Video Note: I could not compress the video so the sermon can only be viewed via UCC Norwell's Facebook livestream, here. To skip to the sermon, jump to 34:20 in the livestream recording.
11 Then Jesus[a] said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the wealth that will belong to me.’ So he divided his assets between them. 13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant region, and there he squandered his wealth in dissolute living. 14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that region, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that region, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 16 He would gladly have filled his stomach[b] with the pods that the pigs were eating, and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to his senses he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.” ’ 20 So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. 21 Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’[c] 22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate, 24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his elder son was in the field, and as he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. 27 He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf because he has got him back safe and sound.’ 28 Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command, yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ 31 Then the father[d] said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’ ”
(Luke 15:11-32) NRSVUE
The call sheet is out, and it is time to audition. Odds are, you have spent a lifetime preparing for this role. So, who are you going to be? Who is going to be the younger sibling? What about the older sibling? That’s what today’s reading is about, right? Okay, we all know it is technically about emulating the father, but where is the excitement in that role?
If there is a casting call for roles, it could only be for the ostracized brothers. After all, that is why this passage sticks with us. There is no shortage of good parables to draw from, but ever since Jesus delivered it, this has been the story audiences have been drawn to. But why is that?
If I can take a guess, it is probably because you cannot project onto a sheep or a mustard seed, and those roles of the ungrateful servants or vineyard workers are hardly flattering. But those two brothers, man, they just seem so real. Maybe that is why we have a knack for identifying with the younger or older sibling.
We can read the parable and know Jesus does not favor either brother, that the point is not picking which one is better. But we all know one is better than the other. And that is, say it with me the, _______ brother. I wrote that part in praying I would have participation because it would have been awkward if I’d just left a long unfilled pause in this sermon, so thank you for participating.
Let us go by birth order. Older brother people, now that we know who you are, how long have you been attached to this son who does everything right but seems to get overlooked? Is there a better example of the burden of long-term church membership, of civic virtue, of being a good person, than this older brother? In the end, even Jesus seems to overlook this son and not give him the recognition he longs for. After all, while you are here the younger brother is grabbing brunch, sleeping in, or getting the early tee time today. No good deed goes unpunished.
But of course, the pastor would side with the older brother crowd. Don’t worry about the younger brother crowd, you have a Netflix-worthy story. There is a reason the younger brother has become a relatable figure for queer Christians, for those rolling roughly through life, and for the misunderstood who cannot find their fit.
But do we know these brothers? After all, no matter how well you dress up these characters they are static, flat, only worthy of movies and shows that will recycle old tropes but fail to offer something to inspire. For all our preparation, and anticipation of one of these static roles, it is amazing we miss the only casting call God has put out.
Are you ready to play the role of the loving parent, of this guardian interposed between envy and scarcity? Unlike the brothers, this is a role of a lifetime, one that requires total commitment and vulnerability. Maybe that is why we get stuck on those two brothers. Deep down, we know what God is calling us to become, and that is a hard call to answer. But it’s one you grow into.
Parents and guardians, you know better than most what this passage invites us toward. Didn’t everything get more complicated when you had kids, or are blessed with grandkids, nephews, nieces, step-kids, wards, or mentees? I bet you find it much harder to go back to being one of the brothers, after all, if you have cared for more than one kid or teen you will have seen that there is no easy path and that they find their way, no matter how much we try preventing pain and heartbreak.
I don’t know of any time that is harder or more helpless than seeing a young person hurt or struggle and do nothing to fix it. How many would give anything to shield them from hard breakups, dreams that become letdowns, rejections, bullying, violence, addiction, mental and physical ailments, and exposure to the uglier parts of life? It's the complexity of being in a world that only cares about which brother is loved or better when all Christ wants us to know is God has room for both to live, be loved, and be known. It is not about picking sides or being better or worse, but can we be blamed for defaulting to habits?
To be honest, teen ministry intimidates us, because it might have the highest stakes of any ministry role. This is the last, best chance to intervene and offer sanctuary and love to Beloved ones who are nothing more than engagement metrics and data points to the outside world. I read this parable and see the full spectrum of our kids and teens, unique individuals who are being graded as failures or successes, without any care for their soles or worth.
The older brother is our masses of high-functioning teens who are one panic attack from crashing, who will get those full rides to colleges, stack ten extracurriculars, and show us how to get first chair violin and do Division 1 field hockey. But that will not be enough, will it?
And do we see the younger brother? How many like him have passed through Sunday School or showed up to one service and then faded into the background? He is that hard conversation of parents and grandparents not knowing how to talk about the kid who is not thriving or checking all those boxes. He has so much life left, but more and more people are already marking him off as a failure, right?
What kind of world thinks it can fully know someone wonderfully and fearfully made by God, let alone pass judgment on them as a kid and teen? I believe you feel this tension, that Norwell UCC wants a different, liberating answer. I have been praying to have the chance to find that answer with y’all. I have ideas and know you hope for renewed mission trips, an additional contemporary worship service, intergenerational ministry, and involvement with thriving justice initiatives. But that is just a start.
If we are called to be loving caregivers to a divided and overlooked creation, we will be known and judged by our sincerity and care. I have envisioned Norwell UCC as a lone firefly in a forest, a single point of light that grows as more dots of light appear in the darkness. Each of those lights is a child and teen we have cared for, and supported to bring light and love to wherever they end up. Maybe they are the sons that stay here, but why must we limit thriving to the population of our pews?
Let’s be the one place that doesn’t base our youth’s worth on if and where they go to college, on which courses they are enrolled in, which activities they are involved in, and which jobs or careers they might aspire to.
We will not let love and acceptance be limited to race, gender, or sexuality. It will be enough that we make ourselves a third space, a port to shelter from storms so that we might raise disciples who will live the full, whole lives God has cast them for. But before they figure out their roles, we need to answer this casting call. It is the role of a lifetime because it is the only role worth living in. Will you answer this call?
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