Sunday, March 31, 2019

4^th Sunday in Lent

The Revised Common Lectionary passages for the Lord’s Day are:

First Reading: Joshua 5:9-12, Psalm: 32
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Gospel Reading: Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

The liturgical color for the day is: Purple

In the story of the Prodigal Son, verse 17 can also be translated, “When he arrived at himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough to spare…’”

When we arrive…

When we arrive…when we arrive at ourselves, we realize that we are the prodigal son always trying to go it on our own and it never works out.  We are the prodigal son needing to get it and pick up and go home.  It is true—God welcomes us no matter how bad it was.

When we arrive at ourselves, we realize that here on the Plains of Jericho, life is better than some of those times in the wilderness, but it is no easy street.  Here on the Plains of Jericho we celebrate the Passover truth that God sees us and knows us and has a way for us.  God is with us here.

When we arrive…when we arrive at ourselves, we realize that the body of Christ covers us.  We realize that he was poured out on the cross for us and we are a part of him.  We are in Christ; we are the body of Christ.  When we come to that reality that other than our relationship with Christ there really is nothing else that is really real—oh, then we have arrived.  We have come home.

The real arrival—the real point at which we have arrived is when again and again we find that it is not about us.  It is not about us and it is always about the welcoming God keeping vigil waiting for us with open arms of reception.  It is not about us and it is always about the welcoming God reaching all the way out and all the way down to us claiming us as God’s own.

When our life is filled up with that reality…then we have arrived.

Daris Bultena
General Presbyter