Prodigal Son 2015 Fr Michael Margitich

From time immemorial man has desperately sought

in some ways to grasp that which we call He has

been both challenged and frightened by the unknown.

One of the most important dogmas of the Orthodox

Church is precisely this, that Christ in Christ

and through Christ God was revealed to mankind.

We have a number of scriptural references that

point this out. Particularly the one that our

Lord said to Philip when Philip asked him, Master,

show us the Father. And Jesus said, Philip, he

who sees me sees the Father. I and the Father

are one. And St. Paul in that brilliant passage

of Colossians tells us that Jesus is the image

of God. Throughout the scriptures, we have many

references about God's love, God's nature. And

one of the most revealing, one of the most intense

of all the parables which our Lord said, which

we heard in today's Gospel lesson from the 15th

chapter of Luke, the parable, of the lost son,

the prodigal son. Our Lord in this passage gives

us an unforgettable portrait, a beautiful picture

of God's love. And this is what I want to speak

about on the basis of this parable. Now there's

no need for me to review or recount the parable

of the prodigal son. All of you know this passage

very well. But there are those who do not go

far enough in, shall I say, unpacking the...

profound theological implications of the father

as depicted in the prodigal son we all know it

and yet it is profoundly profoundly more than

a story about a misguided individual who wanted

to go to the tender line tenderloin district

of San Francisco and to express himself. Long

before Sinatra sang, I'll do it my way, the prodigal

listened carefully to those enticing words. Heard

by Adam and Eve, said to them by Satan in the

Garden of Eden. Do what you want to do. There

should be no one to tell you how to do it. There's

no one to say no, no, and yes, yes. You're old

enough. Go do what you want. That's fine. Sounds

fine. I know I've heard many times. No, this

young man was a macho Don Juan. He knew his father.

Had to give him one third eventually. That was

the law of the land. The inheritance, that is.

But how cruel it is to say, as he did, Father,

give me what belongs to me. I know you're going

to die. So give me what I want now. And the father

responded, okay. What makes this parable so meaningful

and so revealing is that it tells us in a very

descriptive way about human nature. About pride

leading man to sin. But particularly and especially

about God's love. Notice when you reread the

passage. About the father. He left the candle

on in the window. He remained waiting. On the

front porch. Straining his eyes. Hoping that

he'll see his son again. And there in the distance.

And one day he saw someone coming. And the scripture

tells us when he saw this angel coming, he didn't

walk, but he ran. He ran to embrace his son.

And before his son could tell him, Father, I

have sinned before heaven and before you. I am

no longer worthy to be called your son. Before

he could say that, the father embraced him, loved

him, and quickly called the servants and said,

listen, bring him a robe, bring him a ring, and

bring him shoes. All of these are important things

that I can't talk about at the moment because

it would extend the sermon. But it's important

to remember what the Father did. It's so important.

The Bible and the Church unerringly throughout

history has pointed these things out. That God

is love. And anyone who tries to restore life

as God intended to be, that is, restore the image

and likeness of God in human nature, is never

going to do it and have peace of mind, heart,

and soul unless... He responds to the love of

God. You know, people are good at fixing things.

I know many of you are just incredibly gifted.

You fix computers and cars and furniture. You

can do it because these things were originally

created and designed by man. However, when it

comes to restoring human nature and become partakers

of the divine, that requires not intellectual,

scientific or technological expertise. You need

more than that. Since God is the divine creator

and designer of human nature. He alone. He alone

can restore and redeem life. When it has faltered.

Broken. And crashed. You all know that passage

in John. The third chapter, God so loved the

world. He so loved the world that he came himself

in the person of Christ. And we are told whoever

believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting

life. Now looking at this parable, From a prosaic,

non -theological way. The parable means that

our Lord never goes out of the salvaging and

redeeming business. God is with us. Emmanuel.

This is the constant recurring message of the

New Testament. Jesus said, I did not come to

call the righteous, but the sinners. God does

not have a junkyard where he places the Christians

who have fallen. He goes out and meets them.

Seeks them out. Loves them. Forgives them. In

this morning's parable, Jesus is telling us that

God is like the father of the prodigal son. He

kept waiting for his son. And one of the most

wonderful passages, besides the one about the

resurrection of Christ, for me, at any rate,

I just imagine that the father didn't stand there

waiting and fuming and ready to give his son,

the wayward son, a lesson in. obedience. He did

the opposite. He accepted it. This passage reveals

the immeasurable mercy of God. In no other passage

can you find this outreach of God's love in such

an intense way. A love that's beyond description.

And you know, throughout the liturgical services

in the church, you will not hear the reference

that God is, and I quote, the lover of mankind.

The God who loves man, the God who created man,

and who did not want, according to the reading

in St. Basil's Liturgy, did not want for man

to destroy himself. The Lord is the good shepherd

who seeks the lost sheep. He's the divine physician

who heals. He's the Savior who forgives. And

St. Paul in that magnificent passage says, God

has shown us how much He loves us. While we were

yet sinners, he died for us. There's one more

person in this parable needs some comment. And

I'm referring to the elder son. No, he did not

go anywhere. geographically speaking, he remained

with his father. Well, at the end of the passage,

he locked himself out of the celebration of love

when his father pleaded to come in. He said,

look, look, my son was dead and is alive again.

Come in so we could celebrate. his resurrection,

his new life. No, he would not come in. No, he

pouted and kept breathing the exhaust fumes of

self -love, of self -righteousness, of prideful

life. There's a marvelous book we had in the

bookstore entitled The Dialogue with the Savior,

written by an Orthodox monk. And the author hears

Jesus saying, come, follow me. And he answered

the Lord and said, Master, I have often and for

many years heard you calling me. And I have followed

you, but I have fallen. I have fallen many times.

And the Lord said, I know. I know what you have

done. But I want to say to you once again, get

up. Get up and follow me. Master, said the monk

to the Lord, do you mean that I am not rejected?

Do you mean I still could follow you even after

I have fallen and crashed and failed? And Jesus

said, come, follow me, for I have come to give

you life. and life abundantly. In the name of

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.