Third Sunday of Lent
(continued)
From Fear
to
Love
Lenten Reflections on the
Parable of the Prodigal Son
by Henri J.M. Nouwen
(1932-1996)
(For Lent this year, a season of reflection and renewal,
I am forgoing the usual quotes and using only snippets from Henri
Nouwen found at
the site above in his “Reflections on the Parable of the Prodigal Son.”)
The parable tells of a wealthy landowner’s son
who leaves home and squanders his inheritance. When he returns destitute but
contrite, the father joyfully welcomes him, causing resentment in the dutiful
brother. The father explains that a celebration is warranted for “your brother
was dead, and is alive again.” We learn that God, like a loving parent, is
merciful and forgiving, that reconciliation with Him is a gift. That we should
not judge others, but rejoice when a sinner returns to His fold.
Discipline
and Resentment
20So 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.21Then
the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am
no longer worthy to be called your son.’22But 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.23And get the fatted calf and
kill it, and let us eat and celebrate;24for this son of mine was
dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to
celebrate.
Luke
15:20-24
The Return of the Prodigal Son
REMBRANDT
Harmenszoon van Rijn
1662
oil
on canvas
State
Hermitage Museum
St.
Petersburg
http://www.biblical-art.com/artwork.asp?id_artwork=1488&Showmode=Full#artwork
Discipline is the human effort to create the space in which God
can be generous and give you what you need.
When you are fearful, worried, or anxious, you want to control your life
and to hold onto the reins. You want to
do it your own way, whether it’s like the younger son or whether it’s like the
older son. The practice of discipline is to let the Father touch you, let the
Father forgive you, let the Father receive you.
And for that you need to be available; you have to be home.
The first discipline is listening. … An obedient life is a life
in which you are listening.
When you make space for God and begin to listen to God’s loving
voice, you suddenly start to realize perfect love.
The elder son who did the objectively good thing and who might
have been praised for being the “good boy” because he faithfully stayed home to
support his old father—ends up being as lost spiritually as the younger guy who
ran off and squandered his fortune. But
the elder son is lost in a very different way than his brother. The elder son is not free towards his father
because he is bound by resentment.
Resentment is probably one of the most pervasive
evils of our time. It’s something that
is very real, very pernicious, and very, very destructive.
Resentment is precisely the pitfall of the faithful, obedient,
hardworking people who do the right thing.
Objectively, you have reason to be praised. But each of you might examine how your life
and relationships are wounded because of resentment buried in your heart.
Did you ever notice how lost you are when you are
resentful? The younger son gets lost in
a much more spectacular way … his wrongdoing is very clear-cut.
The problem with resentment is that it is not so clear-cut: it’s
not spectacular and it is not overt, and it can be covered by the appearance of
a holy life. … often you don’t even know
it is there. You think you’re so
good. But in fact you are lost in a very
profound way.
I want you to know that you are the younger son, that you are
the older son, and that you are called to become the father who loves
unconditionally. There is a younger son
in you that needs conversion, and there is an older son in you that needs
conversion. There is also a father in
you that needs to be revealed to you so that you can receive the younger and
the elder sons that “return” to you day after day.
Somewhere at the end of it all God wants all of us to be present
at the banquet. Together.
Baptism
by Pastor Dee
“Grandma”
Joyce
Shelton
2nd
Place in the Colorado Watercolor Society 21st Annual Exhibition!!!
Fourteen of our Painted Toe members were
juried into the show!
Congratulations!!!
Vicki
and I went to The Fort during 5280 Week.
Buffalo
sirloin, quail, and asparagus.
With
their usual fanfare, they honored Vicki’s birthday.
<gr>
Gail
initiated RISC after four of our members suffered
broken
bones after slipping on the black ice last week.
Dave
Loomiller will be participating in “Murder at the Evergreen Country Fair,”
to
raise money for a statue for the Veterans Commemorative Walk.
Nancy
is our yoga instructor.
I
joined a VERY wimpy Silver Sneakers class …
I
can only go one day a week since I have conflicts the other days.
It
is wimpy, but an hour’s worth of wimp makes me sore!
One way for me to deal with my resentment is to acknowledge the
suffering of the other person. … When I’m willing to consider the other
person’s individual history with struggle and agony, I can prevent myself from
judging too harshly or making a final angry statement about their behavior.
I can make an effort to understand them because of my
willingness to listen from their side of their story.
March 11,
2012 Third Sunday in Lent
Previous OPQs may be found at:
http://www.dotjack.com/opq.htm
All quotes are from Henri Nouwen.
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the
temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers
seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the
temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the
money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the
doves, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a
marketplace!" His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for
your house will consume me." The Jews then said to him, "What sign
can you show us for doing this?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this
temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews then said, "This
temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it
up in three days?" But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he
was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and
they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
John 2:13-22
Agnus Day, by James
Wetzstein
Agnus Day
appears with the permission of www.agnusday.org
Exod.
20:1–17
Ps. 19
1 Cor.
1:18–25
John 2:13–22