Trinity IX Fr. Forrest Burgett
Trinity Anglican Church Given 08/21/11
“It is meet that we should make merry, and be glad; for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.” (St. Luke xv. 32)
Our text today is not one of the frequently quoted phrases of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. However, it gives us the most relevant piece of advice contained in the parable. It reminds us of the importance of forgiveness in a relationship with God. We do not forgive God, but we are to forgive each other as God forgives us. Granted, our efforts at forgiveness are not always productive, but our intentions are good and we cannot quit trying. We try, fail and repent and then try again. God’s forgiveness and mercy always gives us a chance to repent and measure up.
Americans love to measure things. We love statistics. We compare the gas mileage on our favorite vehicles. We track our favorite sports teams and compare statistics. We measure our houses by square footage or number of rooms. We measure our college applicants by their SATs. We constantly measure ourselves against our neighbors to see if we are keeping up. Measuring can be destructive if it becomes a goal in itself. On the other hand, it can be used to evaluate and modify our behavior as we work toward our dreams and goals. How else can we know whether our efforts are getting us closer or farther from our objectives?
What would happen if we applied that love of measuring to our faith? What could we expect to gain? Again it depends on the objective. If we are simply looking for bragging rights, or to compare favorably with our neighbors, our gain is probably not significant. The biggest fish in a small pond is not going to feed the world without Jesus’ miracle. On the other hand, if we are truly trying to measure our faith, determine our shortcomings and develop a plan to improve, we are on the right track. But even that is not enough. Will Rogers said, “Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.”
Assuming we are on the right track, how do we measure progress of our faith? Do we count the number of services attended? How about the number of times we remember to say grace before a meal? The possibilities are endless. We could count daily prayers, work donated, time donated, treasure given and even sins avoided. Evaluation of progress is not quite that easy. For example, which counts more, participating in a service or scrubbing the floor? Will extra donations of time, talent and treasure excuse our lack of diligence in daily prayers? Do sins avoided compensate for missed services? We are on the right track but so far we are still just sitting there.
The Epistle today encourages us to avoid temptation and tells us we will not be tempted beyond what we can bear. While the idea is comforting, at one time or another, most of us have asked God if he was sure it is not more than we can bear. Today’s Gospel is just full of temptation – most of which was not avoided. The prodigal son yielded to the temptation to satisfy his earthly desires with no thought for tomorrow. Of course, he finally found the strength and spirit to do what was right. But his repentance is only part of the story. The brother of the prodigal son yielded to the temptation of pride. He insisted on extracting a price from the prodigal son for his deviance. We actually do not know whether the brother recognized his sin and forgave the prodigal son. In this one story, we are shown two different avenues leading to inappropriate behavior.
If you were measuring each brother’s actions, which would you say best followed Christ’s teaching? We must evaluate their state at the end of the story to include all the facts. As the story ends without stating the brother’s forgiveness of the prodigal son, I would have to say the prodigal son leaves the best example, even though he committed many grievous sins compared to the single sin of pride by the brother.
The brother may seem to be on higher moral ground based on his hardworking history. We are all empathetic toward someone who works hard and we want to see them get their just deserts. Jesus tells us we will not have justice in this world. He mercifully forgives us repeatedly and he would have us do the same to those around us. The bottom line is that relationships are more important than any of the details involved in a disagreement. He did not say that we must always accede to others. He simply said relationships should be our first and primary concern in dealing with each other.
I believe the maintenance and restoration of relationships is the most vital message in this parable. The prodigal son took an action that could well have destroyed the family relationship. His father did not just give him room and board as he asked. He re-established the family relationship with a grand celebration. The father showed the real nature of forgiveness. The prodigal son was spiritually restored and brought back into the family relationship. The surly brother was understandably upset about the celebration and rightfully concerned about his inheritance. He did not share his father’s need to restore the relationship. Pride in his own discipline drove him away from the family relationship. He wanted the father to choose between his errant son and his faithful one. He missed the point that we are designed by God to flourish in relationships. Relationships are how we show our faith and trust in God. Relationships with others are the measure of our relationship with God. The father provided a Christ-like example of how we should handle all our relationships. He forgave the prodigal and exhorted the brother to forgive him as well. Only with forgiveness can we show the Christ-like love required by the relationship of our personal and church family. For the justice seekers out there, we should re-iterate, the material rights of the prodigal son were not restored. It was the spiritual communion that was restored.
There is also a rational reason to make relationships the key measurement of our faith. It goes like this. If we love God, we are compelled to love his creations. Of all God’s creations, who is more deserving of love than those created in His image? Not only must we love people created in His image, we must also love the church. It too, is a creation of God. It is the body of which Christ is the head.
It is easy to say we love the church. We don’t always appreciate its guidance when it interferes with our personal preferences. Still we know the teachings are true and we need its comfort and encouragement. The church is more than an organization. It is the body of which Christ is the head. Just like the prodigal son’s family, it is not enough to love just the head. You must love, honor, cherish, forgive and comfort each and every member of the body. That is not so easy to do. Individuals can be a source of irritation and sometimes they unintentionally step on our personal sensitivities. Unfortunately, even the most callous have these tender areas. How can we be expected to love someone who offends us with an off-handed comment? Intellectually, we know they don’t really intend to offend us personally, but offense happens, and differences are magnified, and relationships strained, before the echo of the comment gets a chance to fade away.
Any good measurement is difficult and measuring relationships is no different. It takes a conscious effort and confidence in each other to avoid an unthinking reaction that might harm a relationship. Paul advises us to train and discipline ourselves – spiritual, mental and physical – to make love and trust in others a habit. Habits are our first reactions – expressed before we consider the consequences. Our love of God requires we accept all people including their mistakes. We cannot mold their every action or reaction to suit our preference. So, how can we improve our relationships and the measure of our faith? St. Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians gives us good advice.
“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; forbearing one another and forgiving one another. . . .And above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness and let the peace of God rule in your hearts.”
This advice is very hard to follow, but consider the potential peace available in your own heart if you can do so. We all know out attitude can greatly affect the outcome of any interaction with someone else. It is easy to assume the other person harbors an inappropriate motive. With that start, the relationship is doomed to a downward spiral. We have much more control over relationships than we think.
Every person we meet presents a potential for a relationship. The number of relationships available to each of us is overwhelming. Nevertheless, each one is important to someone and part of the measurement of our faith. Our concern should always be, “Are my relationships reflecting my love of God?”
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
(St. Matthew xxv, 40)