Our scripture reading for today come from the Book
Luke: chapter 15 verses 11 to 32
Luke 15:11-32
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+15%3A11-32&version=GNT
The Lost Son -
Beloveds you'll remember I've started this service with an excerpt from
Romans 10, if we read further verse 15 says:
How can the message be proclaimed if the messengers are not sent out?
Beloveds we are those messengers - As the scripture says:
"How wonderful is the coming of messengers who bring Good News!"
Now back to today's message which I titled:
"Do we, Did we or Are we creating Lost Sons or daughters?"
This scripture beloveds; is a love story, it's a story of sacrifice and forgiveness. It's a story that unites the family in the end! It's a story like most other stories as told on TV, stories with happy endings...
Scripture teaches us that this Father had two sons -
We are informed, as we work our way through this passage of scripture that the younger son wanted out, and to do his own thing.
Beloveds: Maybe the Father didn't want to give in, the Father might have known that the world out there can be cruel; maybe this younger son nagged and nagged daily? Maybe the younger son even threatened his Father that he won't work anymore, maybe there was frequent conflict between the sons. In order to avoid conflict the Father might have gave into this demands.
Beloveds this left me with lots of questions, can we assume that in our lives today our children manipulate us easily? I'm asking beloveds; who told this younger brother that he's entitled to half the property? Another question: Once the younger brother took his half, was the Father still entitled to any part of the property?
That dear beloveds was not made known to us - we do however hear when the elder son complained that the Father reassured him that whatever they own they shared, beloveds what I'm trying to share is: in our lives today, our parents, our elders worked all their lives and went through difficult times in their respective workplaces. They managed to secure some form of retirement and or pension funds: remember the purpose for this savings is to sustain them through their last or golden years, what do we do beloveds, we manipulate them, just as the case with this younger son.
We want and want and want, what are the parents doing? They give into our demands.
As we're attached to generational curses: They don't want the children to have too many hardships.
Beloveds today as younger parents present in Church, whether we had difficulty during our upbringing or not, we always say even if it's silently to ourselves... as I'm saying we believed in generational curses, we don't want our children to go through the same challenges we went through.
Beloveds Maybe that's why the Father gave up half of what he owned.
Further in the passage of scripture we learn that the young son sold all his property, whom he sold his half to, is also not known to us? I for one would've hoped he could've sold to his Father. What is known is; that he left with all the money to a far country, scripture also informs us; this was where he wasted the money recklessly.
Beloveds I can tell you today: if we don't work or earn something through our own hardwork and sweat, then we tend to spend it easily or recklessly.
It reminds me of an Afrikaanse gesegde "Erfgeld is swerfgeld" or easy come easy goes.
As we continue with the passage of scripture we learn that: Famine come and the young son was reminded of all the Good things at home, in the far country he had to stay with pigs, whereas at home the servants of his Father lived in luxury.
Beloveds back to the Father: His Father was, since the younger son left home under severe stress.
To make a real live example: You will also remember as parents with teenagers or young adults, we always worry where our children are, and or what they're doing!
If our children go on camp or away from home for a few days, we will definitely check up on them or we'll be worried as that is a natural response:
My question dear beloveds
Did the Father created this lost son?
What would have happened if he didn't divide the property?
Do we create lost sons and daughters?
Do we exchange parenting by giving money instead of spending half an hour of our time with our sons or daughters?
We were told in Sunday School that the Father sat daily at what I can imagine as either under a tree infront of the house close to the gate, or on a stoepie, starring at the long road, hoping the son will come back home.
This apparently went on for some time.
I can just assume that the parent / father in this parable was praying daily for the lost son.
After some time, the prayers was answered and the Son decided to go back home, to plead for forgiveness.
The rest of the story was that the Father forgave, dressed and slaughter to welcome the son back.
My take is beloveds: If the Father didn't give into the demands of the younger son then it wouldn't have caused so much stress, division and pain.
In conclusion-
Sometimes we hide behind our busy schedules or some form of guilt in order to avoid having to say 'no' to people, even if it is our children.
Sometimes we create divisions in our own homes in order to satisfy a few, or satisfying the immediate.
Sometimes we make promises and or agreements that will cost us dearly in the end.
Beloveds today Jesus want to teach us the art of saying NO and not create lost sons or daughters:
Beloveds there's nothing wrong in saying NO, please don't lie, please don't make excuses, please don't over explain yourself.
...Just simply decline...
Jesus knew when to get involved, and when not to.
We must Learn from Him.
Beloveds: You'll never be able to respond effectively if you feel obligated to meet every need all the time.
Our challenge for 2016 is:
Let's go out there and win those lost sons and daughters.
SO many questions.... - SO little answers...
