The Parable of the Prodigal and His Brother
Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the wealth that will belong to me.’ So he divided his assets between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant region, and there he squandered his wealth in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that region, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that region, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to his senses he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”’ So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate, for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.
“Now his elder son was in the field, and as he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf because he has got him back safe and sound.’ Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command, yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’ ”
~ Luke 15:11-32 (NRSVUE)
In today’s story, we heard all about a party, a dinner, a feast that a father held because he was so excited that his son had returned home! The father didn’t worry about where his son had been or what he had done. All that mattered was that he was home again! The Father had waited and waited for his son’s return, and he pulled out all the stops when the day finally came. The son didn’t need to prove himself, ask for forgiveness, or beg his father to let him stay. All that mattered to the father was LOVE! Because the father knew that the son belonged, that he was beloved, and he was a delight in his father’s eyes.
Friends, God looks at us in the same way. It matters not where we have been or what we have done; God’s love for us is unconditional, and because of that, we, too, always belong; we, too, are always beloved, and we, too, are always a delight in God’s eyes. But no matter how many times I say that from this pulpit, and no matter how many of us have begun to truly see, experience, and believe the gifts of God’s grace and God’s unconditional love in our lives. There are always going to be naysayers out in the world, people who judge and point fingers and people who believe that life has to be fair, that they need to be good enough, they need to work hard enough. And when someone makes a mistake, they absolutely have to pay for it. But folks, our faith tells us something very different. If and when we make mistakes, when we return to God, we find that God has never left us, that God loves us just the same–if not even more–and like the father in our story today, God rejoices, celebrates, and holds a wonderful feast and celebration in our name.
Friend, our lives are filled with moments of joy and pain, times of hard work, and times of rest, times when we feel lost and times when we are found, times spent in the valleys and times on the mountaintops. And through it all, we experience moments of fasting and of feasting, because life is all about balance! And today, besides hearing about the great feast that the father had when his son returned, we have two more feasting moments to experience, in the here and now.
In just a little bit, we’ll be gathering at the Table that Jesus has set for us. It’s a sacred meal, a holy gathering, and a feast of forgiveness, grace, and unconditional love. Jesus invites us, no matter who we are or where we have been, to come and dine with him. Through the broken bread and the cup of blessing, we are fed, nourished, and reminded over and over and over again that we belong, that we are beloved, and that we are a delight in God’s eyes.
The final feast that we will be celebrating today is the Feast of Mardi Gras! Now, Mardi Gras, also known as Shrove Tuesday, or Fat Tuesday, or Pancake Day, is officially celebrated this coming Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. And the idea of a Mardi Gras feast is nothing new. Actually, Mardi Gras goes back to about 600 AD, when Pope St. Gregory first told Catholics that they needed to fast and abstain from meat and animal products for the forty days before Easter, thus beginning the first practice and season of Lent.
Sometimes, Mardi Gras is referred to as Fat Tuesday, the day when all the fat, sugar, and good stuff needs to be cleaned out of the house in preparation for the fasting of Lent. That’s why we eat pancakes on Mardi Gras. And many cultures celebrate with pastries. It’s a Polish tradition to eat paczki, which are donuts filled with fruit filling, and in New Orleans, they eat King’s cake or deep-fried beignets made in Mardi Gras colors.
The name Shrove Tuesday came from the old Roman Catholic practice of being “Shriven,” meaning to confess one’s sins. The shriving bell would be rung on Shrove Tuesday to call people to church for confession. After all, confession was necessary to prepare their hearts, minds, and souls for the self-examination and introspection of Lent.
Now, Lent used to be a much more solemn time in church. I remember as a kid, we would bury the Alleluias. (“Never using that word during Lent!”) All of the brass was removed from the sanctuary, and no flowers were allowed on the altar. But now, though I know that balance is very important. I also feel like life is short enough, and it’s my job to help my congregation look for things to celebrate every day. Now, we do spend a little more time during Lent in self-reflection and biblical study, but we also balance it with love, hope, and joy!
Here in the United States, when we think of Mardi Gras, we often think of New Orleans with its citywide revelry and elaborate parades. When you came into church this morning, you received a Mardi Gras Necklace. The colors of Mardi Gras are gold, green, and purple, representing power, faith, and justice. Now, is all of this Mardi Gras feasting, celebrating, and merrymaking necessary? No. But if we think back to the way that Jesus lived and the way he honored others, eating with them and spending time with them, feasting and celebrating with them, then maybe Mardi Gras is an important step in the journey. After all, our times of feasting help to balance our times of fasting and going without. Our times of joy balance our times of grief, and our times of struggle balance our times of celebration.
During Lent this year, we are going to take some time to talk about the “in-between moments” and what happens in between our fasting and feasting, our joy and grief, our struggle, and our celebrations, because sometimes it’s in those messy middles and those in-between moments when we aren’t really sure what is going on, that we meet God.
Friends, in just a few minutes, we are going to gather at the Table that Jesus has set for us to join him in a sacred and holy feast where we will be fed and nourished for the journey. Then we will sing, march, parade, and maybe even dance as we head out back into Maxcy Hall to celebrate Mardi Gras and eat Pancakes together. And we hope you’ll join us this Wednesday for our Ash Wednesday Service, which marks the official start to Lent. We’ll gather here not to judge ourselves or anyone else but to listen a little more closely for God’s still-speaking voice in our lives.
So, brothers and sisters in Christ, as you step out into this week of transition from the Season of Epiphany to the Season of Lent, try to enjoy the big moments of celebration but also cherish the quiet moments of reflection. And please know that what we learned during this season of Epiphany will always be true. No matter who you are or where you’ve been, you belong, you’re beloved, and you are a delight!
My friends may it be so. Thanks be to God, Amen!
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