The Best Place to Start
March 21, 2004
The Rev. Dr. Anthony
J. Godlefski, Pastor
Luke 15:1-2; 11-32
The Prodigal Son
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, good morning! This morning I'd like to talk with you about the topic, "The Best Place to Start." My word, did you ever think winter would let go? Last Monday was a beautiful spring day, and then Tuesday there was snow all over the place. Then it lightened up a bit. Then Friday schools were closed because of snow. It seemed as though winter would never go away.
But I have good news. Today is the first Sunday in spring! That's a fact. The earth is coming out of its winter doldrums. Spring is on its way. I'm just wondering if any of you feel, perhaps deep inside, as if you have been in the grips of a long, dark winter. I wonder if any of you feel as though you've been spending time looking in the rear-view mirror of life. Anyone who's been stuck in the mud of a dreary winter, wondering how to get out – there's good news!
There's good news because today's Gospel is all about starting fresh. Friend, everyday is a new beginning, and the best place to start is the next beat of your heart. You don't have to stay mired in the past. You don't have to stay anchored in the rut. Everyday is a fresh start. Everyday is a new beginning. Won't you take that with you?
This beautiful Gospel we heard this morning, the story of the prodigal son, is the Bible in miniature, isn't it? All the great truths of the Bible Jesus has condensed in this one story for us. I just want us to focus in on a few parts of it this morning.
You know the story. Jesus said, "There was a man who had two sons, and the younger of them said to the father, 'Father, give me my inheritance, for I would go off to a far land.'" How caring was that? All he cared about was the inheritance; he didn't care about the father.
And the father said "Okay." He divided the inheritance and gave half to the elder son and half to the younger. The younger son went off to a far-off land, and he spent the money in, shall we say, riotous living. We'll leave it right there.
But then there was a famine in the land, and the son was cut off from the source. There was nothing to eat. He'd spent all his money. There were no more friends to borrow from, and no one would give him anything. So he got a job. He got a job feeding pods to the pigs. For a Jewish person, that was as low as you could go.
And then, my friends, the Bible says this: "And then he came to himself." You might want to check it out in your translation. I just think it's so beautiful. "He came to himself." What a beautiful thing Jesus said! He said that inside each of us, way deep down in our hearts, there is a spiritual compass. Did you enjoy playing with a compass as a kid, seeing it point north, true every time? There is a north-pointing compass in you. Better yet, there is a God-pointing compass deep within your heart. It is something very, very good. The son finally tuned in to the God-pointing compass within his heart, and the Bible tells us he came to himself.
He said, "I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to my father, 'I am not worthy to be called your son. Please, just treat me like one of the servants. Take me in.'" And he had confidence that his father would say yes to that.
And so, he had woken up. He had a clear-day experience when he came to himself. Do you know that beautiful song? "On a clear day, rise and look around you, and you'll see who you are. On that clear day, how it will astound you, that the glow of your being outshines every star. You feel part of every mountain, sea, and shore. You can hear from far and near the sounds you've never heard before. On a clear day, on a clear day, you can see forevermore."
Well, this young man had a clear-day experience, and he was healed. There were still rags on his back, and even though he had cardboard in his shoes, he was healed because he came to himself. He knew where to go, and he knew to get in touch with the source. So he said, "I will arise and go to my father." He didn't say, "I will read a self-improvement book." He didn't say, "I will do it all by myself" or "I'm going to take a self-help course" or "I'm going to use my willpower to make things better." He said, "I'm going to get hooked up with my lord, with my father. I'm not alone." It's a second smart thing he did.
And he said one more thing, although he didn't get it quite right. "I'm going to go to my father and I'm going to say, 'Father, I am not worthy. I am not worthy to be called your son. If you please, treat me as a servant.'" And that's one part that Jesus said he didn't have quite right, because he went to his father, and what did his father do? Did his father stand back and wait for him? The father went running! He went running to him. His heart was filled with compassion, says Jesus. He embraced him. And do you know what he did then? He kissed him! Jesus gives us the image of God kissing His child.
And the son says, "Father, I am not worthy to be called your son. Treat me as a servant." Do you remember what the father did? He didn't miss a beat. He said to his servant, "Go and get the robe. You know which one I mean? The best one. Bring it. And get the ring that he left behind and put it on his finger. And put the robe on his shoulders, because this is my beloved son. He was dead, but now he is alive."
What strikes me to the heart about that is the disparity in the estimation of the father's goodness. The son says "I'm not worthy" and the father says "Oh, you are." And that is Jesus's picture of God toward you.
He came to himself. He had 'get up and go'. He went back to the source. And the father embraced him with a kiss. Friend, I do not know what your far-off experience may be. I do not know how it is that you may perhaps wander. Perhaps it's simply a turning away from your own good. Perhaps it's a doubt that the future can ever be better. Oh, my dear friend, today is not a rerun of yesterday. It's a brand-new opportunity.
My prayer for you is that you would allow God to help you have a turn-around in life, that you would allow God to help you have a clear-day moment, and that you would know that the place to start, the moment to start, is the next beat of your heart.
Would you permit me to close this morning with a song? And if you have been weary and doubting God's goodness or doubting the opportunity for goodness, won't you take this song to heart and let it be yours?
On a clear day, rise and look around you,
And you'll see who you are.
On a clear day, how it will astound you
That the glow of your being outshines every star.
You'll feel part of every mountain, sea and shore.
You can hear from far and near the sounds you've never heard before.
And on that clear day, on that clear day,
You can see forever and ever and evermore.
Happy first Sunday in spring! God loves you. I do, too. Have a blessed week.