Advent - The Prodigal Son

The Parable of the Lost Son

¹¹ Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
¹³ “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ¹⁴ After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
¹⁷ “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.

The parable of the Prodigal Son reflects all of our journeys in faith.  It speaks to the core human tendency to flee God's loving shelter to take on the world, determined to find resiliency in the flesh.  We boldly proclaim our independence stepping into that 'wild country' squandering the gift of our Father's inheritance on the world.  It takes hitting rock bottom, before one realizes how poisoned we've become and the cure is God's healing love and mercy. 

Advent is a period of reflection and joyful anticipation.  I think The Prodigal Son is an ideal parallel to the Advent journey.  We are reawakened to the severity of our sin, stirred to repent and return to our Father in heaven pleading for mercy and joyfully expressing our love and dependence on him.  We realize in the 'wild land' that we are not free away from God, but rather it is in God's grace we are free. 

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ 
I appreciate the fact that the father doesn't go and retrieve his son, the son has to learn through experience that he must return to the father.  It is by his free will and human volition that he falls into sin, but also chooses to turn back to the Father.

²⁸ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

Consider the brother, who stayed behind.  He is us too, self-righteous and judgmental, fearful and doubtful even in security.  A minister once pointed out  to me that the brother's anger projected at his prodigal was really an inward projection of his own self-hate.  He might appear to be living the life of a faithful servant, but he was also deviating.  This son refers to 'prostitutes,' which was not mentioned in the account of the Prodigal Son's travels.  Was this statement more a reflection of the spiritual prostitution of supposed faithful son?  We often in our self-righteous mold act like the 'faithful' son, we have sowed and toiled, and grow jealous when we think God is giving inheritance to those who have betrayed him.  In truth we don't have to compete for God's love.  Christ, the Holy Spirit and God the Father have more than enough love and forgiveness to welcome all of us into their kingdom. 

³¹ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

God loves us in spite of our sin and welcomes us back into his house when we humbly repent.  The story of The Prodigal Son, and the joy the father had on his return.  I refer back to the mention about The Prodigal Son choosing to return to his father.  God is constantly at work to find his lost sheep, yet with the gift and curse of free will, it is only through our own reckoning and submission to God that we can be restored to his kingdom.  That is why there is such celebration in heaven for every sinner that repents, for it is the stirring of the person's soul, by their own volition and choice to return to the Father.  This represents a true understanding on the part of the sinner that they are not self-reliant, but depend on the love and guidance of God. 

So repent and rejoice, for our Father is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  Accept the eternal inheritance of Christ's salvation and do not squander in the inheritance of the flesh (the sins of the world, which only decay and rot)