RECKLESS GRACE: FORGIVENESS AND RESTORATION
Luke 15:11-32
Kate Braestrup in her book, Beginner's Grace, tells a story about her own "prodigal son," Peter (pp.94-97). When Peter was around fourteen, he and a friend, Ted, sneaked out late one night for an evening of adventure and stupid human tricks. Because Ted was a fan of the TV program, Jackass, they made a video tap of everything they did that night -- climbing trees, hurling themselves into drainage ditches and climbing on the roof of the high school. Before they finally went home, Peter streaked naked around the parking lot and then pried open the door of a school bus and vandalized the bus driver's seat.
Ted's father discovered the tape and then passed it on to Kate. Kate confronted Peter with it. She told him he had insulted the bus driver, the school community and the community at large as well as throwing suspicion on all local teenagers. Peter had caused harm that only he could heal.
Peter was to call the principal of the high school and the superintendent of schools and apologize. Then he was to go apologize to the bus driver in person. After that, he was to write an open letter of apology to the community and send it to the editor of the local newsletter. Then, he was to clean all the school buses "down to the shine."
Was Peter happy? No, Peter was very. very unhappy!
Was the Prodigal Son happy. No, he was very, very unhappy!
The young man found himself living in a pig sty with a bunch of hogs and the consequences of his foolhardy, reckless and self-centered choices. He was starving, and he had lost everything -- all his inheritance, his fine new clothes, his wonderful new friends and his dignity. He was dehumanized -- separated from his community, his friends and family back home, and, because of his sin, God. He confessed, "I have sinned against God and my Father."
He didn't feel like he deserved forgiveness or to be called his father's son. As he started home, smelling of pigs, barefooted and in rags, his greatest hope was that his father would hire him on as a farm hand.
But when he arrived home, his father not only welcomed his with open arms and rejoicing, but he forgave him and restored him. To clothe his son, the father called for the finest robe in the house to be brought to him and sandals put on his feet. To satisfy his hunger, a feast was prepared was prepared. A ring was placed on his finger to show that the young man had been officially welcomed back into the family to take his place as his father's son. The father restored his younger son to a state prior to him asking for his inheritance and leaving.
None of the things that Kate, who loved her son and wanted him to be happy and feel good about himself, were easy for Peter to do, but she knew that Peter needed to make amends in order for his own wholeness and happiness.
God, our heavenly parent, loves us and want us to feel good about ourselves and to be happy. He loves us too much to leave us to suffer in the misery of our sins, and that's why Christ died for our sake. Christ is the way back God who welcomes us with open arms and forgiveness.
God forgives us wholeheartedly -- never holding anything back or holding our mistakes over our heads. God's extravagant and lavish love through Jesus Christ cleanses us and gives us a second chance, as many times as we need one. God's forgiveness restores us. It restores the image of God in which we are all created, it restores our relationship with God, and it gives us courage and strength to make amends and restore our broken relationship with others.
Like the Prodigal Son, we may not believe we deserve forgiveness. That's not the way God sees it. God's forgiveness is a free gift of God's love to us. There's nothing we have to do or can do to deserve or earn it. God offers it to us all because God wants us to have it. Sometimes, we carry a hurt or wound that prevents us from receiving grace with open hands and hearts. If that's the case, God offers grace for healing. We just need to ask.
When Peter returned home from the last from cleaning the buses, he told Kate, "I hate to admit this, but I feel a lot better."
God, our heavenly parent, loves us so lavishly and extravagantly and wants us to feel good about ourselves and to be happy. No matter how dreadful a mess we have made of our lives or how many mistakes we've made or how many people we've hurt, God is there, ready to forgive, to welcome us back as sons and daughters. Even those broken relationship can be made whole again, and our hearts reconciled.
Kate Braestrup in her book, Beginner's Grace, tells a story about her own "prodigal son," Peter (pp.94-97). When Peter was around fourteen, he and a friend, Ted, sneaked out late one night for an evening of adventure and stupid human tricks. Because Ted was a fan of the TV program, Jackass, they made a video tap of everything they did that night -- climbing trees, hurling themselves into drainage ditches and climbing on the roof of the high school. Before they finally went home, Peter streaked naked around the parking lot and then pried open the door of a school bus and vandalized the bus driver's seat.
Ted's father discovered the tape and then passed it on to Kate. Kate confronted Peter with it. She told him he had insulted the bus driver, the school community and the community at large as well as throwing suspicion on all local teenagers. Peter had caused harm that only he could heal.
Peter was to call the principal of the high school and the superintendent of schools and apologize. Then he was to go apologize to the bus driver in person. After that, he was to write an open letter of apology to the community and send it to the editor of the local newsletter. Then, he was to clean all the school buses "down to the shine."
Was Peter happy? No, Peter was very. very unhappy!
Was the Prodigal Son happy. No, he was very, very unhappy!
The young man found himself living in a pig sty with a bunch of hogs and the consequences of his foolhardy, reckless and self-centered choices. He was starving, and he had lost everything -- all his inheritance, his fine new clothes, his wonderful new friends and his dignity. He was dehumanized -- separated from his community, his friends and family back home, and, because of his sin, God. He confessed, "I have sinned against God and my Father."
He didn't feel like he deserved forgiveness or to be called his father's son. As he started home, smelling of pigs, barefooted and in rags, his greatest hope was that his father would hire him on as a farm hand.
But when he arrived home, his father not only welcomed his with open arms and rejoicing, but he forgave him and restored him. To clothe his son, the father called for the finest robe in the house to be brought to him and sandals put on his feet. To satisfy his hunger, a feast was prepared was prepared. A ring was placed on his finger to show that the young man had been officially welcomed back into the family to take his place as his father's son. The father restored his younger son to a state prior to him asking for his inheritance and leaving.
None of the things that Kate, who loved her son and wanted him to be happy and feel good about himself, were easy for Peter to do, but she knew that Peter needed to make amends in order for his own wholeness and happiness.
God, our heavenly parent, loves us and want us to feel good about ourselves and to be happy. He loves us too much to leave us to suffer in the misery of our sins, and that's why Christ died for our sake. Christ is the way back God who welcomes us with open arms and forgiveness.
God forgives us wholeheartedly -- never holding anything back or holding our mistakes over our heads. God's extravagant and lavish love through Jesus Christ cleanses us and gives us a second chance, as many times as we need one. God's forgiveness restores us. It restores the image of God in which we are all created, it restores our relationship with God, and it gives us courage and strength to make amends and restore our broken relationship with others.
Like the Prodigal Son, we may not believe we deserve forgiveness. That's not the way God sees it. God's forgiveness is a free gift of God's love to us. There's nothing we have to do or can do to deserve or earn it. God offers it to us all because God wants us to have it. Sometimes, we carry a hurt or wound that prevents us from receiving grace with open hands and hearts. If that's the case, God offers grace for healing. We just need to ask.
When Peter returned home from the last from cleaning the buses, he told Kate, "I hate to admit this, but I feel a lot better."
God, our heavenly parent, loves us so lavishly and extravagantly and wants us to feel good about ourselves and to be happy. No matter how dreadful a mess we have made of our lives or how many mistakes we've made or how many people we've hurt, God is there, ready to forgive, to welcome us back as sons and daughters. Even those broken relationship can be made whole again, and our hearts reconciled.
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