15 June 2008—11 Ordinary Time/Kingdomtide

Faith-in-the-Grove a/k/a faithPoints —Lessons From the Older Son


focusPoints:

The Parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the most preached on stories in the New Testament (Luke 15:25-32). The focus is usually on the younger of the two brothers. A focus on the older brother reveals some often overlooked characteristics. He displays for us the great danger of cold-heartedness (Fookes: Stockwell UMC Worship Message, 15 June 2008).


forwardPoints:

The older brother exhibits a likeness to most of us in the church. Many of us are usually closer to the older brother than the younger brother. Unless we are careful, we can begin to look down on the younger brothers of this world.

The older brother forgot two very important matters. May God help us from doing the same! Two important matters that we do well to ponder on this Father's Day Sunday!

fellowshipPoints:

1. The older brother forgot his own debt of gratitude.
He assumed that he deserved to be born the eldest son of a rich farmer. He just took for granted the good life that he enjoyed. In his own anger and resentment about the calf roasting on the barbecue for his own brother, he forgot that he had been feasting at his father's table for his entire life. You see, as Christians, we have received grace upon grace!

2. The older brother forgot his brother’s worth.
He refers to his younger brother as 'this son of yours' rather than 'my brother.' What are some possible explanations for the older son's reasoning?







findingPoints:

In Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations (2007), Missouri Conference UMC Bishop Robert Schnase (http://www.fivepractices.org/) reminds us that Christian hospitality refers to the active desire to invite, welcome, receive, and care for those who are strangers so that they find a spiritual home and discover for themselves the unending richness of life in Christ. It describes a genuine love for others who are not yet a part of the faith community; an outward focus, a reaching out to those not yet known, a love that motivates church members to openness and adaptability, willingness to change behaviors in order to accommodate the needs and receive the talents of newcomers. Beyond intention, hospitality practices the gracious love of Christ, respects the dignity of others, and expresses God's invitation to others, not our own (11-12).

In what ways do we exhibit love by engaging those not like us in our attitudes, behaviors, and programs? If we did a “gratitude audit” would we score the same as the “older brother?”









Radical means "drastically different from the ordinary practice, outside the normal," and so it provokes practices that exceed expectations, that go the second mile, that take welcoming the stranger to the max. It means people offering the absolute utmost of themselves, their creativity, their abilities, and their energy to offer the gracious invitation and reception of Christ to others (Schnase 2007, 21).

How do we treat guests and fellow church members in ways that radically exceed their expectations? In what ways do we treat guests and fellow church members in ways that radically entrench our resistance?








faithPoints:

As we remember gratitude we owe, let’s express that as affirmation of others’ worth.