Lent 4 - From Exceptionalism to Inclusion

This week we celebrate that God loves us all!  Last week we were reminded that God doesn't ask us to earn our way into God's good graces, that we are already there.  This week we are reminded that the "us" that God loves includes everyone.  There is no us and them, we are all "us:" Beloved children of God.

This seems to be a difficult concept for most human beings.  We seem to define ourselves as opposed to others - focussing on our differences. Somehow it makes us feel more worthy, more valuable, if we are accepted somewhere that others aren't. Sometimes we like to have the inside scoop and to share this as gossip to show how "in" we are. Sometimes it seems we need a "them" so we can feel acknowledged as a part of "us". This is not the way God works.

The Gospel passage for this week is Luke 15:1-3 (Some Pharisees questioning Jesus), and 11b-32 (The parable often called the parable of the prodigal son or the parable of the forgiving father). This story has proven quite powerful, as one can pull all kinds of allegories from it, depending what perspective you want to take. As the story begins with the classic, "A man had two sons" our imaginations pull up past images of this story.  The original listeners would probably have pulled up images of other classic stories: Adam and Eve had two sons and the younger was righteous; Abraham had two sons, and the younger became a patriarch of the Jewish nation; Isaac had two sons, and the younger was clever enough to win the eldest's birthright; and so on. These were some founding stories of their heritage, stories that helped them claim their identity as a part of Abraham's tribe.

The parable in Luke tells of a discontented younger son who claimed his portion of his future inheritance and went off to enjoy his wealth while he was young. When he had squandered his money and found himself enduring hardship to the point of near starvation, and humiliation to the point of tending pigs with more food than he had for himself, he decided to see if he could get hired by his father, as at least his father's employees had food and shelter. This is a young man who did not feel  "in" with his family.  This is a young man that was alone and miserable, and knew he had no right to ask for acceptance. His father, however, never considered him out, but waited for him to come back, and welcomed him back as an integral part of the family, considering his homecoming as making their home complete.

The story also tells of the older son, who stayed home and did what was expected of him.  He tended to the chores and the running of the property, as well as to his father's welfare. At least that is the impression he gives as he complains to his father about the party celebrating his brother's return. Many of us can identify with this brother, as we try to live responsibly and do what is expected of us and what is right. Many of us may get a bit disgruntled as the older brother did, as we just quietly take care of what needs to be done without particular acknowledgement or appreciation. Sometimes we forget that the father came out to this brother as well, and encouraged him to come and join the party, to come celebrate and not just work.

The father of this story, who is sometimes criticized for "forgetting" his older son, or giving up his dignity to welcome his younger son, still reaches out to both sons - assuming the younger would know he was always welcome and assuming his older son would also be happy to welcome his brother home.  We do have to watch our assumptions!

The story the older son seems to have told himself was that he was the virtuous and more beloved son because he had done what was right and stayed by his father's side. Somehow he overlooked all the benefits he had experienced by living in the safety of his family estate and saw only the hard work. Somehow he took for granted the blessing of being well fed and being able to contribute in a meaningful way to both his own and his father's well being. Somehow he forgot all the good of his own life, and envied his brother the careless, even exciting life he assumed his brother had had. He was not so willing to accept his wayward brother's return. He saw no reason this brother of his deserved a big party.

What stories do we tell ourselves?  Do we tell ourselves we deserve a greater reward because we have been a part of the church for a long time? Do we assume those who come to faith later in life have had a bonus time of more fun than we've had? Do we dismiss all the joys and benefits of walking in faith for a large portion of our lives?  I hope we can look with joy on the privilege of whatever time we have walking in faith and having a relationship with God. I hope we can welcome others who also seek the comfort and safety of belonging in God's family.

The Joshua passage (5:9-12) also speaks of a way home.  The Israelites had not bothered to circumcise their children while they were travelling in the wilderness.  Now they were settled in their new land and, in this passage, were given the opportunity to reclaim their position as children of the covenant with Abraham through circumcision. We, too, are called to reclaim our position as God's children when we go astray.  We may not need to undergo a ritual or surgical procedure, but we do need to make a conscious choice to walk in faith, to come home to God.

2 Corinthians 5:15-21 is a call to recognize all, Jew and Gentile, as a part of God's family on earth, for in Christ all are a new creation.  Not just the Gentiles need to claim a new identity, the Jews do, as well. Christ is making all of us new, and if we recognize Jesus as Christ, we belong to each other. Many people who have grown up in a church setting may forget this. As an old saying goes, God has no grandchildren.  We are all call to come and take on that new identity, as God's child. It doesn't matter what the faith or ethnic background of our parents. All of us are new creations in Christ and all of us have the responsibility to welcome each other, both the long term faithful and those new to faith to the church family. We are called to be ambassadors of Christ, representing God and Christ in all we do and therefore helping others understand and appreciate all that awaits if they embrace their role as a child of God.

Psalm 32 is a lovely song of praise, recognizing that we do sometimes resist admitting our sins and faults before God, but it is when we admit our wrongdoing that we are ready to be forgiven,...and God will forgive! And guide, and instruct us.  How wonderful to have God at our side. This Psalm ends with the assurance:

"You who are righteous (depend on God's grace), rejoice in the Lord and be glad!   All you whose hearts are right, sing out in joy!" (CEB)

The message the Lent material pulls from these passages is that God's love is for all: the son that seeks decadence then forgiveness; the son who does what is expected and is disgruntled by his brother's return; the father who loves both his sons; the children who grew up in the faith and fell slowly away; the Jewish Christian who is knowledgeable in the ways of God; the Gentile Christian who is learning a whole new identity. None of us deserve God's love. None of us can earn it. None of us can decide who else is beloved of God.  All of us have access to it.  Just as we recognize that others sometimes misread us and our intentions, actions, and words, we need to recognize we may be making those same errors of judgement about others. We need to open ourselves to see others as our siblings, not perfect but beloved by the same God who loves us so much.

So let us not worry about whether anyone else is loved by God, they are. Let us not worry about whether anyone else deserves to be a part of our church family, they do. Let us not worry whether God loves people who believe differently than we, God does. Let us, instead, concern ourselves with welcoming others and making them feel celebrated and loved. Let us not make them feel like outsiders for they, too, have been called and accepted by God.  Let us make the move from human exceptionalism to Godly inclusion.

May you go forth rejoicing in the opportunities you have to serve God and others as a beloved and forgiven child and ambassador of Christ.