“Don’t Miss the Big dance” – Luke 15:11-32 – March 18, 2007

I’m sure by now you have heard of the “Big dance.” When a basketball team has earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament we say they have made it to the “Big Dance.” March Madness is all about the “Big Dance.” For the remainder of the month of March you will be saturated with endless basketball games on television. There will even be moments when you can see four games simultaneously. And every time a game ends, there will be a huge celebration. You don’t want to miss the “Big Dance.”

There was a story recently in Lubbock, Texas, about a baby who was stolen from the hospital. It seems a woman, who was posing as a hospital worker, snatched four-day-old Mychael Darthard-Dawodu from the nursery. Fortunately, the next day, the woman was discovered in Clovis, New Mexico and the baby was found. “It’s a joyous time,” Gwen Stafford, senior vice president of Covenant Health Systems, said at a news conference. That’s one story that has a happy ending. A baby was lost and the baby was found. Friends and relatives were all dancing.

The story of the prodigal son is about a son who was the reason for a big dance. Only he didn’t win anything. Neither was he kidnapped. This is about a son who was lost and then found. He left on his own, taking his inheritance with him. He was reckless and wasted all his money on foolish things. Consequently he ended up, living with pigs. Having reached a point as low as a human being could reach, he returned home. But instead of being rejected his father threw him a huge party. He said, “Because his son, who was lost, is now found.” Let the big dance begin!

Wait a minute, time out! Everyone was happy to see the infant returned to her mother. But no one is very excited about the fact that the wayward son has returned home. Some would say there is no comparison. The baby was kidnapped, whereas the son left on his own. Nothing to smile about, he got what he deserved. Why?

Many people ask that question but to ask “why” is senseless since there is no rational explanation. But, the question, “why” is not the point. That’s because it is beyond our human understanding to fully grasp the nature of God’s unconditional love. Most everyone I know disagrees with the way this story ends. They all side with the older brother who has worked hard and had never done anything wrong. And yet, he has never been given a party.

We want to celebrate when people have done something good or important. We love to acknowledge personal accomplishments, significant milestones and reward those who excel. It never occurs to us to throw a party for someone who has returned from being lost, especially when they have behaved badly. To throw a party for someone who has come home after messing up their life requires forgiveness.

During the Korean War there was a young Korean exchange student at the University of Pennsylvania. He left his apartment one evening to get his mail. On his way home he was mugged by eleven teenage boys. They beat him with a blackjack, lead pipe and with their fists. They left him lying dead, lying in a gutter. All of Philadelphia cried out for vengeance. The district attorney planned to seek the death penalty for the youths. The student’s parents sent a letter to the DA which read: “Our family has met together and we have decided to petition that the most generous treatment possible within the laws of your government be given to those who have committed this criminal action. We have decided to save money and start a fund for the religious, educational, vocational and social guidance of the boys when they are released.” (From Beneath the Cross of Jesus, A. Leonard Griffith)

In a sense, the Korean family threw a party for those teenage boys. Only it was a forgiveness party. In their hearts and minds, they were lost, but they could still be found. I believe this is the essence of the story of the Prodigal son. He was lost, but he was found. And, the father was so relieved and filled with joy that his son had come home, he threw a party and did not spare the expense. The fact that he “put a ring on his finger, gave him a robe, put sandals on his feet and killed the fatted calf,” further demonstrates the significance of his homecoming.

It is tragic to God when any of God’s children are lost. On the other hand, it is God’s greatest joy when someone is found. People can be lost for any number of reasons. They may have wasted their inheritance, like the prodigal. Perhaps they left home to seek a dream or “find themselves.” Perhaps they committed a terrible crime like those teenage boys in Philadelphia. Perhaps you have been “lost.” Maybe you left the church because of some negative experience. Perhaps you divorced, went bankrpt or became an alcoholic. Maybe you embezzled funds from your employer or cheated on a college exam.

Is it the nature of the offense or the distance from God one flees that matters? What matters is that you have come home, returned to God because you realize you cannot live without God’s love. The prodigal had a wake up call. He was as low as a human being could go. Living with pigs was an absolute abomination to the Hebrew people. Having reached that bottom point, the prodigal confessed his sin and stated he was not worthy. “He would have gladly filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating.”

The prodigal then resolved to return home. To work as a servant for his father would have been better than the mess he had created for himself. “He came to himself,” the story reads. He repented. His only hope was to go home to his father. The alcoholic can’t turn his or her life around until they accept the fact that they have a problem. No one can attempt to make the journey back to wholeness until they have admitted to themselves that they have made a mistake.

We come to ourselves by taking ownership of our actions. Blaming others or seeing ourselves as a victim of circumstances means we are still in denial. Pride, too can keep us from admitting our mistakes. In the story, however it is the older brother whose pride keeps him from accepting his brother home. Pride also keeps him from joining in the celebration.

“The elder brother represents all of us who think we can make it on our own, all of us who might be proud of the kind of lives we live. The parable shows that those who would live by merit can never know the joy of grace. We cannot share in the Father’s grace if we demand that he deal with us according to what we deserve. Sharing in God’s grace requires that we join in the celebration when others are recipients of that grace also. Each person is a value to God, however none of us is excluded from God’s grace. Neither should we withhold our forgiveness.” (The New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume IX, Luke, page 305)

We too can be in the big dance only we have to humble ourselves and own our behavior. We have to admit that our choices and our actions contributed to whatever mess we were in. We live in a society that says, “We are innocent until proven guilty.” That may be true, but we never truly repent until we are willing to confess our sins.

What impresses me about this story is the magnitude of God’s grace. Not only does the father welcome his son home, he saw him coming down the road and ran to him. He then put his arms around him and kissed him. God’s grace is further magnified by the fact that the father didn’t even give him a chance to finish his confession. He immediately started making preparations for the party. He was so elated that he had come home that he didn’t need to know the details. As far as the father was concerned, his son was a freed man and an honored guest. He was lost but then he was found. It was time to celebrate. For him, it was the biggest dance of his life!

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio