Worship
Service for March 30, 2025
Prelude
Announcements:
Call to Worship
L: Come, let us celebrate the forgiving,
reconciling love of God.
P: For once we were lost and felt so far
away; now we have been found and welcomed home.
L: Know that God’s love is lavished upon you
forever.
P: We rejoice at the news of forgiveness and
hope!
L: Come, let us celebrate and praise the God
of love.
P: AMEN!
Opening Hymn – The
Old Rugged Cross #327 Brown
Prayer of Confession
Lord, it is interesting that
it is easy for us to identify with today’s scripture about the “Prodigal
Son”. Some of us are easily reminded of
our own selfishness and stubbornness when we willfully sought our own way. Others are reminded about how angry we were
when others were not held accountable for their actions, when we have been so
careful not to displease anyone. Still
others can identify with the father who, feeling the loss of his son, welcomes
him home again, reminding the brother that he has always been in the love and
care of the Father. We hear this story
and it’s a pleasant memory. But do we
really understand what it is about? Do
we know that we have also been stubborn and selfish, angry and unforgiving,
sorrowful and caught between two conflicting factions? We are not different from these characters,
in our own unique way. Yet, in Your
infinite love, we also are forgiven and healed.
We are called to turn our lives back to Your care, which is always
extended to us. Forgive us and heal us,
gracious God. Open our hearts and our
spirits to truly receive the blessings of Your healing love. For it is in the name of your Son, Jesus
Christ that we pray. (Silent
prayers are offered)
AMEN.
Assurance of Pardon
L: Once we were “dead” to all the things that
God hoped for us; but in God’s love we are again brought to life.
P: We rejoice in knowing that God forgives
us!
Gloria Patri
Affirmation of Faith/Apostles’
Creed
I believe in God the Father
Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under
Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the
third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on
the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge
the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost,
the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins; the
resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. AMEN
Pastoral Prayer and Lord’s
Prayer
Gracious Lord, we have
set aside this day to celebrate our oneness in You, our work as a disciple, and
our relationship as a child of God. This
worship time in one in which we offer our whole selves to the work of the
kingdom. Bring us to the understanding
of the joy of sharing all that we have with others; of reaching out to others
in compassion and love as you have done for us. In the past we have heard the words of
scriptures about the Hebrew people who wandered long in the wilderness. They
were fed on the manna which you provided for them; at last they were able to
provide for themselves. Help us to
realize that you have now given us all that we need and to be those who would
bring peace and hope to others. Let us
place our trust in you so that our sharing is a reflection of your forgiving
and reconciling love.
This day we also pray
for our friends and family, hear the prayers of your people who lift up their
worries and concerns… we pray now for...
And now, O Lord, in a
moment of silence, we lift up the burdens of our hearts in our unspoken prayers
this day.
Lord, we look entirely
to You as our refuge and strength, and we raise our voices together saying…Our
Father who art in heaven. Hallowed be
Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be
done on earth as it is in heaven. Give
us this day, our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
debtors. And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. AMEN.
Hymn – There is a Balm in Gilead #394
Blue
Scripture Reading(s):
First Scripture Reading – Psalm
32
Second Scripture Reading – Luke 15:11-32
Sermon -
Diary of a Dad (based on Luke 15:11-32)
I don’t often repeat sermons. Sometimes I might rework old ones, but I
still really like this, so this morning I’m repeating it, as written 21 years
ago.
Dear Diary,
I opened this journal a few days ago
but wasn’t sure what to write down. I
thought that expressing my feelings would be a good way to start. Or just telling the story may help me
understand how life can sometimes be unfair.
After much thought and reopening these pages today, I’ve decided to just
let it all out, the events as well as my feelings; perhaps I’ll gain some
wisdom as I relate everything that has happened over the last few days here.
Today is Monday. Last Friday my youngest son came to me and
asked a very hard thing. He wished for
me to give him his portion of his inheritance now so that he’d have the money
he needed to leave us. I’ve known for a
long time that it would be difficult to keep him here. I’ve known, perhaps all his life, that this
young buck of mine would not take to settling down and finding his way in life
on this farm. He has a wild spirit in
him. He always has. It’s a difficult thing to know that one of
your sons will always find the hard way to go in life. It’s very difficult as a father to watch as
he makes mistakes time after time that could have been prevented if he only
thought about the consequences of his actions before acting on them. But no, Jonathan has to try everything first
and then see how it affects the world around him.
I spent the weekend trying to decide
what to do about him. If I do what he
has asked; give him his inheritance and just let him go out into the world on
his own, I fear for his safety – bodily, as well as spiritually and
emotionally. He is not old enough or
mature enough to make wise decisions. He
could fall prey to any number of less reputable men who would take his money
while they stroked his ego. He could
gamble it all away simply by living beyond his means while trying to impress
the ladies. That wild spirit of his will
get him into trouble, I know it.
How could I have two sons who are so
completely different? His older brother
is wise, frugal, predictable, and responsible, perhaps even to a fault. There are days when I wish he had some of his
younger brother’s carefree attitude.
Jonathan lights up a room the moment
he enters. The air itself seems to
somehow shift in density and become lighter.
When he speaks, it’s as if the world stops just to hear what he has to
say. Charisma is what they call it. I wish I understood the very nature of
man. Where did he get it? Was it something he received from his mother
or I? Was it something he learned
somehow? Perhaps growing up he knew that
he would have to outshine his brother in some way who was more intelligent, who
made better decisions and was more stable.
Perhaps his charisma grew to counterbalance those flaws in him.
Whatever the case, how do I just let
him go? I thought about holding back and
telling him that I will not give him his inheritance but would hold on to it
for him until he returned. But he has
nothing to leave with. He’s never been
one to save for things that he would want in the future. He always wants it now. I’ve tried to teach him the value of saving;
the purpose behind making good financial investments. I’ve tried to teach both of my sons the value
of a dollar. How could one learn the
lesson so easily and the other completely disregard it?
Perhaps I should have been harder on
him. Would he have learned these
terribly important lessons if I had scolded him more harshly when he made
unwise choices? Would he have become
more like his brother if I had reprimanded him more when he made mistakes?
I had no need, ever, to punish his
older brother. Jason learned things the
first time. Jason never needed
disciplining from me, he disciplined himself.
Somehow there was a mechanism inside of him that kept him from making
the same mistake twice. I wasn’t used to
a willful child like Jonathan. I didn’t
know how to treat him differently. How
could I have known?
I thought more about my options for
Jonathan. What if I simply refused to
let him go? I could give him his
inheritance now but not let him go. I
could explain to him that he has more to learn, that I’m fearful for him. I could hold him back against his will. Would he learn from me or his brother
then? Would he stay and discipline
himself to a rigorous schedule so that he could leave later down the road? No, I think not. It would only make him bitter and
rebellious. He would instead do everything
I told him not to do. He would make life
miserable for me and for himself, just to prove a point.
What to do? It is the most difficult decision of my life,
yet the most important. My son’s very
life may depend upon it.
Dear Diary,
Today
is Wednesday. I have put off making any
decisions regarding Jonathan since last Friday when he first came to me. Last night, he came to me and reminded me of
his request. Does he really think that I
had simply forgotten? Does he have any
idea the anguish my heart has endured since he first asked me? I told him that I would give him an answer by
week’s end. But how do I decide the fate
of my son in a week? How do I listen to
my head and my heart? My head tells me
that I can’t protect him forever; that he must go and make his own mistakes in
this life. But my heart wants to hold
him and protect him from the dangers of the world. My heart wants to wrap him tightly to protect
him from the dangers of himself.
It
would be easier if God asked me to let go of the sunshine. All I can hope and pray is that some of my
teaching, some of my practical lessons, some of the discipline that I tried to
instill in him has rubbed off somehow.
That if he gets into trouble, he’ll know what to do. I guess most importantly, I pray that he
knows how much I love him.
Dear Diary,
Today
is Friday. Today I am preparing to sell
my youngest son’s portion of his inheritance in property and gather up the rest
of the assets I have set aside for him.
Our neighbor to the south has already agreed on a fair price for the
land. With a heavy heart, I go to sell
it to him.
Dear Diary,
It
has been a week since my last entry. I
couldn’t bring myself to putting into words the emotions I have churning inside
me. The deed has been done. I gave my youngest son his inheritance on
Monday. It amounted to a sizeable
fortune. I was impressed myself. I hadn’t realized how valuable things had
grown over the years. This morning, he
announced at breakfast that he will be leaving us two days hence. My heart hurts. I knew this day would come; I just wasn’t
prepared for how difficult it would be.
I have decided to let him go. I
won’t hold him back. I won’t even try to
tell him that he shouldn’t go. My
protests would fall on deaf ears, so I won’t demean our relationship as father
and son.
I
have been so wrapped up in how this has affected me, that I was quite
unprepared for Jason’s reaction to the news.
He rebuked me harshly for allowing this to happen, for giving him his
inheritance, for allowing him to go. Jason
practically spat on his younger brother and then denounced him as such. In a huff, he left the table and I haven’t
seen him the rest of the day.
Isn’t
there a phrase, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions?” How bad of a parent am I? My intentions for raising my sons have been
good, honorable and just. But now one
son is leaving me and the other won’t speak to me.
I
just hope that Jason understands what I am doing, that as much as it hurts me,
I have to let Jonathan go. And I pray
that Jonathan knows that the reason I have done everything he asked and I’m
letting him go is only because I love him.
I can’t tie him down like a caged animal and I won’t belittle his
manhood by trying to teach him the things he already knows.
I’ve
concluded that Jason will be fine. He
just needs time to adjust to the unpredictability of his wayward brother. I also must conclude that in the end Jonathan
will be fine, too. He has a good head on
his shoulders. He has been taught
well. Yes, he’ll make lots of mistakes
along the way, but I must believe that he’ll be okay. I have to believe it.
But
what about me? Will I be okay? How many of those old nagging questions will
I have to repeatedly answer in the middle of the night, that question my role
as a parent, that question my own choices and decisions?
How
can I let him go?
Dear Diary,
He
is gone and my heart is breaking. What
evils have I done? My youngest child is
gone with too much money to get himself into trouble. I should have held back. I should have only given him a portion of my
wealth. How could I have been so stupid
to send him off with all that money and no sense of responsibility? What will become of him? I should send out some of my servants to look
for him and ask him to come home. I
should keep tabs on him to make sure that he is okay. But what if he finds out that I am trying to
spy on him, he may disappear for good.
The agony is destroying me, I don’t know what to do.
Dear Diary,
Today
is Thursday. It has been almost a month
since we last heard from Jonathan but finally a letter arrived today. For the first few weeks we received letters
from him regularly about all that he had been doing. I was shocked to hear some of his tales. As terrified for him as I was though, his
messages gave me both hope and laughter.
Oh, the stories he tells. He had
gotten himself into some pretty tough places but always seem to come out of
them well. To my surprise, he seems to
be managing on his own. However, I can
tell that he’s been spending far too much money, far too quickly. But, I suppose, he’ll learn soon enough when
the reserves begin to get low.
When
letters from Jonathan arrive, Jason listens to the first opening line when I
read them aloud, but always excuses himself to his work, while I read the rest
of the tale to the servants who chuckle with me.
For the most part, life has pretty
much returned to normal around here.
There are days when I realize Jonathan’s presence of light has not been
felt by these rooms in too long. There
are days when I would give anything to see his smile or hear his laugh. There are nights when I come down from my
bedchamber and sit by the fire wishing he were here.
But Jason is here. He is my ever-present companion and an asset
to me in my old age. Jason continues to
be steadfast and a constant source of joy and strength to me. He is a fine and handsome son. He is wise beyond his years and makes
amazingly astute financial decisions.
His own portion of his inheritance has grown enormously even over such a
short period of time. I am very proud of
him and love him dearly. There are
moments when I have just entered the threshold of the doorway, and he doesn’t
know that I am there and watching him.
He carries himself like a
self-assured prince, caring about the servants as if they were his own
children. He never wavers in justice,
but it is tempered with both love and mercy.
He enjoys a congenial relationship with all of them. They trust him and love him. They are more devoted to him than even to
me. I could never hope for a gentler
man, a more intelligent man, and a sound business associate to represent me
after I am gone.
My eldest son is my pride and joy.
My youngest son, well, he is my
laughter and breath. I do miss him.
Dear Diary,
I
haven’t written in this journal for a very long time. It has been two years now since Jonathan
left. We haven’t heard from him in many
months. I don’t know what has happened
to him. My heart yearns to know if he is
safe, but I fear the worst and never want to put it into words.
Since
his last correspondence, which was short and seemed overly joyful, I detected
an undertone of despair. I asked several
others if they saw it in his letter. No
one else did, perhaps it is just a father’s intuition about his son.
I
have developed a peculiar habit since that letter. Each day when I go for my morning walk, I
climb to the crest of the eastern hills which are in the middle of one of the
pastures. There is no real reason for me
to go there, it is quite out of the way, but it has become my habit and custom
of late. There you can see for
miles. And every morning I think I see
Jonathan coming from afar off. The more
anxious I become about his whereabouts and to what end he has met; I see him
more clearly in the morning mist.
This
morning, I had to blink several times to banish the illusion from my
eyesight. Yet, I am left with the
feeling that he is coming home. My heart
quickens with the thought of it. Has
Jonathan met some unfortunate end, and my spirit only reaches out to his? Dear Lord, keep him safe.
Dear Diary,
It
was no illusion. He is coming home. This morning, I could not banish the vision
before me. He was as clear as this pen
in my hand. He is still a mile or so
away, I only write this now as I gather a welcoming basket of bread and a new
cloak, to capture the joy in my heart and to prove to myself that I am not
going insane when I return and read these words.
I
am off to welcome my youngest son home.
Praise be to God for returning him from the dead, for once he was lost,
but now he is found!
AMEN.
Offertory –
Doxology –
Prayer of Dedication –
Lord,
here is our gratitude for all that You have poured out in blessings upon
us. Let these offerings be a true
reflection of our thankfulness and a true measure of our discipleship. AMEN
Closing
Hymn – In the Cross of Christ I Glory #84/328
Benediction –
Forgiven and
Beloved Ones of God, go now in peace, sharing with others the Good News of
God’s Great love. Help those in
need. Give and receive from each other
the joy of peace. AMEN
Postlude
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