Lent IV, Cycle C

"A Different Point of View"

March 14, 2010

The Rev. Dr. David M. Wendel

Saint Luke's Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs

Lessons: Joshua 5:9-12; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; St. Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The words of St. Paul in our second lesson can be a bit troubling. He writes, "From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view.if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!" And what is troubling about Paul's words, is the suggestion that we no longer regard anyone from a human point of view. And that's troubling, isn't it, because we do regard others from a human point of view. It would be great if we could view others from the perspective of God, in Christ Jesus, who in Jesus has given us a ministry of healing and reconciliation. But—it doesn't work that way for most of us. We're not that good at viewing others with reconciliation in mind. We are not such good ambassadors for Christ, proclaiming and living the message of reconciliation. Rather, we continue to regard others from a decidedly human point of view.

Take the parable Jesus tells in our Gospel lesson for today. We look at this all-too-familiar tale, and find much in it that is baffling, from a human point of view. Oh, the so-called prodigal son, we understand, because from a human point of view, such rebellion against authority, even and especially the authority of one's own parent, is part and parcel of growing up in the world as we know it. We have seen such blatant, ignorant action in our own families, in our own households, maybe in our own lives, as sometimes, we ourselves have been the rebellious son or daughter, taking what our parents will give us, and heading off to seek our fortune—only to end up penniless, ashamed, crawling back home having squandered what was given to us—hoping mom and dad will let us live in their basement. That all-too-human rejection of one's parental units, we can grasp, because many of us have been there—whether as children or parents. And, we have to say, from a human point of view, we can also relate to the older brother, who is the steady, stable one, who is the one who has really earned the father's trust and love, by not rebelling, by not going off on a wasteful journey that ends in disaster. From a human perspective, the elder brother has every right to be jealous, and angry when the younger returns and is welcomed, and even celebrated.

What most of us don't understand, is the reaction of the Father. We see his actions, and consider him, in his own way, as being as wasteful and profligate as the younger son. Many human fathers would've disowned their son, refused to receive him back, been fine with letting the younger son work alongside the servants. From a human point of view, the father should've practiced a little "tough love", shouldn't have made it so easy on the errant child, should've appreciated the reliable responsible-ness of the elder brother, by NOT welcoming the younger home with open arms. All-in-all, the behavior of the father makes little sense, from a human way of seeing all that transpired. And yet, that's what St. Paul is saying, in his letter to the Corinthians. That in Christ, we are not to see things from a human point of view—that we are not supposed to judge things from the human perspective of rewards and punishments. For in Christ, the new eyes of faith see, not so much from the worldly lenses of retributive justice, tit for tat, you do this, you get punished, you do that and you get rewarded—rather, in Christ, the new way of looking is through the 3-D glasses of reconciliation, mercy and forgiveness. That's what the parable of the prodigal son is meant to teach us. That's the new point of view the Scriptures are offering to us—that we may begin, in Christ, to regard others as new creations, as we ourselves, live as the new creations that we are, in Christ Jesus! Because that's the trouble, really, isn't it. We don't regard others as new creations in Christ, because we are not living as the new creations God has created us to be, through the death and resurrection of Jesus. In Him, we are now to be new creations—the old you and me have passed away, and we are to be new people in Christ Jesus. We just find it hard to live that way in our day-to-day existence. Rather than live as the godly, resurrection people we are, we continue to live as worldly, secular people who look at things the way every other worldly, secular person looks at things in everyday life. We judge others, we criticize others, we hold on to grudges, we refuse to forgive—for what we consider to be very good and justified reasons. When someone wrongs us, or our parents, or our kids; when someone acts ignorantly and causes us or our loved ones harm; when we see others act in ways that are disrespectful, destructive, and contrary to the common good, we naturally react in ways that may be unduly harsh and judgmental—unwilling to be taken advantage of, unwilling to be anyone's patsy. We don't like to be seen as weak or vulnerable, because that can invite even greater abuse, so we stand tall, and stand strong against what we perceive as those who may be treating us wrongly. And from a human way of thinking, that what real life requires. And yet, the parable Jesus tells us today, is aimed at getting us to at least imagine a different way of reacting.

The parable Jesus tells us today is brilliant, in that it helps us to see how a father might react differently, to a rebellious, disobedient younger son, and his prideful, judgmental older sibling. The parable is wonderful, in that we see ourselves in it in so many different ways. We are the younger son. We are the older brother. And yet, we are not so much the loving, forgiving father—which confronts us with our behavior, which is so often unloving, unmerciful, unforgiving. And there, in this simple parable, we see the two ways of regarding and treating people—from a human perspective, or from a divine perspective. From a really divine perspective, because what Jesus is suggesting here, is not first, that you and I are the father, but first, that you and I are the younger or older sons—and that God, is the forgiving, merciful father. So that we see in the Father God, the very love and compassion and acceptance and welcome that God offers to each of us—in spite of ourselves. For whether we are the younger or the older son; whether our sin is rebelliousness, greed, or a dissolute way of life, as with the younger son, or arrogance, selfishness and an unforgiving attitude as with the elder son, the message is that God loves each of us, and both of us, equally—and with the same mercy and grace. As St. Augustine said, "God loves each of us, as if there were only one of us." That is divine love, and that is the love we are to manifest, because we have been loved, completely, unconditionally, by our Father. Loved by our Father, not with a hesitant, uncertain love—but with a love that has our Father running to meet us, showering us with His gifts of grace, providing for us a banquet—a banquet of love, as we come together at the Lord's Table to receive, not the fatted calf, but the Lamb of God, slaughtered, sacrificed to celebrate that the dead are now alive, the lost have been found, there is a chance for reconciliation and forgiveness, and to seal that, we are invited to celebrate at a feast offered in our honor. That's what it means to see, not from a human perspective, but from a divine point of view—as we are called to love as we have been loved; to show mercy as we have been shown mercy; to forgive as we've been forgiven. And that's why we are now called to be ourselves, ambassadors of Christ. Because we are reconciled to God the Father, through Jesus Christ; because we are loved and forgiven, we are now to live lives of love, mercy and forgiveness—whether in our homes or families, whether at work or out in the world, and yes, even here within the Body of Christ.we are to love and forgive as we have been loved and forgiven; we are to be reconcilers and peace-makers, as ambassadors of Christ Jesus. This is what it means for us to be new creations, in Christ Jesus. St. Chrysostom, connecting Paul's description with the image of the Father clothing his son with the best robe in the parable of the Prodigal Son, writes, "here Paul shows that those who, by their faith in Christ, have put off, like an old cloak, the burden of their sins, and been illumined in the light of justification, having received this new and shining cloak, this royal robe. This is why Paul said, "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature." Let our old ways, and our old way of seeing things be cast off, as we return to our loving, forgiving Father this Lenten season, and let us receive, anew, the best robe, that as new creations in Christ, we might live new lives—lives of love, mercy and forgiveness, every day, for the rest of our lives!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.