Good, Good Father

Luke 15:11-32

Pastor Barry Kerner

Sometime back, I came a cross one of those top ten lists that David Letterman reads on The Late Show. This one was called: “The Top-Ten Things You’ll Never Hear a Dad Say”And I figured, since this is Father’s Day, it might be good to read it. So here we go:

Ten things you never heard come out of your father’s mouth:

Number 10 “Well, how ’bout that! … I’m lost! … Looks like we’ll have to stop and ask for directions.”

Number 9 “You know Sweetie, now that you’re thirteen, you’ll be ready for un-chaperoned car dates. Won’t that be fun?

Number 8 “I noticed that all your friends seem to be doing some risky things….Don’t you think you should join them?

Number 7 “Here’s a credit card and the keys to my new car –… GO CRAZY!”

Number 6 “What do you mean you wanna play football? Figure skating’s not good enough for you, son?”

Number 5 “Your Mother and I are going away for the weekend …you might want to consider throwing a party.”
Number 4 “Well, I don’t know what’s wrong with your car. Probably one of those doo-hickey thingies – you know — that makes it run or something. Just have it towed to a
mechanic and pay whatever he asks.”

Number 3 “Now Listen! No son of mine is going to live under this roof without an earring – so quit your belly-aching, and let’s go to them all!”
Number 2 “What do you mean you wanna go and get a job? Don’t I make plenty of money for you to spend?”
And the Number 1 thing you never heard your father say: “Would you mind turning that music up a bit!”

Father’s Day can bring up memories & feelings for all of us – And for those who grew up in homes touched by alcoholism, drug addiction or abuse, the memories aren’t always happy ones.

I know a pastor who served for many years as the chaplain in a very large state prison.
And he tells the story of how, during his very first year there: when Mother’s Day arrived in early May, he was overwhelmed with requests from the prisoners for
Mother’s Day cards for the men to send home. He gave out boxes and boxes of ‘em – but he never seemed to have enough to meet all the demand. And so the priest said to himself – next time, he wasn’t going to be caught short – and so the very next month, when Father’s Day rolled around, he’d stocked up with plenty of cards – but he was shocked at what happened next – almost none of the men asked for them.

This time he was left with boxes and boxes of unused cards. When he asked one of the other chaplains why nobody wanted the cards the guy said:“Welcome to prison! Most of these men never knew their fathers and a lot of the ones who do would just as soon forget them.” Father’s Day can bring up memories & feelings that many of us would just as soon forget.

Today’s Bible story is familiar to most of us. The Parable of the Prodigal Son. We’re going to be looking at the Prodigal Son’s father because this father that Jesus describes is so unlike many that the world knows.

Let’s read Luke 15 verses 11-32.

1 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. 25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ 28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ 31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Now Jesus told this story because he’s being asked by the righteous, church-going people in his town: Why’s he hanging out with the ones they consider all the lowlife scum in their community? Why’s he paling around with prostitutes and talking it up with tax traitors – Why’s he healing lepers and helping out all the so-called losers – What’s the deal, Jesus? You’re supposed to be a holy man – a prophet – don’t you know who these people are?

And so it’s in this context that Jesus tells them this story. It’s Jesus explaining to the church people of his day what he’s doing – because what he was doing, wasn’t what any of them were doing. But, according to Jesus, what he’s doing is exactly what the God of his understanding is always doing. He’s loving his children —- “unconditionally.” He’s loving them in ways that absolutely blow away all their old ideas about who God is and how God works in our lives. In his parable, Jesus is saying: you’ve got some old ideas about God, and I want to open your eyes and help you see a very different image of the God I know so well.

Almost four hundred years ago Rembrandt painted a work that he called, “The Return of the Prodigal Son.” It’s considered one of his greatest works and is the artist’s understanding of this gospel scene where the prodigal son finally comes to his senses and returns to his father.

There are two things about the father that the artist painted into the scene that most people can very easily miss. The first has to do with the way he’s painted the father’s eyes. According to Rembrandt, the father is blind. In Rembrandt’s imagination – the father doesn’t even have the ability to see any or all of the terrible things that his son has done to him. All this father does is to love his son. He loves his son when he spits in his face by asking for his inheritance. He loves his son when he walks away from his family. His father turns a blind eye to all of that. He’s blind to the insult – He simply keeps on loving – and instead of giving him the back of his hand – he gives the boy exactly what he asks for.

But, the son blows it all and ends up destitute. And, being the little con artist that he is, this kid is still trying to manipulate his father. “I’ve got a plan!” he says, “I’ll tell my father that I don’t deserve to be called his son – I’ll play on his mercy – I’ll ask him to take me in and treat me like one of his servants. It’s a halfhearted contrition. But the father seems blind to that too. Maybe Love really is blind!

All this loving father can do is throw his arms around his son – And instead of treating him like a servant (which was the son’s plan) he treats him like royalty (which is God’s plan!) He puts rings on his fingers and a robe on his back. He showers him with kisses and presses him close to his heart.

In the story of the prodigal son, the father’s unchanging, consistent, and enduring love for his son in all circumstances are a role model for loving our own children with patience, persistence, compassion, flexibility and fortitude.

And there’s something else about this painting that’s puzzled people for centuries.
It’s the way the artist depicts the father’s two hands. Hands that are holding on to this wayward son. For some reason Rembrandt’s painted each of the father’s hands very differently – One hand is very clearly the hand of a man – And the other is just as clearly, the hand of a woman. Rembrandt’s saying something very powerful here about the God of his understanding – and about how it is that God loves us.

He seems to be saying that God loves us both as a father loves and as a mother loves too.

This father is strong – and that’s the male hand that’s supporting his son –

• It’s holding him up so he doesn’t fall again –
• It’s the hand that’s encouraging him and blessing him.
• He’s passing on his energy to the next generation so this son of his will be strong enough some day to pass it on to his son too.
• If we missed receiving these things from our fathers – the good news is: it’s never too late to get them. God makes that possible. And maybe the bigger ‘the Father hole’ we have inside our souls – the more open we’ll be to letting God come and fill it, and the more grateful we’ll be to receive it.

While all of this is going on, with his other hand, with his female side – this father’s also gently hugging his son’s neck – He’s embracing him, much as a mother would hug her child.

• This father isn’t afraid to show love.
• He’s not afraid to make himself vulnerable –
• He isn’t afraid to cry or to open his heart.
• We need that from our fathers – and we need it from our God too!

The scriptures tell us that we’re each wonderfully made. They say we’re made in the very image and likeness of God – And because we reflect him and who he is, then God must embody the best of both male and female attributes. We have a God who is both strong and tender. A God who’s full of power and might. And, one who’s also full of love and compassion.

We are reminded daily that we live in a culture that mocks grace and nourishes revenge keeping our lives and our world divided, fragmented and fearful. In the affairs of human beings, there is a vicious cycle of separation and retaliation.

On a personal level, in the parable, there is a father and son who had a vital relationship over the years that had festered into the pain of separation. But as we have seen in the parable, a father’s forgiveness added immensely to the quality of the father and son’s relationship. This relationship was possible because of the son’s confession, when he said, “Father, I have sinned against you and I am no longer worthy to be you son.”(v.19). The father accepts his confession by saying, “This son of mine was dead and is alive again.”(v.24). They began to celebrate a new life together as father and son.

The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a parable of sheer grace. Grace is described as “God’s love in action.” Defined in the scriptures as “steadfast love,” being reliable, constant and trustworthy. Each person is of such value to God that none is excluded from God’s grace and forgiveness—neither should we withhold our forgiveness from others.

Regardless how far we have traveled down the road of rebellion and despair or how grievous a sin we have committed, no one is beyond God’s love and care. There is nothing in heaven or earth as dogged, determined, stubborn, or persistent as the grace of God that seeks to save.

A while ago, I came across a collection of scripture passages that were put together to make up an imaginary Father’s Day card from our God. Someone gathered up one liners from the Old and the New Testament and strung them all together. If you’ll listen to them carefully, I think you’ll hear the grace and love of our heavenly Father.

It reads like this:

MY CHILD . . .

You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1
I know when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all your ways. Psalm 139:3
Even the very hairs on your head I’ve numbered. Matthew 10:29-31
For you were made in my own image. Genesis 1:27
In me you live and move and have your being. Acts 17:28

You are my child. Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived. Jeremiah 1:4-5
I chose you when I planned creation. Ephesians 1:11-12
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. Psalm 139:15-16
I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. Acts 17:26

I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. Psalm 34:18
As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. Isaiah 40:11
One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. Revelation 21:3-4
And I’ll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. Revelation 21:3-4
I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son Jesus. John 17:23

I have always been Father, and will always be Father. Ephesians 3:14-15
My question is…Will you be my child? John 1:12-13

Your Father is waiting, won’t you come home. Luke 15: 7

Let us close in a word of prayer.

O Lord our God, creator of heaven and earth, through your Son Jesus Christ you have revealed yourself as a heavenly Father to all of your children. Bless, we pray, all earthly fathers. Strengthen them to nurture, protect, and guide the children entrusted to their care. Instill within them the virtues of love and patience. May they be slow to anger and quick to forgive. And through the ministrations of your Holy Spirit, may all fathers be strong and steadfast examples of faithfulness, responsibility, and loving-kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Is That All there Is?

The Samaritan Woman At The Well

John 4:1-26

Pastor Barry Kerner

Last Sunday we celebrated Easter. We recalled that momentous day when the world was forever changed as Christ rose conquering the grave.

Since then, the week has come and gone with us going back to huddling in our homes, social distancing from the effects of the new Coronavirus Covid-19. Many who just last Sunday celebrated Christ’s triumph over death spent the week filled with anxiety and in fear of these unsure times.

But Paul reminds us as when He told his protege Timothy, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 1 Timothy 1:7

But the high of Easter Sunday has given way to the doldrums of everyday life as we have moved back to our new normal routines of living our lives in isolation and uncertainty. Some may be questioning their faith and wondering if there isn’t more to this life. With the world coming to a standstill, they may be asking if there isn’t more to following Christ.

Way back in 1969, Peggy Lee had a hit song called, Is That All there Is? It was a very depressing tune outlining all of the things that had happened in her life that should have been exhilarating but left her feeling sad and empty and wishing for more. The message was that, If That’s all There Is, then let’s keep dancing. If That’s All There Is, then this life on earth is all we have so  let’s have a good time while we’re here. Someday we’ll all die and we’ll still be asking, If That’s all There Is?,  so let’s make the most of it now

What a downer. Our country was in the midst of the Vietnam War, there were daily protests in the streets and mothers and sons dreaded the draft lottery that was to be held in November. A song about depression and giving into it became a hit at that time. Our nation, and in fact the world, have been in similar dark and bleak situations many times. And the reason is—we are living in a world ruled by the evil and selfish nature of man.

Some of Jesus’ followers may have been asking themselves the same question. They saw their Lord, who they had followed for three years, die on the cross. They saw His broken and scarred body laid in a borrowed tomb and a great stone rolled in place. Their minds must have been racing with the thought, “Is That All There Is?” For others who had heard of this Man of god, Jesus, and His crucifixion their question was also, “Is That All There Is?” “We thought He might be the one. We thought He might be our deliverer. But He’s gone. Is That All There Is?” For unbelievers and those who are lost and have never heard the Good News, life is just a series of ups and downs. Their weary souls must often ask, “Is That All There Is?” For many believers who continue to trust in themselves or in the world and are disappointed in the outcome the same question may be breathed with a sigh of longing, “Is That All There Is?”                          

Edgar Allen Poe wrote, “When the excitement dies, the elevation of soul ends and so does the poem, in so far as life is a poem.” What do you do when the band stops playing and the “Amens” are no longer shouted? What do you do when it seems like faith has been misguided? What do you do when you start to raise the question, “Is That All There Is.”

Have you ever said to yourself, “There has got to be more to life than this?”

Maybe in regards to your faith you have said something like, “There has got to be more to being a Christian than this.”

Maybe regarding your church experience you have said, “There has got to be more to church than this.”

Each of these expressions has something in common … unrealized expectations, disappointment,  maybe even emptiness. Maybe, at some level, you’re wondering whether you have settled for second best or maybe you are even wondering if you have been duped … sold snake oil.

There were many people in the first century that were wondering the same thing about their lives and religious experiences. They were keeping the rules, doing their time, paying their fair share and yet life was … empty … hollow.

And then someone came on the scene who offered hope. His name was Jesus. He spoke as no man had ever spoken and he made claims that most other men would dare not make. His claims were so bold that the “know it alls” of the day called him on it … they tried to expose him as a pied piper … a deceiver. They even said he was “demon possessed and raving mad!” (John 10:21).

Jesus made a lot of claims suggesting there was more to this life and offering more from this life. He told people they were made for more than this. He said audacious things like: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

You have to admit … Jesus’ claim is very brazen! He set himself against all other competitors. He separated himself from the herd and declared himself to be the real deal.

There are a lot of people (and things) that claim to be the real deal aren’t there? They claim they can give you that inner fulfillment you are looking for. Watch advertisements on television. Watch how sex, money and power are framed in ads. Listen to the average politician. They all claim to be the solution; but we know they lie. To use an Oklahoma term they are “all hat and no cattle.” They tend to talk boastfully without acting on their words.

So, why should you believe Jesus when he makes claims that are even more bold? Well, I would suggest that the proof is in the pudding. I would suggest that the testimony of those who have followed him the last 2000 years is evidence that he can provide all that he offers.

Do you remember the story of the woman at the well (John 4)? Here was a woman that was “all used up.” She’d been passed around by various men and was now living in utter humiliation. Jesus approaches her, points to the well she is getting water from, and says “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (v. 13-14).

That’s a pretty bold statement! That’s nothing short of audacious! But do you remember how that story ended? Not only did she discover that Jesus could deliver on His promises but the townsfolk did too. The story ends with these words: “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” (verses. 39-42).

Now please hear me, Jesus’ claim to give you more from life than you can find elsewhere comes with “a catch” … a caveat if you please. Now be assured, Jesus is up front about it. He doesn’t use bait and switch tactics. He doesn’t get you hooked and then up the ante. No Jesus is very clear from the “git go” about his expectation of you. In fact, 27 times in the Gospels “the catch” is recorded. Twenty seven times Jesus clarifies what is required of you.

Just listen to what he says in John 8. Listen for the audacious claim and as well as “the catch.” “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” (John 8:12).

Are you looking for more out of your life? Out of your religious experience? The answer is clear and available … you will find what you are looking for when you follow Jesus.

Truly following Christ requires everything you have. It is total dedication of your life and your resources to the cause of Christ. Jesus called people to follow Him, many of whom became His disciples. You can find their stories in Matthew 4:18–22; 8:22; 9:9; 10:2–4; Luke 9:23; John 1:43 among others. When people were interested in what Jesus had to offer them, He put out a call to follow Him: “And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it'” (Mark 8:34–35; see also John 3:16).

The requirements to follow Christ are not for the faint of heart. Jesus said: “‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26).

He concluded this passage by saying “‘therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple'” (Luke 14:33; see Luke 14:25–33). This is strong language.

Does it really mean that we have to hate our family members? Hardly! This passage does not mean that we cannot love or care for our families or the things we have been given, but rather, it makes the point that everything we may possess needs to be held with an open hand so that we may release it to Christ at any moment. It means we have to value Him more than we value anything or anyone else.

Jesus said that when we follow Him we will experience persecution for His sake (John 15:18; Matthew 5:10, 44; 10:17–18). Paul said: “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). Persecution is uncomfortable. Following Christ may mean we are ridiculed by those who are closest to us. Even some of Jesus’ disciples deserted Him on the night He was arrested (Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:50).

Look at the example of Moses found in Hebrews 11:24–26: “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.”

When we persevere with Christ, even through adversity, He promises us rewards in heaven (Matthew 5:11–12; 6:19–21). This is the greater treasure.

To follow Christ means that every area of our lives is submitted to Him. As we surrender every part of ourselves to the Holy Spirit, we are cleansed of unrighteousness and He is able to rule and reign in our lives, making us vessels acceptable for use: “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21).

As we follow Christ, He becomes our primary desire and the measure by which we live our lives.

We seek His presence and abide in Him (John 15:1–17).

We seek to obey Him by loving God wholeheartedly and loving others as ourselves (John 13:34–35).

We are responsive to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives (Philippians 2:12–13).

Like the after Easter disciples, at  times our souls may be weary and we may ask, “Is That All There is?” But, the good news is that it’s not. God has a plan to restore us to a new Heaven and a new Earth where His love and power will reign. We won’t be singing songs celebrating sadness but songs of joy celebrating our creator. Revelation 21:4 tells us, “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things will have passed away.”

Psalm 33:20-22 tells us where we find our hope, “We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.”

These promises of God, through His word, are to be relied on in truth and hope.

Hebrews 6:19 tells us, “We have this hope (that God fulfills His promises) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”

in Matthew 24:35 Jesus told His followers, “Heaven and Earth shall pass away but my words will never pass away.”

I’ll leave you with this thought: In following Christ, we understand that this world is not ultimately our home, so we are willing to give our all to Him, knowing that true life is found only in Jesus (Matthew 10:39; John 10:10; 17:15–18; Philippians 3:20–21)

We know that this isn’t all there is because we have this promise found in James 1:12: “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

Let us pray…

Pastor Barry Kerner Sermon For March 22nd 2020