The Parable of the Two Lost Sons (Luke 15:11-32)

Hope everyone had (or is still having) a great summer – and that you’re looking forward to our Fall Kick-off this coming Sunday!

Do any core-strengthening exercises?  You know: planks, squats, push-ups, crunches, burpees, lunges.  (We’ll spare you any videos of us doing our core exercises!)  From the Mayo Clinic’s website:

Your core is the central part of your body. It includes your pelvis, lower back, hips and stomach …  Core exercises train the muscles in your core to work in harmony. This leads to better balance and steadiness, also called stability. 

Our new series, Inner Strength: Building a Resilient Core, begins this Sunday.  It will get us thinking and moving into what is core to our lives together in Christ, what will keep us stable, resilient and responsive to God, as individuals and as a community.

To build a strong core requires exercise and discipline – and that’s where the lies start to pop up: “You’re not making any progress, and never will … you’re okay as you are … a half-dozen donuts is a great reward for 10 minutes of exercise … you can get to it later … take the shortcut: for just three easy payments of $29.95, we’ll send you the Electro-Stimulator Compression Shapewear: plug it in and watch the pounds melt and the muscles grow as you sit comfortably, enjoying some ice cream!”

When it comes to building a strong spiritual core, the first thing we’ll do is confront the lies that seek to keep us spiritually weak, unstable, and inflexible.

We’ll start with a familiar parable, what is traditionally called the Parable of the Prodigal Son.  Two sons end up lost and far from home because they each believe a different set of lies about their relationship to their father.  Actually, each set of lies is simply a different version of one big lie, the Performance Lie: I only matter because of what I accomplish; acceptance is based solely on my achievements.

The younger son runs off with dad’s dough.  When it runs out, he’s sure the only way back is to repay every cent, to earn (buy) his way back into dad’s good graces.  The older son never goes anywhere, but thinks dad owes him because he’s always been such an outstanding son.  Both boys are living unstable lives: their cores are hollow because they have lost track of the father’s love for them.  Dad doesn’t love them because of their performance; dad loves them because that’s who dad is.

Read (or reread) this parable (Luke 15:11-32), This time through, watch for the ways the Performance Lie works its way into each son’s heart and life.  Where are you finding yourself in this story?