The rest of
this sermon can be obtained by joining <A
title=blocked::http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0012Ba3gPZjZbuXfBljSZOFJ9_RGsvDcTcAXLlyfk2Q9yVNAJgPyPwokYUP81nSOQgngYWAd4V9UZR6gNhGVuTy-tS4ry0V570LY0cY3gFVDPil2oLxrZrjv_AwssnlT4sg
href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0012Ba3gPZjZbuXfBljSZOFJ9_RGsvDcTcAXLlyfk2Q9yVNAJgPyPwokYUP81nSOQgngYWAd4V9UZR6gNhGVuTy-tS4ry0V570LY0cY3gFVDPil2oLxrZrjv_AwssnlT4sg"
shape=rect target=_blank><SPAN
title=blocked::http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0012Ba3gPZjZbuXfBljSZOFJ9_RGsvDcTcAXLlyfk2Q9yVNAJgPyPwokYUP81nSOQgngYWAd4V9UZR6gNhGVuTy-tS4ry0V570LY0cY3gFVDPil2oLxrZrjv_AwssnlT4sg>http://www.sermons.com/signup</SPAN></A></SPAN><SPAN>
</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P
style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>_______________________</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=522030504-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Luke 15<SPAN
class=522030504-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> , </FONT></SPAN> the sermon titled "<SPAN>Are
You Part of the Scandal?</SPAN>" by Leonard Sweet<SPAN
class=522030504-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=522030504-06032013> </SPAN> </SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>In many local
elementary schools, every few weeks the "Lost and Found" box is
emptied out and the contents are scattered down the length of the
main hall. Coats, mittens, shoes, sweatshirts, gym clothes, are all
laid down and spread out in the hopes that their owners will spot
them and take them home. But the scene of all those empty clothes
creates an eerie sensation, as if it is not the clothes that had
been left behind, but that the children themselves have somehow been
"lost" - zapped out of their clothes and transported to somewhere
far away. For any parent walking down those empty halls, those empty
clothes give an empty feeling, a feeling that is disturbing and
desolate.</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Losing track of
a child is every parent's worst nightmare. It only takes a moment to
go from peaceful to panic when you suddenly realize that somehow,
someone has gone astray. And, sorry to tell you this, it is a worry
that never stops. Just when you think you have gotten through the
scary "I can walk but not really talk" phase, children go off to
pre-school and kindergarten - out of our sight for hours on end.
Then they get older and want to do things like ride their bikes to a
friend's house, or go to the mall by themselves, or "hang-out"
without you quite knowing where they are or what they are doing. For
some reason teenagers always insist on getting driver's licenses and
then they graduate from high school and go off to college, or join
the military, or get their own place. It doesn't matter how old they
get - parents still want to know where their "kids" are and how they
are doing. "Out of sight" definitely does not mean, for a father or
mother, "out of mind."</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>But good
parents also know there is a time and place when letting go is
necessary. To grow and develop their own sense of responsibility, to
take their own actions seriously, and to learn to live with the
consequences of those actions, children have to let go of the
"family lifeboat" and dare to test the untamed waters of the
world.</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Yet for Jesus'
first-century audience, such a message was unfamiliar...</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>The rest of
this sermon can be obtained by joining <A
title=blocked::http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0012Ba3gPZjZbuXfBljSZOFJ9_RGsvDcTcAXLlyfk2Q9yVNAJgPyPwokYUP81nSOQgngYWAd4V9UZR6gNhGVuTy-tS4ry0V570LY0cY3gFVDPil2oLxrZrjv_AwssnlT4sg
href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0012Ba3gPZjZbuXfBljSZOFJ9_RGsvDcTcAXLlyfk2Q9yVNAJgPyPwokYUP81nSOQgngYWAd4V9UZR6gNhGVuTy-tS4ry0V570LY0cY3gFVDPil2oLxrZrjv_AwssnlT4sg"
shape=rect target=_blank><SPAN
title=blocked::http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0012Ba3gPZjZbuXfBljSZOFJ9_RGsvDcTcAXLlyfk2Q9yVNAJgPyPwokYUP81nSOQgngYWAd4V9UZR6gNhGVuTy-tS4ry0V570LY0cY3gFVDPil2oLxrZrjv_AwssnlT4sg>http://www.sermons.com/signup</SPAN></A></SPAN><SPAN>
</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P
style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>______________________________</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=522030504-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=522030504-06032013> </SPAN>God Said...<SPAN
class=522030504-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=522030504-06032013> </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Is there a
better picture of forgiveness in the whole Bible? It reminds me of a
story about a woman who had upset her pastor because she claimed
that she had conversations with God. She had attracted quite a
following in the church and every day people gathered at her house,
got on their knees, prayed, sang hymns and listened to her describe
what God was saying to her.</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>The pastor
thought all this was getting out of hand, so he went to visit her.
"I know you say you are talking with God," he said, "but what you
hear talking back at you is just your imagination. Just to prove it,
I want you to ask God to name three of the sins that I confessed
this morning. Then tell me what God said. If you can name those
sins, I'll believe that you really are talking with God." The woman
sat there for a long while, praying. Then she looked up and said, "I
asked God to name your three sins, but God said, 'I
forgot.'"</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Norm Linville,
The Prodigal Father</SPAN></P>
<P
style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>________________<SPAN
class=522030504-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=522030504-06032013> </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>He Seeks Until
He Finds You<SPAN class=522030504-06032013><FONT color=#0000ff
size=2 face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN><SPAN
class=522030504-06032013> </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>There is a
wonderful story about Maya Angelou. She is an active member now of
Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco. She wrote
that years ago when she first came to San Francisco as a young woman
she became sophisticated. She said that was what you were supposed
to do when you go to San Francisco, you become sophisticated. And
for that reason she said she became agnostic. She thought the two
went together. She said that it wasn't that she stopped believing in
God, just that God no longer frequented the neighborhoods that she
frequented.</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>She was taking
voice lessons at the time. Her teacher gave her an exercise where
she was to read out of some religious pamphlet. The reading ended
with these words: "God loves me." She finished the reading, put the
pamphlet down. The teacher said, "I want you to read that last
sentence again." So she picked it up, read it again, this time
somewhat sarcastically, then put it down again. The teacher said,
"Read it again." She read it again. Then she described what
happened. "After about the seventh repetition I began to sense there
might be some truth in this statement. That there was a possibility
that God really loves me, Maya Angelou. I suddenly began to cry at
the grandness of it all. I knew if God loved me, I could do
wonderful things. I could do great things. I could learn anything. I
could achieve anything. For what could stand against me with God,
since one person, any person, with God form a majority now."
</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>There are many
people who are just like that. They think it is unbelievable that
God would know me, that God would love me, that God would know my
name. Just the grandness of it, as Maya Angelou says, that God would
really love me. But that is the gospel. He seeks you until he finds
you. She found that God found her, in San Francisco. </SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>Mark Trotter,
Collected Sermons, <A shape=rect><SPAN>www.Sermons.com</SPAN></A>
</SPAN></P>
<P
style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN>________________________________</SPAN></P>
<P
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