Sermon - 3-27-22

When something turns out to be the opposite of what we expect, we face a form of <em>reversal</em>. <em>Reversals</em> are like <em>big reveals</em> because they change our understanding of <strong>everything, and our expectations are turned upside down</strong>. When this happens, we suddenly see things in a new light and reality changes in an instant. Such forms of reversal are threaded throughout Luke’s telling of the Jesus story. Luke’s gospel assures us that the kingdom of God, in its fullness, will <strong>confound</strong> our expectations and <strong>overturn</strong> our understanding of life experiences. Things will seemingly be turned upside down. This is especially true when it comes to power, privilege, wealth, merits, and rewards. Luke assures us time and again that in God’s kingdom those who struggle in life now – those who are at the bottom or on the fringes of society – will suddenly find themselves at the top and in the center. Beginning with Mary’s astounding, prophetic Magnificat, then throughout the entirety of Luke’s telling of the Jesus story, this great reversal is articulated. <p>In today’s gospel reading, we get yet another example of the reversal of expectations in God’s kingdom. Today, Jesus speaks to us about getting lost and, of all the parables Jesus preached, the story of the Prodigal Son is perhaps the most profound. Today’s story tells of a father who had two sons.  In this parable, the younger son asks for his share of his father's estate.  He comes to his father and says, "Father, divide the inheritance between me and my brother and give it to me now."  In effect, he is saying, "Dear Dad, drop dead now, legally speaking.”  As a parent, when I look at what the youngest son is demanding, I can imagine there is something within his father that dies when hearing this.  Anyway, the youngest son gets the money, and the older brother gets the farm and the family business.  The younger brother goes off exploring the world and ends up spending all his inheritance on wild, thrill-seeking