Party (Luke 15: 11-32)

Five years ago this week, my maternal grandmother, Eileen Siminski, passed away.  She was almost 93 years old at the time of her death.  She was, I have to say, the best grandma in the world.  Some of you may disagree with that statement, because you believe that your grandma is the best.  That’s good.  But it doesn’t change my opinion about my grandma.

Grandma cared deeply about each one of her eight children, 20 grandchildren, and I-don’t-know-how-many great-grandchildren.  When I was younger, she would go out of her way to welcome me into her presence and show me how much she loved me.  As I got older, I noticed that she did her best to keep up on all the activities of her children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren, what they were up to, what their interests were. 

She had a special spot in her heart for my youngest sister, who had actually lived with Grandma at one time.  She told my youngest sister that she had to live long enough to see her find someone good to spend her life with.

The day before Grandma died, my sister showed me her brand new engagement ring.  I told her that we had to go show it to Grandma.  So we went together, to visit Grandma, who spotted my sister’s ring right away and asked her about it.  She was so happy for my sister. 

At the end of our visit, Grandma turned to me and said, “Danny, will you give me your blessing as a man of God?”

She had asked me this once before on a previous visit, so the request was not unexpected.  However, it was very humbling.  My Grandmother’s faith had always been an inspiration to me.  She was a very devout Catholic, but was also very loving, accepting, and open-minded. 

Grandma died the next day.  She had managed to save up some money, and divided it up between all of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.  That’s a lot of dividing up, so the amounts each one got were not huge, but neither were they insignificant. 

And yet, we would have eagerly given it back if we could have had one more day with Grandma.  Her life was worth far more to us than any amount of money.

The son in today’s Bible story didn’t see it that way.  He said, “Father, give me my inheritance.” 

“What are you saying, son?”

“I’m saying that I’d rather have your money than you.  I’m saying that I wish you were already dead!”

So the father divided his property and gave his son what he asked for.  The son took it all and left for a distant country; and as a result, father and son were now, in a very real way, dead to each other.

After quite some time – months, years, who knows how long? – the father saw his son walking back up the road that led to their home.  At first he couldn’t believe it; he had imagined seeing this so often, and had dreamed it so often, that he wasn’t sure if what he was seeing now was really happening. 

The father ran to his son; put his arms around him and hugged and kissed him.  The son started to speak:  “Father, I’m so sorry; I’ve sinned against heaven and before you; I­–“

But his father had stopped listening.  He turned to his servants, “Quick, bring out a robe, the best one, and put it on him.  Put a ring on his fingers and sandals on his feet.  And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.  We’re going to have the biggest party the world has ever seen, because this son of mine was dead but is now alive; he was lost and is found!”

The older son, who had stayed with the father and remained devoted to him all these years, was upset.  The father went to him and said, “Listen…” but the older son said, “No, you listen!  All these years I’ve been devoted to you and have served you.  My brother took your money and wasted it.  It’s all gone!  And yet, when you return, you spend a fortune celebrating.  He doesn’t deserve to have all this money wasted on him.  He’s already wasted so much!  When he left, he made it clear that his family didn’t even matter to him, that you didn’t matter to him.  And now you’re throwing him the biggest party we’ve ever seen?  Now you’re sacrificing our prized calf for him?”

The older son had a point.  His brother was dead to them.  He’d left, and burned his bridges behind him. 

But the father had a point, too.  Yes, his youngest son was dead.  BUT, now he was alive again.  He had returned.  And the father was determined to welcome back his son with the biggest, most extravagant party the world had ever seen.

In Luke’s gospel, Jesus actually tells three stories like this; stories of extravagant parties thrown after someone or something that was lost, is found again.

A man who has a hundred sheep loses one.  He leaves the 99 in the wilderness to go searching for the one that is lost.  That’s foolish, I tell you, leaving those 99 unprotected for the sake of the one that is lost!  But that’s what this man does.  And when he finds that one lost sheep, he rejoices!  He’s so happy that he throws a party for all his friends and neighbors.  And guess what’s on the menu?  Lamb chops!

It’s ridiculous.  It’s foolish.  It’s beyond extravagant!

And then there is a woman who has ten silver coins.  Each coin is worth about a day’s wage. 

She loses one, so she lights a lamp, sweeps the house, and searches carefully and endlessly until she finds it.  And when she finds that one lost coin, what does she do?  She throws a party!  She calls together all her friends and neighbors and throws the biggest party her community has ever seen.

Now, how much do you think it costs to throw a party like that?  I can assure you, it cost a lot more than one silver coin!

It’s foolish.  It’s ridiculous.  It’s extravagant.

The older son, I think, was right.  Does it really make any sense to throw a party like that?  Does it make any sense to celebrate the recovery of one silver coin by throwing a party that costs many silver coins?  Does it make any sense to celebrate the recovery of one lost sheep by throwing a party that requires the sacrifice of one or more sheep for dinner?  Does it make any sense to spend an extravagant amount of money to celebrate the return of a son who had already wasted an extravagant amount of money?

Of course not.  It makes no sense at all.

So what’s the point of these stories? 

When Jesus tells these stories, he mentions that they are parables of what it’s like in the kingdom of God.  In the kingdom of God, the joy over finding someone who was lost is greater than even the man who found his sheep, or the woman who found her coin, or the father who found his son.  And even though it doesn’t exactly say it, I suppose the implication is that, in the kingdom of heaven, the parties that are thrown are just as ridiculous, just as foolish, just as extravagant.

The reason Jesus told these stories is to respond to complaints that he was associating, mingling, and even dining with “sinners.”  At least, that was the label given to them by the ones doing the complaining.

I think Jesus, if he were to give them any label at all, would call them the “lost.”  More specifically, they were lost children of God.  They were people who felt like that lost sheep in the wilderness must have felt.  I suspect that the lost sheep would have felt alone; frightened; vulnerable.

Have you ever felt like a lost sheep?

They were people who felt like a lost coin.  If you see a coin laying on the sidewalk, how often do you bend over to pick it up?  How often does anyone stop to pick up the coin?  Some people do, but most just walk on by.  The coin isn’t even worth stooping over to pick up.  It’s forgotten; ignored; stepped on.

Have you ever felt like a lost coin?

They were people who felt like a lost son.  Many of them had made their own mistakes.  Many of them had exercised poor judgment.  Now they were filled with regret.  Because of their mistakes, they were judged, scorned, and found to be less than worthy.

Have you ever felt like that lost son?

Do you know anyone who feels like a lost sheep: alone, frightened, and vulnerable?  Do you know anyone who feels like a lost coin: forgotten, ignored, stepped on?  Do you know anyone who feels like the lost son: judged, scorned, and found to be less than worthy?

Society is not kind to the lost sheep, the lost coins, the lost sons of the world.  The church hasn’t always been kind to them, either.  Like the older brother, both church and society have often declared:  “the lost don’t deserve our welcome.  They don’t deserve to have a big celebration thrown for them.  After all, we’re the ones who have done what is right; we’re the ones who have followed the rules, worked hard, and who have faithfully served our Father.  Why should we throw a party for them?  Why should we get all excited about their return?  Why should we celebrate the fact that they have come once in twenty years to worship, when we’ve been coming all along?

When you put it that way, it’s pretty easy to see the argument of the older son.  It’s pretty easy to see the complaints of the Pharisees and other leaders who criticized Jesus.

But Jesus challenges us to look at it differently.  That’s really what parables do:  they challenge us.  They challenge commonly held notions.  They challenge the status quo. 

If you don’t feel challenged or uncomfortable when you read one of Jesus’ parables, then you probably haven’t read it right.

Jesus says:  Look.  You may not like that person who is like a lost sheep.  You may not like the life he lives or the people he associates with. 

And you may not like that person who is like a lost coin.  She may be worthless in your eyes.  You may wish she remain where she is, hidden in the darkness, behind the bookshelf, out of sight.

And you may not like that person who is like a lost son.  You may not like the things he’s done, and you may resent him for the mistakes he’s made.

But each and every time one of these people who you don’t like finds the courage to come into God’s presence, to take their place at God’s table, and to join their lives to God, there is a celebration in heaven like you would not believe!

Because God’s love is extravagant.  God’s love is ridiculous.  And yes, God’s love is foolish!  It’s foolish, at least in the eyes of the world, because it never stops loving, never stops hoping; and it always rejoices over the presence of each and every person, each and every child of God.