The One Who Watches and Waits, with Rev. Dr. Steven Koski.

The One Who Watches and Waits, with Rev. Dr. Steven Koski. Series: Beloved. Belonging. Delightful. A Spacious Christianity, First Presbyterian Church of Bend, Oregon. Scripture: Luke 15.

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Keywords:

father, younger son, son, jesus, sons, god, spacious, image, home, story, servants, theology, love, begins, squandered, called, parables, imagine, people, world, presbyterian, church, online worship, bend, oregon

Featuring:

Rev. Dr. Steven Koski, Rev. Sharon Edwards, Becca Ellis, Brave of Heart, Guests

Transcript

Whitney Higdon: 0:00

You you. Welcome to worship at First Presbyterian we, at First Presbyterian, practice a spacious Christianity, which means no matter where you are in your faith journey, you belong space for you at the table, for your doubts and questions. We believe doubts and questions are a gift that invite us into deeper conversations and a more authentic faith. We believe diversity is a strength. Every story is sacred and everybody matters. We do in this world. We are so glad to connect with you in this worship with you in person if you're ever in the neighborhood on Sunday mornings at 830, or 10am and never hesitate to reach enjoy this worship service. Welcome.

Unknown: 1:45

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the works thy hands have made, I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder Thy power throughout the universe display

Music: 2:18

when through the wounds and forest glades I wander and hear the birds sing sweetly when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur and see the blue and feel the gentles. Then sings, my soul, my Savior, God, to Thee, How Great Thou Art, How great thou Art. Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee, How great thou Art. When Christ shall come, we shall shout of acclamation and lead me home with joy should fill my heart, then I shall go with humble adoration and then proclaim My God, How great thou Art. Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee, How Great Thou Art, How great thou Art. Then sings my soul, my Savior, God, to Thee.

Unknown: 4:20

How great God. I rest in you, O God, I am in your safe keeping body and soul held in peace. I. My heart cries out to you, My God, all that upsets me. You see all that disturbs me. You understand only here in your presence, am I fully known. I am wrapped in grace. I rest in you, O God, I am in your safe, keeping body and soul held in peace. I try to relax, but anger rattles me. I try to relax, but my feelings niggle at me. Be still, be silent. Put your trust in the Lord. I rest in you, O God, I am in your safe keeping body and soul held in peace in the stillness the light of your face shines. My heart turns to thankfulness and is glad I have more than enough. You, Lord, are more than enough. I lie down to sleep, safe and sound. I rest in you, O God, I am in your safe, keeping body and soul held in peace. Be still and rest. You are held in peace. You

Steven: 7:24

I was summoned to the principal's office in fifth grade for bullying another student. You know, I was kind of a people pleaser, and rather than stand up for what I knew was wrong, stand up for the one being bullied, I went along with the crowd and participated in teasing this student on my way to the principal's office, my my shoulders were slumped, wearing this, this heavy, heavy coat of guilt and shame. You know, I saw the principal as the great enforcer who was to be feared, and it was about to cast me into the pit of eternal disapproval. I was shocked to experience a very different principle than the one I expected. The picture I had in my mind. He said to me, I remember it so vividly. He said, Steven, you're so much better than this behavior. This behavior does not does not reflect who you really are. This is not your best self. Don't listen to peer pressure. Listen to that voice inside that will always call you to something better. Wow. I mean, I was shocked. I feared the principle, and I thought, I really thought I was going to be sentenced to perpetual guilt and shame. It turned out I was being summoned to a larger and more loving life reflecting who I really am. Am, if your theology, if your theology sentences you to guilt and shame, and if your theology doesn't summon you to a larger and more loving life reflective of who you really are, it's time to change your theology. If your image of God shrinks your spirit binds you in fear, it's time for a new image of God. What is your image of God. You know, we don't often think about this, but I'd like you to think about that, because the image or the notion of God we hold profoundly influences whether we know it or not, influences how we see ourselves and how we relate to others in the world. You know, when people tell me, and they tell me this a lot, they just tell me, you know, I don't believe in God. I always say, tell me about the God you don't believe in, because the chances are I don't believe in that God either. I profoundly believe the purpose of Jesus's life was not to change an angry and judgmental God's mind about us sinful and unworthy humans. I profoundly believe the purpose of Jesus' life was to change our mind about God, to change the image we hold of God, to introduce to us a God of spacious, radical, unconditional love, knowing this would then change how we understand ourselves and how we love others. Jesus said there was a man who had two sons, the younger one said to his father, Father, give me my share of the estate. So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son, said Son, the younger son set off for a distant country, and there he he squandered his wealth in wild living after he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in the whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country who sent him to his fields. A Jewish man here sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. When he came to his senses, he said, How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare? And here, here I am starving to death. I will go back to my father and say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants. So he got up and went to his father, but while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for me. He ran to his son. He threw his arms around him, kissed him, and said, Welcome home. The son said, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his servants, quick, quick, quick, Bring the best robe. Put it on him. Put a ring on his finger, sandals on his feet, bring the fatted calf. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For the son of mine was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found. So they began to celebrate. Meanwhile, the older brother, the older brother was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked, what's going on? Your brother has come home? The servant replied, and your father has killed the fatted calf because he has him back safe and sound. The older brother became angry, refused to go in. His father went out and pleaded with him, but he answered his father. Look, look, all these years I've been slaving for you and never, never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours, who has squandered your property with prostitutes, comes home. You kill the fatted calf for him, my son, the father said, My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate and be glad because this brother of yours was dead and is alive. He was lost and is found. Yeah, okay, so there's a father with two sons. The younger son says, give me my share of the estate now, now in the patriarchal first century, where respect for elders, especially the father, was was everything this son could not have said anything more offensive to those who were listening to Jesus. The younger son wandered away, squandered it all, and eventually realizes that even his father's servants have it better than he does. So he decides to return home. You know, I can imagine his younger son. I can imagine him rehearsing his apology along the way, hoping to at least, at least be treated as one of his father's servants. Notice he has no expectations of restoration. If I could just be one of the servants. And the father sees him in the distance, because from sunrise to sunset, he has never stopped waiting, never stopped looking, never stopped hoping for the day when his son would return home and putting all dignity aside and like a fool, hiking up his robe, his father just races down the road to greet his son, and before his son could even open his mouth to apologize, the apology he had been rehearsing, asking for forgiveness, the father throws his arms around him and says, Welcome home. The father doesn't say like I probably say, I told you so, prove to me you're sorry. Tell me why I should forgive you. Assure me that you've changed and that you're worthy of my forgiveness, that you've learned your lessons and you'll never leave again. Note. There is nothing in the father's response that leads to guilt or shame. The son actually tries to tell his father that he's not worthy. I'm not worthy to be your son. But the father isn't even listening, calling for the best robe, the ring sandals, all signs of the son's worth and belonging, saying, let's celebrate my son, who is lost is now found. Now the older brother is less than pleased and says, I love this. I can I can hear, I can hear the resentment that son of yours, not my brother, but with disgust, that son of yours has squandered all your money and you give him a feast, he's not deserving of your love, and here I am. The older son feels separated from his father because of his good deeds. The younger son leaves home and he assumes his selfish behavior has separated him and made him unworthy of His Father's love. The older son stays home and assumes his good deeds, his good deeds should should earn his father's favor, favor, but he never experiences the joy of His Father's love. Both sons, like so many of us, both sons, hold an image of their father as judging, keeping score, keeping track, and you either have points deducted or you have points added. Both sons assume the Father's love is determined and dependent by their actions, good or bad, and Jesus. Jesus turns this idea completely upside down. The father runs to greet his younger son, and before he even opens his mouth to apologize, embraces and kisses him, essentially saying to him, Welcome home, but know that in my heart, you never left you. You were always, have always been, will always be home. Me in my love. You can never be separated from my love. Now to the older son who said to his father, you never gave me a party, the father says, you are always with me, and I am always with you. Everything I interested in centering prayer, that's probably the definition of centering prayer, right there is understanding that sentence that just may be my favorite verse in the entire Bible, the one verse that changes absolutely everything with you. Everything I have is yours. At the heart of this story is the unbelievable good news that that both sons already belong in God's love, what they are both desperately searching for is already theirs. A transactional faith, image of a God of conditional love. Says, you know, if you just do this, then God will love you, accept you, save you. So much of our love for one another is transactional. There are rules to follow expectations, to fulfill criteria to be met in order to be acceptable. Imagine if we didn't stop to judge or ask if someone was worthy or deserving of our love. Imagine if we knock down all those barriers that keep people away from the hospitality of God's welcome, the barriers that keep people from knowing themselves as God's beloved. Imagine if we just loved, loved with the spacious and radical love of Jesus, the kind of love that might lead people to complain who we invite to our tables. If we love like that, we might have just found a theology worth keeping when we know ourselves all ready to be at home In God's love, we can then become the welcome mat of healing and many in this world Need and are longing for. May it be so. friends, may we dream of a world infused with a wider love than we can imagine? May we widen our hearts, look with compassion, not turn a blind eye to the suffering of others. May we learn to walk this path that Jesus has called us to, where our theology is more than just so. and our actions communicate our faith in ways our words never could. May we continually question the lines we draw and ask what God's spacious love really looks like. May we find ourselves at home in God's love that we might be welcome Matt, inviting people into the healing and grace so many long for and so many need and may we work towards the flourishing of all breaking down the structures that divide us and reclaim the table as a place where all are welcome, all are seen, all are affirmed, all are heard, all are loved. Go in peace and may the spacious and radical love you extend the world bring peace to others, may it be so.

Whitney Higdon: 28:13

Thank you so much for joining us, and we hope you enjoyed this worship service. If you would like to make a donation helping make these broadcasts possible or support the many ways. First, Presbyterian seeks to serve our community. You can make a financial gift online@bendfp.org every week, we hear from someone thanking us for the gift of these broadcasts and what a difference they make. Your support makes that possible. Our church is committed to reach beyond our walls, bringing hope where there is despair and love where it is needed the most. Your generous support helps us to be generous in love. Go to our website, bendfp.org, and click on the link. Give online. Your support is really appreciated and makes a difference in people's lives. Thanks again. I hope to See you next Week. You

Unknown: 29:20

you you.