March 30, 2025
Isaiah 12:1–6
2 Corinthians 5:16–21
Luke 15:1–3, 11–32
Jesus Christ Has Reconciled Us to the Father
God the Father has opened His heart to us in love. While we were “still a long way off,” He saw us and “felt compassion” (Luke 15:20). Therefore, He gave His only begotten Son for us, making “him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). By the ministry of reconciliation, He runs to us, embraces us in mercy and clothes us with His glory as beloved sons in Christ Jesus. And so we give thanks unto the Lord our God, who has taken away our sins and turned His anger from us (Is. 12:1). Because He has become our salvation, our strength and our song, we “will trust, and will not be afraid” (Is. 12:2).
INVOCATION LSB 151
P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
P If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
C But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION LSB 151
P Let us then confess our sins to God our Father.
C Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.
P Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
INTROIT Psalm 51:2-6’; antiphon v. 1
P Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;
C according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
P Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
C and cleanse me from my sin!
P For I know my transgressions,
C and my sin is ever before me.
P Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,
C so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
P Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
C and in sin did my mother conceive me.
P Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
C and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
C Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
P Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;
C according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
COLLECT OF THE DAY** LSB 156
P Let us pray.
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, Your mercies are new every morning; and though we deserve only punishment, You receive us as Your children and provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant that we may heartily acknowledge Your merciful goodness, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Isaiah 12:1–6
1You will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.
2“Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.”
3With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4And you will say in that day:
“Give thanks to the Lord,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.
5“Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made known in all the earth.
6Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
EPISTLE 2 Corinthians 5:16–21
16From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
VERSE
C The father said to his servants, “This my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.”
HOLY GOSPEL** Luke 15:1–3, 11b–32
1Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear [Jesus]. 2And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
3So he told them this parable: . . .
“There was a man who had two sons. 12And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. 13Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
17“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
25“Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”
Sermon give by Pastor David Matthews Jr.
Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Today we look at a parable that is known among many of us, "The Prodigal Son." A better name for this parable at least in my opinion would be "The Parable of the Loving Father." The father is our parable today, points to our Heavenly Father, while the two sons represent two trend that may be present in most children. The Responsible One, and the Carefree One. We see the elder brother, being the more responsible one, who wants to impress his parents and fulfill their expectations. And then we see the younger brother being more reckless and carefree and wanting to be free from his father. This parable is a warning to all children who desire to usurp their parents and live on their own.
We can see when the younger brother asks, "Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me." How many of you here today would appreciate this request from your children? He was essentially asking his father to be dead. This would seem quite rude and demeaning coming from your children. I know all of you would do anything for your children. But would you give your children their inheritance before you even die? The younger son was asking to be financially free of his father.
Which is exactly what the father did for his son. He divided the inheritance and gave both portions of the properties to his sons. He gave no second thought about it. Just like this father in our text, our Heavenly Father provided for all of our needs. Which is what we pray for in the fourth petition of the Lord's Prayer, "Give us our daily bread."
For us this would seem strange. It would in fact be even stranger for the community that would see this unfold. In the 1st century in either Israel or Palestine, this would be disgraceful. This is why the son had to go away. Which is why we see the son traveling to a faraway land and settling miles away from his father. He is alone. No one gives him knowledge. No advice. No compassion. He has himself and all the possessions that were given to him.
But the youngest brother is not the only brother who had failed his father. The elder brother had also failed in not in intervening and not reconciling the differences between his father and the younger brother. This would seem to explain the animosity that the elder brother had toward the younger in the later portion of our text.
The younger son then squanders everything that he has. He is now poor. He is inherently reckless and negligent in his duties of being in charge of his properties. He became sad, lonely, and depressed. He has nothing to fall back on. He was deprived of everything that his loving father had given to him. A famine had stricken his into sorrow. He lost everything. This is what happens to us whenever we sway away from being in church and away from fellowship of Christ. Without human interaction we become sad, lonely, and depressed. With losing everything he decides to make himself a slave of a citizen of the country he was residing in. He starts working for a Gentle farmer of swine. Which would be double uncleanness in the eyes of God.
And to add even more insult to injury, the youngest son longed for the pods that were being given to the pigs that he was feeding. This food was lacking nourishment and unfit for human consumption. He was desperate and stricken for the means of food. This is like us whenever we do not got to church and do not receive the Lord's Supper. With the Lord's Supper we may feel empty whenever we leave the sanctuary without partaking, due to the gift not being available.
The son then recognizes for himself that his father's hire hands are being treated more fairly and decides to go back to his father. He has an eureka moment and is converted back, and he knows where his salvation is. At this father's house. This is similar to when we sway from going to be with our Lord in prayer and away from His house. But with God's grace, he leads us back into his house and welcomes us back into His welcoming arms.
The younger son then knows exactly what he is going to say to his father. He has the confession, "Father, I have sinned against heave and before you. I am no longer whorty to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants." With this confession, he recognized the shape he is in. He was also asking for something that would make him an outcast in the eyes of the community that he was in. This would allow him to be part of the family, but not restored into the family. He would be able to restore his relationship with his father and brother. This would give him the ability to make his own way again, and pay pack his debt to his father, and possibly restore his relationship wiht his brother.
However he would not get to utter his confession to his father. Instead, his father sees his son off in the distance and runs vigorously to him. He puts his face into his son's neck and weeps in joyful celebration. That is what it looks like whenever our Heavenly Father invites someone who has swayed away from Christ, and they eventually come back. Like the Father in our passage today, our Heavenly Father rejoices in the sound of one sinner repenting than ninety-nine righteous ones who need no repentance.
We can only imagine the shock of the prodigal son. He certainly thought that the father would have rejected him and sent him away. But instead, he was well-received and loved with the fullest compassion of his father. This is like any father who has had troubles with a child, and they eventually come back, recognizing the damage they have done in regard to their relationship. Most parents would be ecstatic in the restoration of their son or daughter.
Like the father in the parable, our Heavenly Father loves us and does not reject us due to our sinful nature, especially whenever we pray to Him in the times of trouble. In the prodigal son, we see what true repentance looks like. The Greek word translated to "repentance" means total change of mind and heart. The prodigal son showed true repentance because he got up and left the remote place where had squandered everything. He had a desire to not live apart from his father. The son however knew that this should not be even possible. He was guilty of negligence and recklessness against his father. However the father's desire was to have his son restored into his fold. This will be seen in the way he adorns his son with his precious gifts. Which is exactly what Christ does to us.
We now see that the relationship changes. From now on the precious gifts of the father will be bestowed on him. This is like whenever we enter into the fold of Christ in our baptisms. Once a poor and defenseless soul, we are now marked with the righteous armor of Christ, prepared for the spiritual battles that await.
First, we see the robe. Second, we see glimpses of the wedding feast that occurs in Matthew 22. Third, we see the ring placed upon the son's finger. Lastly, we see the shoes placed upon his feet. With these items the community sees that the father and the son have been fully reconciled. He was bestowed with a robe of the finest linen. Symbolizing that he had been brought back into his father's fold.
The feast is given so that the community will have the opportunity to also bring the community to realize that his reconciliation was also for them. The fattened calf was killed and prepared for the whole community. This is similar to whenever the man in the parable of the Lost Sheep and the woman with the lost coin. They invited the whole community to rejoice in their finding. The boy was lost but is now reconciled in both the eyes of his father, and the community. The boy was no longer in death, but alive. This is similar to us being lost in sin, death, and darkness, and then were made alive in Christ. This would have given the hearers of the time of these parable reminders of the sacrifice of the Passover lamb, later in Luke 22:7.
The ring symbolizes status and authority. Marking the status that he is now again a son of his father, and no longer lost and depraved. This is similar in Genesis 41:42, whenever Pharoah adorned Joseph with the finest linen and a signet ring. It marked royalty. Both Joseph and the younger brother were adorned with the finest of things, because they had gone from the deepest despair into restoration. Then he is adorned with shoes. Symbolizing that he was a free man, and not longer a slave that couldn't afford the finest things. Instead of begging for food, hew was given everything to prosper and survive.
Now we come to the Elder Son. He hears the celebration going on and ponders what is going on. So he asks one of the servants what this means. The servant said that the younger son had returned, and the fattened calf had been slaughtered. Instead of reconciling himself with his brother, he grew angry and went away. He was far away from his own father. He instead responds with insults to his younger brother and starts complaining about what is going on. He is being self-righteous because he begins to believe that he should be the one who gets the feast for being persistent in his work.
We see that the elder brother boasts of his willingness to be under the father. He wants the father to know that he is the greatest son of all time. Instead he shows how ungrateful for everything he has been given. Instead of a confession that he is unworthy like the younger, the elder brother marks himself as grand and should be given all. While the elder brother was physically in the house of his father, especially in his exterior acts. But he was just a person in his father's house, and not devout. Instead, he showed a lack of gratitude for God, and what he was given. This is similar to us, when we despise other redeemed sinners, especially if they are receiving better gifts that us. The elder brother thought he deserved everything that he deserved and even more so from what his younger brother received. This is the opposite of what we should think.
Everything that is given to us is a blessing from God. Our salvation, good works, food drink, house, home, husband, wife, children, so on, so on. Like the prodigal son, we are reconciled with Our Lord, whenever we are baptized into death, at our baptism.
The elder brother does have a point in recognizing that what his brother has been granted is not fair. He was given everything as a blessing from God. But let's that God that he is not fair. We should instead thank God for his love, grace, and mercy for us. He bestows things on us that shouldn't be granted. As the father in the parable, our Heavenly Father genuinely loves us and receives us in our dreadful conditions. He will always love us, and be merciful to us, just as the father in the parable was merciful and joyful over his lost son becoming found. Once we were found in Christ, we were loved for all eternity. This is our Heavenly Father's love for us.
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.