Rochester, MN UCC - "A Way Back" - Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
Until a few years ago, every interpretation of the parable of The Prodigal Son with which I was familiar focused on the story as an analogy for the life of a believer. We are like the prodigal son. We often take for granted the loving care of God and make our own way in the world, to disastrous effect. Yet there is always the possibility that we, like the prodigal son, will realize the error of our ways, repent, and return to a gracious God always ready to forgive and celebrate our reunion. To be clear, I love this interpretation. It’s a wonderful story about the power of grace and forgiveness and I strongly identify with the prodigal son.
A few years ago, while taking a course on St. Augustine’s sermons, I first heard the standard Patristic interpretation of the prodigal son. In the first several centuries of church history, the prodigal son is typically seen as an analogy for the Son of God. It is God the Son, who chooses to leave his heavenly home, divest himself of his divine riches, and enters the world as Jesus of Nazareth. Just as the prodigal journeys into a world of sin, so too does Jesus join us in experiencing the effects of sin and suffers alongside us. Jesus then returns to his father through the resurrection and ascension and is received with celebration just like the prodigal son.
The terrific thing about the Word of God is that it is a mystery whose riches will continually unfold the more we engage with it. There’s no reason to choose one or the other of these two interpretations of the story. So long as they both lead us to greater love of God and of our neighbor they are each correct and faithful interpretations of the text. What's more, each may enrich the other. It is true that many of us journey away from the love of God and into a wayward life. And it is true that God is always ready to welcome us home. Yet it is also true that in Jesus, the Son of God comes to dwell with us in our moments of suffering and leads us back home with him into the eternal love of the Triune God. Come to worship this Sunday, engage with God’s Word, and find yourself in the ongoing story of God’s redeeming love for all of creation.
Pastor Andrew Greenhaw