St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Owings Mills MD
March 27, 2022
Year C: The Fourth Sunday in Lent
Joshua 5:9-12
Psalm 32
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
From Estrangement to Reconciliation
One of the saddest and most tragic elements of Russia’s war on Ukraine is that these two countries share so much history and heritage.
And, not only that, but many Ukrainian and Russian families are intertwined, united through love and marriage – and now those bonds are sorely tested by so much violence and suffering, and by two wildly different takes on the causes and the reality of this war.
No surprise, under this intense pressure, some Russian-Ukrainian families have become estranged, perhaps forever.
Of course, we don’t have to look overseas or watch the news to find stories of estrangement.
Probably all of our families have been wounded by divisions – divisions about money or love or politics - or something else.
We’re good at finding things to fight about.
Often some harsh words have been said, maybe out of anger, hurt, disappointment, or indignation – words that can continue to echo in our ears, and fester in our hearts, for many years.
For us, estrangement can create a divide that is wide and deep – and the journey to reconciliation can be long and difficult.
As we heard in today’s gospel lesson, there is nothing new about estrangement and the journey to reconciliation.
What’s usually called the Parable of the Prodigal Son is definitely one of Jesus’ “greatest hits,” a rich story that must have touched the hearts and challenged the assumptions of the people who first heard it – a story that can still touch and challenge us today.
Although we usually consider the prodigal son the star of this tale, I find that he is actually the least interesting character.
We know the type, right? The younger son who maybe feels stifled in the family, perhaps frustrated that he won’t inherit the bulk of his father’s estate.
So, he decides to cash out early and go off and have a good time for himself.
But, as we heard, the party doesn’t last forever and eventually he finds himself in circumstances so dire that he decides to go back home where the “hired hands” are living way better than he is.
He chooses to throw himself on his father’s mercy, and hope for the best.
At least one scholar suggests that the prodigal rehearsing the lines he’s going to use on his dad points to a certain lack of… sincerity.
Maybe so, but sincerely sorry or not, the younger son makes his way home, no doubt wondering about the kind of welcome he’ll receive.
For a moment, let’s leave the prodigal younger son right there and turn our attention to his aggrieved older brother.
I suspect that many of us identify with – or can at least sympathize with – him.
He’s been toiling away for years – although “slaving” seems like an exaggeration since, unlike real slaves, he stands to inherit his father’s estate.
But, no doubt he’s worked hard and he’s probably also gotten really tired of all the attention given to his troubled younger brother. And now, seeing his father’s overflowing joy at the prodigal’s return, he explodes.
It’s just too much.
And, to add insult to injury, not only has older brother never had a party thrown in his honor, it looks like nobody even thought to invite him to the big party for the returning prodigal.
And, finally, there is the father, who I think is the most interesting character in this story.
I think we can agree that he really has taken his older son for granted, just assuming that he would go on being responsible forever, not needing, or maybe even wanting, any attention or gratitude.
And not inviting the older son to the party is just careless, at best.
And he probably did spoil the younger son.
But, to his credit, he has obviously missed his younger son, continuing to watch and wait for him.
And when the prodigal returns, he is welcomed and embraced, no questions asked.
One of the things I love about this parable is that, just like in real life, there is no tidy ending.
Unlike an episode of a TV show in which the characters manage to resolve their problems and differences in less than an hour, with swelling music telegraphing to us that they will live happily ever after, here we are left to wonder:
Will the prodigal really change his ways, or once his hunger is satisfied will he start itching to hit the road again?
Will the older brother be able to forgive his brother and especially his father, setting aside his grievances, returning to his life of working and waiting?
And will the father be more attentive to his older son and, perhaps, a little stricter with the younger?
I wonder.
We probably don’t need to be reminded of the estrangements among our families and friends.
But, we can forget our estrangements from God. Sometimes we estrange ourselves from God in big, splashy ways, like the prodigal son. Or, more likely, it’s smaller, quieter choices that leave us feeling far from God.
Lent is a time to remind us of how we may have turned away, or drifted away from God – Lent offers us an opportunity to turn back, to return to God.
It feels like we just got started, but today is already the Fourth Sunday in Lent, often called Laetare Sunday, from a Latin word meaning “to rejoice.”
Now, the hard truth is that, there hasn’t been much to rejoice about lately, that is, unless of course you’re from Jersey City.
But, no matter where we’re from or what’s going on in our lives, today, on Laetare Sunday, with the change of liturgical color from purple to rose, the Church signals that there’s not too much Lent left.
We’re meant to rejoice because soon it will be Easter, the day we celebrate the great reconciliation between God and us – the day that love and life defeat hate and death, once and for all.
And today we can also rejoice because the Parable of the Prodigal Son gives us a glimpse of what God is like.
God is always willing and able to heal the estrangement between God and us.
When the father saw his lost son off in the distance, making that hard return back home, the father runs out and embraces him.
There must have been a swirl of feeling: relief, forgiveness, joy, and most of all, love. So much love.
That is what God is like.
So, yes, there’s no denying that there are bitter and deep divisions in our world, our country, and in many of our families.
No matter how the war ends, it will probably take a very long time before there is true reconciliation between Ukraine and Russia, and among the many families torn apart by this conflict.
For us, estrangement can create a divide that is wide and deep – and the journey to reconciliation can be long and difficult.
But, it’s not so with God.
So, despite our many troubles, we can still rejoice, because God is waiting for our return, watching for us, ready to embrace us and forgive us, always eager to welcome us back home.
Amen.
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