Comment on I was just thinking… by admin

admin — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:20:02 +0000

(A teaching I gave at my Grandmother Neva Markham’s funeral)
A Parable of the Fathers Great Love,
I am sure you are all familiar with the story of the Prodigal son. It is really the story of a gracious father and his two sons.
The younger son asked for his inheritance early and wasted it quickly in sinful living. He was entitled, wasteful and selfish.
The older stayed home, and though hard working he was proud and independent of his Father and at times judgmental.
Both sons had one thing in common; they were relationally separated from their Father.
Yet the main Character of this parable is the Father. Read Luke 15:17-24
There was nothing appropriate or measured about the Fathers love and grace.
It was overboard, extravagant, unconstrained. Losing all sense of His position, he ran to his son. I love that there was no sense of making him pay for his mistakes, just open arms, a smile and a kiss.
The father is downright wasteful in His love. Best beef, clothes, ring and a party.
That is the love of our heavenly Father.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believers in him should not parish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
Yet in the face of this love we often waiver between the being one of the two sons- I think that may be the human condition. Striving to be worthy by our own effort or simply taking all we can from life for ourselves.
These last few years Grandma showed signs of increasing faith.
1-She loved her new pastor in Coldwater. His straight shooting style earned her respect.
2-She loved her chapel at Lakewood Senior living center in Pratte.
3-She warmly shared poems and writings about Jesus with my Dad.
4- She shared with family the contrition she felt about her shortcomings.
5-Her best friend in Pratte, Garth, is with us today. Garth’s strong faith was a real encouragement to Gandma Neva. She was a witness to the quiet reality of Neva’s faith.
Concerning our parable, there are two questions for us today
1. “Which son are we? Have we come to a realization of our poverty apart from Christ?”
2. “Have we seen the reality of the Lord’s amazing love for us?”
It is interesting in this parable there is not a 3rd son, one that gets everything right!!! One that lives perfectly righteous, humble and generous, in perfect relationship with his father. We all live out various forms of falling short. Our relative performance or failure is not the point of the parable; rather it is the extravagant love of the father.
While our obedience to God and love for our brother is valuable, especially to those around us, the real story here is not how good you or I am or Grandma Neva was, but how great the Love of the Father is.
At the end of the parable the Father explains his excitement that though his son was lost now he is found, though he was dead he is alive again. That is what Jesus offers us all. To be found by Christ is to find eternal life, and forever to enjoy His extravagant love.
Amen

Comments for Faculty Commons- Mark and Brenda Brown

Comment on I was just thinking… by admin