From time immemorial man has desperately sought
in some ways to grasp that which we call He has
been both challenged and frightened by the unknown.
One of the most important dogmas of the Orthodox
Church is precisely this, that Christ in Christ
and through Christ God was revealed to mankind.
We have a number of scriptural references that
point this out. Particularly the one that our
Lord said to Philip when Philip asked him, Master,
show us the Father. And Jesus said, Philip, he
who sees me sees the Father. I and the Father
are one. And St. Paul in that brilliant passage
of Colossians tells us that Jesus is the image
of God. Throughout the scriptures, we have many
references about God's love, God's nature. And
one of the most revealing, one of the most intense
of all the parables which our Lord said, which
we heard in today's Gospel lesson from the 15th
chapter of Luke, the parable, of the lost son,
the prodigal son. Our Lord in this passage gives
us an unforgettable portrait, a beautiful picture
of God's love. And this is what I want to speak
about on the basis of this parable. Now there's
no need for me to review or recount the parable
of the prodigal son. All of you know this passage
very well. But there are those who do not go
far enough in, shall I say, unpacking the...
profound theological implications of the father
as depicted in the prodigal son we all know it
and yet it is profoundly profoundly more than
a story about a misguided individual who wanted
to go to the tender line tenderloin district
of San Francisco and to express himself. Long
before Sinatra sang, I'll do it my way, the prodigal
listened carefully to those enticing words. Heard
by Adam and Eve, said to them by Satan in the
Garden of Eden. Do what you want to do. There
should be no one to tell you how to do it. There's
no one to say no, no, and yes, yes. You're old
enough. Go do what you want. That's fine. Sounds
fine. I know I've heard many times. No, this
young man was a macho Don Juan. He knew his father.
Had to give him one third eventually. That was
the law of the land. The inheritance, that is.
But how cruel it is to say, as he did, Father,
give me what belongs to me. I know you're going
to die. So give me what I want now. And the father
responded, okay. What makes this parable so meaningful
and so revealing is that it tells us in a very
descriptive way about human nature. About pride
leading man to sin. But particularly and especially
about God's love. Notice when you reread the
passage. About the father. He left the candle
on in the window. He remained waiting. On the
front porch. Straining his eyes. Hoping that
he'll see his son again. And there in the distance.
And one day he saw someone coming. And the scripture
tells us when he saw this angel coming, he didn't
walk, but he ran. He ran to embrace his son.
And before his son could tell him, Father, I
have sinned before heaven and before you. I am
no longer worthy to be called your son. Before
he could say that, the father embraced him, loved
him, and quickly called the servants and said,
listen, bring him a robe, bring him a ring, and
bring him shoes. All of these are important things
that I can't talk about at the moment because
it would extend the sermon. But it's important
to remember what the Father did. It's so important.
The Bible and the Church unerringly throughout
history has pointed these things out. That God
is love. And anyone who tries to restore life
as God intended to be, that is, restore the image
and likeness of God in human nature, is never
going to do it and have peace of mind, heart,
and soul unless... He responds to the love of
God. You know, people are good at fixing things.
I know many of you are just incredibly gifted.
You fix computers and cars and furniture. You
can do it because these things were originally
created and designed by man. However, when it
comes to restoring human nature and become partakers
of the divine, that requires not intellectual,
scientific or technological expertise. You need
more than that. Since God is the divine creator
and designer of human nature. He alone. He alone
can restore and redeem life. When it has faltered.
Broken. And crashed. You all know that passage
in John. The third chapter, God so loved the
world. He so loved the world that he came himself
in the person of Christ. And we are told whoever
believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting
life. Now looking at this parable, From a prosaic,
non -theological way. The parable means that
our Lord never goes out of the salvaging and
redeeming business. God is with us. Emmanuel.
This is the constant recurring message of the
New Testament. Jesus said, I did not come to
call the righteous, but the sinners. God does
not have a junkyard where he places the Christians
who have fallen. He goes out and meets them.
Seeks them out. Loves them. Forgives them. In
this morning's parable, Jesus is telling us that
God is like the father of the prodigal son. He
kept waiting for his son. And one of the most
wonderful passages, besides the one about the
resurrection of Christ, for me, at any rate,
I just imagine that the father didn't stand there
waiting and fuming and ready to give his son,
the wayward son, a lesson in. obedience. He did
the opposite. He accepted it. This passage reveals
the immeasurable mercy of God. In no other passage
can you find this outreach of God's love in such
an intense way. A love that's beyond description.
And you know, throughout the liturgical services
in the church, you will not hear the reference
that God is, and I quote, the lover of mankind.
The God who loves man, the God who created man,
and who did not want, according to the reading
in St. Basil's Liturgy, did not want for man
to destroy himself. The Lord is the good shepherd
who seeks the lost sheep. He's the divine physician
who heals. He's the Savior who forgives. And
St. Paul in that magnificent passage says, God
has shown us how much He loves us. While we were
yet sinners, he died for us. There's one more
person in this parable needs some comment. And
I'm referring to the elder son. No, he did not
go anywhere. geographically speaking, he remained
with his father. Well, at the end of the passage,
he locked himself out of the celebration of love
when his father pleaded to come in. He said,
look, look, my son was dead and is alive again.
Come in so we could celebrate. his resurrection,
his new life. No, he would not come in. No, he
pouted and kept breathing the exhaust fumes of
self -love, of self -righteousness, of prideful
life. There's a marvelous book we had in the
bookstore entitled The Dialogue with the Savior,
written by an Orthodox monk. And the author hears
Jesus saying, come, follow me. And he answered
the Lord and said, Master, I have often and for
many years heard you calling me. And I have followed
you, but I have fallen. I have fallen many times.
And the Lord said, I know. I know what you have
done. But I want to say to you once again, get
up. Get up and follow me. Master, said the monk
to the Lord, do you mean that I am not rejected?
Do you mean I still could follow you even after
I have fallen and crashed and failed? And Jesus
said, come, follow me, for I have come to give
you life. and life abundantly. In the name of
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.