Chapter 6: Sometimes the Prodigal, Sometimes the Elder Brother

Chapter 6: Sometimes the Prodigal, Sometimes the Elder Brother

A Response By Melodie Fleming

Some sins are more obvious than others, but which ones bother God the most?

In the book of Luke, the Bible records a story Jesus told to a group of preachers. A young man rebelled against his father, took the family fortune, left home, and squandered his inheritance on sinful living. After losing everything, he worked as a farmhand in order to survive. He became so destitute that he actually longed for the slop he was feeding to the pigs! So, he repented, went home, and begged for his father’s forgiveness.

When the father saw his prodigal son returning home, he ran to meet him, hugged him, and threw a party. Perhaps they would have lived happily ever after, but there was a problem. The elder brother didn’t feel like partying. He’d been working hard in the fields for years. Why should he celebrate his brother’s return?

I wonder which child grieved the father’s heart more?

Most people focus on the relationship between the prodigal and the father in this story, and for good reason. There’s much to ponder. The father let his son choose his own path. He allowed him to learn from his mistakes. He longed for his child’s return and accepted him without judgment. He rejoiced without lamenting the losses his son had cost him.

But Jesus didn’t tell this story to a group of prodigals. He told it to a group of preachers. Jesus had been hanging out with the prodigals. He loved them, accepted them, forgave them, and taught them. The neighborhood clergymen didn’t like it. They felt a righteous man wouldn’t spend so much time hanging out with sinners. Jesus told the story to help them see themselves…as elder brothers.

Angela Thomas points out that we Christians often find ourselves in either position. Sometimes, we are aware of our sin. We see our rebellion, bitterness, jealousy, or moral failures for what they are. We take our shame to the Heavenly Father. We throw ourselves on his mercy. He forgives us.

Sometimes, though, we are convinced that we are more worthy of God’s love than other people. We don’t see our self-righteousness, judgmentalism, legalism, and self-satisfaction as serious sin. We think we are better than other kinds of sinners and trade in celebrations for pity parties.

The solution for the prodigal and for the elder brother is the same: repentance. When we come as little children before the Grand Emperor of the Universe, we will be too humble to think ourselves better than anyone else, too uninhibited to let our shame stop us from throwing ourselves at his feet, and too forgiven to think twice about letting him draw us up into his lap.

Praise God! He is a Father who forgives prodigals and elder brothers alike!

Chapter 6: Sometimes the Prodigal, Sometimes the Elder Brother
A Response By Melodie Fleming

Some sins are more obvious than others, but which ones bother God the most?

In the book of Luke, the Bible records a story Jesus told to a group of preachers. A young man rebelled against his father, took the family fortune, left home, and squandered his inheritance on sinful living. After losing everything, he worked as a farmhand in order to survive. He became so destitute that he actually longed for the slop he was feeding to the pigs! So, he repented, went home, and begged for his father’s forgiveness.

When the father saw his prodigal son returning home, he ran to meet him, hugged him, and threw a party. Perhaps they would have lived happily ever after, but there was a problem. The elder brother didn’t feel like partying. He’d been working hard in the fields for years. Why should he celebrate his brother’s return?

I wonder which child grieved the father’s heart more?

Most people focus on the relationship between the prodigal and the father in this story, and for good reason. There’s much to ponder. The father let his son choose his own path. He allowed him to learn from his mistakes. He longed for his child’s return and accepted him without judgment. He rejoiced without lamenting the losses his son had cost him.

But Jesus didn’t tell this story to a group of prodigals. He told it to a group of preachers. Jesus had been hanging out with the prodigals. He loved them, accepted them, forgave them, and taught them. The neighborhood clergymen didn’t like it. They felt a righteous man wouldn’t spend so much time hanging out with sinners. Jesus told the story to help them see themselves…as elder brothers.

Angela Thomas points out that we Christians often find ourselves in either position. Sometimes, we are aware of our sin. We see our rebellion, bitterness, jealousy, or moral failures for what they are. We take our shame to the Heavenly Father. We throw ourselves on his mercy. He forgives us.

Sometimes, though, we are convinced that we are more worthy of God’s love than other people. We don’t see our self-righteousness, judgmentalism, legalism, and self-satisfaction as serious sin. We think we are better than other kinds of sinners and trade in celebrations for pity parties.

The solution for the prodigal and for the elder brother is the same: repentance. When we come as little children before the Grand Emperor of the Universe, we will be too humble to think ourselves better than anyone else, too uninhibited to let our shame stop us from throwing ourselves at his feet, and too forgiven to think twice about letting him draw us up into his lap.

Praise God! He is a Father who forgives prodigals and elder brothers alike

Noise and Clutter

     God invites us to His banquet, prepares a feast, bids us to join in the merrymaking, but all too often the noise and clutter in our lives causes us to miss out.
     The car pool trips to the basketball games, the shopping at the mall, even the rush and fuss over the latest church program or Bible study too often ring loud in importance. Then the still small voice of our Lord ends up ignored and our own hearts pay the price.
    Other noises sometimes rob us too. Like the time when you had a vision that stirred you passion, but then someone threw cold water on it and their words still ping-pong around in your while the vision has perished.
     Or the time you accomplished something special and no one noticed. The very silence from your friends drowned out the words from the Lord.
     I remember returning as a missionary from South America excited about the work of the Lord in a remote mountain area only to find that friends back home were more interested in what was going on in their own city. The "clutter" of my hurt kept me from hearing the Lord's invitation to rejoice with Him.
     In chapter 4 of Do You Think I'm Beautiful, Angela Thomas reminds us to sweep aside the noise and clutter and listen to the One who never tires of reminding us of His love.
    



    

Dirty Diapers or Daisies, It's Our Choice

The official count on my walk today: two dirty diapers, a half-eaten Whopper, three spat-out globs of gum, ten cigarette butts, one dead bird, a broken beer bottle, a broken wine bottle, seven little packages deposited by neighborhood pooches, and one trail of foot prints left by one of my neighbors who took an unfortunate step in one of those packages.

I don’t live in an inner city area blighted by poverty and neglect. The yards I pass on my hike brim over with bougainvillea, oak trees, native flowers and manicured grass. I am sure the woman who plants four different types of lilies in her flower beds isn’t throwing her fast-food leftovers on the path next to her home. It’s hard for me to picture the young family laughing in their driveway smashing empty bottles of booze on the sidewalk. Joy-riding kids, inconsiderate dog walkers have turned my walking trail into a mine field. It wasn’t our fault, but my neighbors and I have to deal with the ugly mess.

So instead of experiencing the flash of green of a flock of wild parakeets in flight, I’m focused on avoiding a wad of bubble gum. I hate missing Mrs. West’s rose garden, but if I’m not vigilant, I could endure the fate of my stinky-soled neighbor. Instead of enjoying the beauty of God’s creation around me, I’m busy worrying about the pitfalls on the path.

I’m like that with a lot of things in my life. I could be enjoying the nearness of God, the wonder of His delight in me, a holy love that knows no limits. But I spend my days listening to the world’s view of me, and my own doubts about what the God of the universe could possibly think of a wreck like me. I try so hard to dodge the doggy doo-doo, I overlook the daisies. Just like on my walk.

Angela Thomas encourages us to accept the Father’s invitation to dance, to feel beautiful in His arms and lean into the trust in His goodness that He longs for us to have. Will we continue to pay attention to the junk thrown in our paths by the world? Or will we hold our heads up and believe God’s words for us and about us? There are some treasures to enjoy on this walk. Let’s not miss a single one.

Do You Think I'm Beautiful, Chapter 3

“I haven’t been completely honest with you.” My fiancé’s voice was a little shaky as he spoke into the phone.

My mind raced as I forced myself to remain calm.

“Okay,” I said.

He began to detail what he considered to be minor differences in our theological perspectives. But minor differences to him were major concerns to me.

My wedding dress hung quietly in the bathroom, waiting for me to shower and dress. Bridesmaids and groomsmen were at the church putting final touches on the decorations. My father and brother were at the mall picking up their tuxedos. Mom bustled with the caterer, making sure every hors d’oeuvre was properly placed. Friends from around the country were touching down at the airport.

But a simple phone call shattered my stain glassed world.

Musicians played as guests were seated. All were invited to a reception. None witnessed a wedding. The gown went into storage.

In Chapter 3 of Do You Think I’m Beautiful, Angela Thomas discusses the other lovers in our lives. She points out, “God did not mean for the canyon inside your heart to remain empty…that is the place He has planned to fill, to make whole, with his love.” (p.47)

The fact is, people let us down. Husbands will sweep us off our feet, until they step across the threshold and transform from heroes to humans. Children will steal our fragile hearts as infants, and then toy with them the rest of our lives. (I’m convinced my son plays football with mine every day!)

Husbands, children, friends, career goals, and even material stuff, are all a part of a woman’s life. God created us to be lovers of people and appreciators of beauty and accomplishment. We can enjoy these blessings as good gifts from God…as long as we realize their created purpose. They are little tastes of the love of God, but only tastes. They simply can’t fulfill our deepest needs. That task belongs to Him alone. If we look to the other lovers to meet them, they will fall drastically short.

As for me, three years after my un-wedding, I married a great guy, a pastor no less! We celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary two weeks ago. They’ve been sixteen wonderful, love-filled, and thoroughly human years. But even though I bypassed Mr. Wrong and married Mr. Right, my husband and I fully agree with Angela Thomas: “Those deep places inside you were made for God.”