110828 Prodigal God: The Father's Eyes

In the story famously known as The Prodigal Son (Luke 15), Jesus describes a father’s interaction with his two sons.  Most of our attention gets focused on the sons’ behavior.  But what can we learn about the father?  Let’s take some liberty and embellish the story a bit.  Jesus told the story with holes in it so that we could have such fun. 
I think the father was pursuing a dream.  He built a good life with whatever his business was – and not just for himself.  I think his dream was to be close to his sons.  They would slowly take over the business, perhaps.  They were the apple of his eye – what could be better than getting to be with them?  I love being with my kids.  I love seeing through their eyes.  I love seeing them grow into the weird mix of me, my wife, and God.  Especially since we know the father in the story is God, we know he was therefore good and loving.  Imagine what kind of environment that would have been!  We don’t need to spend much time adding details, however, because there is plenty of love within the text we have.  Consider the following statements of love expressed from a dad to his kids.  As you do, place yourself within the story.  For this is your father, too.

He loved his youngest son…

·         He gave an early inheritance to the younger son.  It would have been easy to become angry, offended, and deeply hurt.  The father honored the decision of his son, though we can be sure he would not have agreed with the decisions that followed.

·         He kept watch for the younger son's return.  This is not the action of a man who has written off his son, but a father longing to see his child’s face again.

·         He ran to meet the younger son when he returned.  Older, stately men in those days in that region did not run.  We see that the father’s joy cannot be contained.

·         He rejected the younger son's offer to be dead.  When the son asked for his share of the inheritance, it could have been taken as a statement wishing his father was dead (which is why the father’s response is so remarkable).  When the son asks to be a hired man, he is basically saying to his father that his younger son (himself) was dead – only this willing worker remains.  His father wouldn’t hear of it.

·         He adorned him with a fine robe and put the signet ring on his finger.  Not only did he reject his sons offer to be considered dead, but he reinstated him sully, giving him power over his estate once more.

·         He killed the fattened calf for a village-wide celebration.  A DJ and full bar can be assumed.  This was  a once-in-a-lifetime event for those villagers.  Dad cashed in some CD’s to pay for this baby.

 And he also loved his elder son…

·         He went out to meet his elder son when he was throwing a fit.  This shows love toward both sons, and honored the elder even though his behavior certainly did not warrant such respect.

·         He listened to him with grace-filled ears.  The elder son was in a rage, and said things he probably never would have otherwise.  He dishonored his father with his tone, his choice of words, and with his decision to stay outside.  The father didn’t react with similar passion.  He let his son vent.  He listened.

·         He communicated the fullness of his love and truth to him.  The elder son was not reprimanded, but encouraged to see things from a different vantage point.  The father’s tone was redemptive, not destructive.  He spoke truth to his son, and reminded him of his fatherly goal – to be near his son – the greatest gift a parent longs for.

·         He left the door open for him to join the party.  The invitation lingered in the air.  Had he ordered his son to join in, he probably would have, but for the wrong reasons.  He reframed the entire event, and left the son with the question: do I join my father at the party or do I stay out in the dark and cold night?

God is the father in the story.  This is how the father feels and behaves toward all of his kids, no matter what they do with their inheritance.

I think it’s important to recognize who the father is in this story, because it helps draw attention to how off the mark both sons were.  And how gracious this father was in response.

The Father hasn’t changed.

The father’s goal has always been to have a growing, healthy relationship with his kids.  The father knows this will bless him, his kids, and everyone any of them touch. 

How has your image of the father changed over the years?  How has your life experience distorted your understanding of the character of God?  Why do we behave like the sons in the parable, considering our father is the same as theirs?  In light of this story, will you begin to trust that Jesus’ depiction of the father is more accurate than the one you have crafted?  How have you experienced the Father’s love?

The Prodigal God Overview

First, do yourself a favor and listen to the overview teaching featuring Timothy Keller (from The Prodigal God Small Group Resource DVD).  Then begin to consider the following questions.

1.      How have you acted like the younger son toward his father?  How have you wanted everything God offers without a relationship with God?

2.      When was your pig sty moment?  When has the light bulb come on, shining light on the reality that your ideas fall way short of God’s?

3.      What restitution plans have you offered God to gain back God’s favor?

4.      How have you experienced God’s prodigal grace?

5.      How have you been like the older brother – keeping the rules doing the right things, but not caring much about knowing the father?  How have you struggled with younger brother types being welcomed fully into the father’s arms?  How have you dealt with the celebration of your younger brother at (ultimately) your expense?

6.      Have you ever found yourself critical of others who have not been as faithful as you in living ethically?

7.      Which kind of “lost” do you lean toward more?  Which brother do you more closely resemble today?

8.      What is the difference between seeing God as Savior versus seeing God as guide, leader, friend, or boss?  Is the difference meaningful?

9.      Keller said that not only do we need to repent (turn away from) the obvious things we’ve done wrong, but we also need to repent from the reason behind everything we did right.  What do you think he meant by that?

10.   What does it mean for you to come home?

11.   Like the father did in the story by going out to meet each son, how have you experienced God initiating relationship with you?

12.   How has God’s loved melted and moved you lately?

13.   Over the course of your life, when and how have you been like a good elder brother?  How did it make you feel?  What did it cost?

I pray that God, the source of hope, fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him.  Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (it’s in the Bible – see if you can find it).

110814 Hope for Creation: Animals

Do you like a delicious hamburger now and then? 

How about a pulled-pork sandwich?

Grilled chicken breast, anyone?

How about eggs for breakfast?

Does the process of how these food items make it to your table matter to you?

Should the process matter to you?

A related passage of Scripture…

¹ After the ordination ceremony, on the eighth day, Moses called together Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. ² He said to Aaron, “Take a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without defects, and present them to the Lord. ³ Then tell the Israelites, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, and take a calf and a lamb, both a year old and without defects, for a burnt offering. ⁴ Also take a bull and a ram for a peace offering and flour moistened with olive oil for a grain offering. Present all these offerings to the Lord because the Lord will appear to you today.’ – Leviticus 9:1-4

How do you get a defect-free animal?

If animals are food, does their treatment matter?

Does a cow care if they can’t move?

Are pigs smart enough to know if they are abused?

Does a chicken care if they are cage free?

Do we embrace Darwinian logic when it comes to wild animals – that only the strong survive?  What if we are responsible for their hardship?  Is that just an example of natural selection?   Find out why California Condors almost got wiped out…

The Oxytocin Reality Check: Animals Emote Like Us

Changes need to be made, and change is difficult.

Every area requiring change has a complex backstory.

Oftentimes, our demand for inexpensive food drives industry to focus on the bottom line first.  Consumers are happy.  Stockholders are happy.  Everybody is happy except the ones paying the highest price.

Could it be that sacrifices had to be blemish-free to teach us a lesson about proper stewardship and honor about the animals offered?  Perhaps it was way more than simply trying to win God’s favor?

My agenda: get you thinking and asking questions.

How much more are you willing to pay to eat humanely produced food?  Would you be willing to spend a little more for an egg?

How much effort are you willing to give to finding out where your food comes from?

You have choices to make that are related to the stewardship God has entrusted you.

How will you move forward in wisdom?

Check out The Bond, by Wayne Pacelle.  As the President of the Humane Society, his bias is obvious, but it will provide a framework from which to go deeper, even if you disagree.

110807 Hope for Creation: Soil

People who know my story know that to say that I grew up in church is a gross understatement.  For the first eight years of my life, my dad was the pastor of the church my family attended.  We were there early, and always the last to leave.  My folks were so ready to leave one Sunday, in fact, that they forgot to take a head count before driving home.  When they finally got home, they realized I had been left behind…  Oh the pain!  The feelings of abandonment!  I got over it.  Kinda.

                My family wasn’t perfect – no matter what they tell youJ - but it provided an environment that was really conducive to faith.  Everybody was basically nice to each other.  My folks never fought.  We prayed before dinner, which we always ate together.  During Advent, we would even read a devotional together before we ate (thank God those things were brief!).  Faith was a huge part of our family culture, and it made a big difference in how life was for all of us.  Raising kids that way doesn’t guarantee that they won’t mess things up, but it sure increases the odds.

                With as much conviction as I could muster at 9 years of age, I made a conscious decision to make Jesus the leader of my life as I tried to understand and honor God.  Up to that point and for years to come, the soil had been carefully cultivated so that this would be an obvious, positive decision to make.  Never pressured, but certainly celebrated, embracing Christ in this way totally fit in my family.  I was planted in good soil.

                My guess is most families were not like this.  The more stories I hear, the more I appreciate Jesus’ parable about the sower, the seeds, and the soil found in Matthew’s chapter 13.  Jesus gives an example of four different types of soil, each affecting whether or not the seed would develop into a producing plant.

                Some families are like a well-trod path.  The seed scattered there doesn’t stand a chance against the on looking birds.  Some families, for many reasons, won’t give faith a chance.  The seed of hope that comes with Christ is quickly brushed away and unsupported by parents and siblings.

                Some families are like rocky soil.  Things start great.  Sometimes the entire family gets on board.  But when life hits the fan, faith hits the road.  God wasn’t the genie in a bottle they expected.  Their lack of roots made them vulnerable to the heat that comes with struggle.

                Some families are like gardens that become overrun with weeds and thorns.  The seedling is there, but it gets choked out.  This is extremely common, especially for families who go to church.  This soil has been compromised by too many other seeds being allowed to take root.  The family wants the love, peace, and hope of Christ, but also wants things in this world which are in conflict with the Way of Christ.  Materialism and greed are tops, followed by an obsession to always look good, which is defined usually by somebody else.  Compassion for those who are desperate and conviction about things that really matter get crowded out as we pursue other things.

                What kind of soil describes you when you first heard about Christ?

                Unfortunately, soil doesn’t stay good all by itself.  If it’s not nurtured and cultivated, it can become depleted, overrun with weeds, etc.

                I know about this, because I allowed it to happen in my life.  In fact, I am familiar which each type of soil.  I placed myself in environments (friends and places) that were about as conducive to a growing faith as that well-trodden path was to allowing the seed to become a plant.  The company I kept did not share my interest in pursuing Christ.  So I didn’t, either, for a while.

                At other times, I have allowed rocks to come into my soil.  Each of my rocks represented a piece of my time.  When I don’t pay attention, I find I no longer have the time to cultivate my side of a relationship with God.  When the heat turns up, I don’t do well, because my roots have been forced to the shallow places.

                Living in the Western part of the world, I am constantly invited to allow into my garden the weeds of greed, lust, materialism, image, etc.  On the whole, I think I keep the weeds down.  But it is constant work.

                In the early years of Israel’s history, a God-inspired law was handed down to the people.  Every seventh year, farmers were told to let their fields go fallow.  They could eat whatever might come up, but they couldn’t cultivate it.  We know now that this was incredibly wise, protecting the soil form losing its nutrients.  A long term idea that is still valued to some degree today.  But to really do that meant the farmers would take a financial hit that year.  It meant their lifestyle would change for those many months.  My hunch is that the fields were not the only things that were nourished in that Sabbath year.

                Our lives are soil.  The good news is that if you grew up with not-so-good soil, you can change that.  And if your soil has been neglected over the years – trampled smooth by the wrong company, filled with the rocks of a crowded schedule, or overcome with the weeds of our culture – you can change that, too.

                The seeds are always being scattered by the farmer.  Seeds that, if cultivated and nurtured, will produce not just a great amount of life, but a life so abundant that it defies logic.  That’s your potential.  If the soil is good.