Sermon: In the End, Beloved Community

Luke 15:11-32

In the End, Beloved Community

James Sledge                                                                                       August 23, 2015

Just over a year ago, Shawn and I traveled to Austin, Texas for the wedding of our daughter Kendrick and now son-in-law Ryan. In many ways, it was like a lot of weddings, with bridesmaids and groomsmen, tuxes and dresses, and friends and family gathered from here and there. If you’ve been involved in many weddings, you know that they have their share of family dynamics, tuxes that don’t fit, and frayed nerves. Here again, this wedding was probably typical, although it all came together beautifully. But when my father of the bride duties had all been completed, this wedding, in my admittedly biased opinion, did become distinctive.

I can’t say exactly why. It was a reception like many other receptions with a band and a bar and dinner, but this one worked better than most others I’ve been to. Perhaps it was just the right combination of food that was good, drink that was good, a band that was good, a venue that was good, and a great mix of family and friends from the various places we’ve lived over the years. Whatever the reason, I can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed myself more. I ate, drank, mingled, talked, laughed, danced (I rarely dance), and I did not want it all to end.

I think that experience gave me a greater appreciation for Jesus’ and the Bible’s use of wedding banquets as metaphor for the kingdom, the reign of God. Weddings were huge deals in that time, feasts and celebrations that went on for a week. People pulled out all the stops for a wedding. When the father in our parable today kills the fatted calf to celebrate his younger son’s return, he throws a wedding banquet type party. No wonder the elder son is so upset, giving this party its own family dynamics and drama. “I’m not going if he’s going.”

I’ve long loved the exchange between father and elder son that concludes the parable, leaving the situation unresolved. The Presbyterian son – in the Greek he is the “presbuteros” (presbu/teroj) son, root word of our denominational name – has disowned his younger sibling. He is no longer his brother, and so he yells at his father, “When this son of yours came back…” But the father will not let the family disintegrate so easily. “But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life…”

The elder brother might have been happy for his sibling to return in the manner the younger had imagined, a hired hand and not a son. But the father’s love makes that impossible and leaves him in anguish at parable’s end, longing for reconciliation among his children.

A few years back the book The Shack was all the rage, especially in church circles. The story centered on a middle-aged fellow named Mackenzie or Mack, who received a curious invitation to come spend a weekend at the shack where a still-at-large kidnapper had murdered  his youngest daughter a couple of years before.  At first he thinks it some sort of cruel hoax, but he gradually becomes convinced that the invitation is from God.

During his strange weekend there, Mack has an encounter with a mysterious, beautiful woman in a long, flowing robe, like that of a judge. She talks with him about his hurt and anger over his daughter’s murder, and his questions about how a good God could possibly allow such a thing to happen. Mack’s anger grows, and the woman tells him that he is with her for judgment. Mack wonders what he is to be judged for, but the woman explains that he will be the one doing the judging.

The idea seems preposterous, but the woman points out that he has plenty of experience.  He regularly judges the people around him. Mack admits as much, but who is he supposed to judge? “God… and the human race,” the woman replied the woman nonchalantly. 

Mack objects, but the woman prods him. “What about the greedy who feed off the poor of the world?... And what about the man who preys on innocent little girls? What about him, Mackenzie?  Is that man guilty?  Should he be judged?”

“Yes!” screams Mack.

The woman continues, asking about the murderer’s father who “twisted his son into a terror. How far do we go back, Mackenzie? This legacy of brokenness goes all the way back to Adam, what about him? But why stop there? God started the whole thing. Is God to blame?”  The woman is relentless until in anger Mack bursts out, “Yes, God is to blame!”

“If you are able to judge God so easily, then certainly you can judge the world,” she continues. “You must choose two of your children to spend eternity in God’s new heavens and new earth, but only two.”

Mack objects but the woman continues, “And you must choose three of your children to spend eternity in hell.” Mack starts to panic but the woman says calmly, “Mackenzie, I am only asking you to do something that you believe God does.”  If he thinks that God so easily judges God’s own children, surely Mack can judge his. And one had been terrible of late.  Mack continues to object but the woman will not relent. Finally Mack screams, “I can’t. I can’t. I won’t!” The woman just looks at him.  He pleads, “Could I go instead?”  He falls at the woman’s feet pleading, “Please let me go for my children, please …”

And then it is over.  The woman smiles at Mack and says, “Now you sound like Jesus.  You have judged well, Mackenzie.  I am so proud of you!”

___________________________________________________________________________

When Jesus envisions a final end, he speaks of a wedding banquet, a great and joyous celebration. It is many times more wonderful than my daughter’s wedding. But it also has a very curious guest list. There are people I never would have invited. There are people I don’t like. There are people I am certain should never be on such a guest list. In fact, one of the biggest difficulties for Presbyterian/elder brother types can be the temptation to say, “I’m not going if they’re going.”

I’ve occasionally heard such statements connected to wedding planning I do with couples in my role as pastor. Especially when there are betrayals, divorces, and other sorts of hurt and trauma in a family’s history, gathering everyone together can be difficult. But weddings sometimes become moments for reconciliation. And the father in our parable pleads and waits for reconciliation, for the elder brother to come in. Reconciliation is the end God is planning. And the cross gives a glimpse of the lengths God will go to get there.

God plans a beloved community, where people come from east and west, north and south, to sit at table together in the kingdom. And the first to go in will be ne’er do wells and people we would never have invited. And many Presbyterian/elder types will be hanging around just outside, debating whether to go to a party with those folks. And God beckons, reminding us that they are not “those people God invited,” but our brothers and sisters.

And in the end, there is good food and good company and good drink and a great band and dancing and laughter and joy. In the meantime, we are called to help the world get ready. We are called to begin creating God’s beloved community where even those we had never planned to invite find welcome, where we become, by the mystery of God’s love in Christ, more and more like the Father who throws the party.

We Make the Road by Walking. The practice begun in Advent comes to an end with this sermon, the last based in Brian McLaren’s book. This week’s chapter is 52, “God in the End.”