The Luminous Podcast

Prepare Room | Fr. Chad E. JarnaginMatt. 24:36-44The Day and Hour Unknown36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, [a] but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark (judgement); 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.The word 'Advent' is from the Latin 'Adventus,' which means ‘coming / arrival.’ Advent is the beginning of a new Church year. It is a season of expectation and preparation, as the Church prepares to celebrate the coming of the Word made flesh... Think of Advent beginning in the dark, sort of a reset of all the seasons... while each week, more light is revealed.The readings and liturgies not only direct us towards Christ’s birth, they also challenge our modern reluctance to confront the big picture of who is really the center of the universe.This portion of Matthew has an apocalyptic orientation, believing that history is divided into two ages - a present age that God would replace with a new age (often called the realm of God or the realm of heaven). The old age is marked by the presence of brokenness, sin, injustice, sickness, politics. The new age will be characterized by the complete rule of God... in peace, tranquility, health, blessing between nature and humankind... as well as eternity.In the story of Noah, none were left, except those spared on the ark... with the narrative of Christ, mercy saves those who need it. For all our disbelief, confusion, distrust, hurt... all of our outrage fatigue... Christ comes to bring peace, here... now... not just later. As with the disciples early on, when Christ calms the storm on the water... Jesus can bring us presence & solace regardless of our current reality.So, how can we prepare room for what really matters?The spiritual life has much more to do with subtraction than it does with addition. -EckhartInstead of adding more “to dos”, perhaps we actively do less. The Gospel is about being awake. We spoke about this last week a bit. Meditate on a single word of prayer each week or day. Each Sunday’s focus of Hope, Peace, Joy, or Love is a place to begin to prepare room.I AM, may this Advent alarm us. Wake us from drowsy living. From the sleep that neglects love and the sedative of misdirected frenzy. Awaken us to the meaning and hope of your arrival, and bend our anger and discontent into your peace. Amen.

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New Realities | Fr. Chad E. JarnaginLuke 20:27-38 27 There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,28 and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the second 31 and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. 32 Afterward the woman also died. 33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.”34 And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, 35 but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, 36 for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons[b] of the resurrection. 37 But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.”Our faith and Christ’s teaching say that at the moment of death, life is changed, not ended. In Jesus’ strong affirmation of eternal life, it is clear that new realities will replace those of this life. In the new /next life, all anxieties are gone... all our prejudices are gone... all apprehensions, contempt... we all live in the light of new realities... and all together in the holy communion of the saints... transcending time and space. Interesting at how we looked at that last Sunday.The Sadducees' question seeks to make life after death out to be ridiculous. It rests on an assumption that life after death will simply be a repetition or extension of life - same conditions applying... with nothing changing. No new realities.Jesus finishes by saying: 36 for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.The pivot here- “but that the dead are raised... they cannot die anymore.”Jesus' answer is that the resurrection is a new existence in which we participate in God's eternity. God told Moses that he was the God of his forefathers: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The message to the Sadducees is good news, whether they comprehend it, believe, or not...This is not the end. Actually, it is just the beginning... with those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.This can be difficult for us to grasp... and that is okay. It is almost like, we grasp this concept when and where we need to. Sometimes our reason and intelligence may be missing crucial humility to accept or hold truths that faith tends to uncover.Jesus is announcing that there is a line (or dimension) in the cosmos here: in believing in Christ’s resurrection, we believe in our own. Being equal to angels... means to be children of God... being children of the resurrection brings about living with the new reality ... which means eternal living.“The point of the resurrection...is that the present bodily life is not valueless because it will die...What you do with your body in the present matters because God has a great future in store for it... What you do in the present— by painting, preaching, singing, sewing, praying, teaching, building hospitals, digging wells, campaigning for justice, writing poems, caring for the needy, loving your neighbor as yourself—will last into God's future. These activities are not simply ways of making the present life a little less beastly, a little more bearable, until the day when we leave it behind altogether (as the hymn so mistakenly puts it...). They are part of what we may call building for God's kingdom.”All things work together for the new reality. -NT Wright

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Luke 6:20-31 (NRSV)Blessings and Woes20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor,for yours is the kingdom of God. 21“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.“Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.22 “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. 24“But woe to you who are rich,for you have received your consolation.25“Woe to you who are full now,for you will be hungry.“Woe to you who are laughing now,for you will mourn and weep.26 “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets. Love for Enemies27 “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.All Saints’ Day is tied in with the belief in the Communion of Saints, that all of God's people because of our common communion with and through Christ, our prayers are joined with the heavenly eternal community. 
Luke 6:20-31- On the Beatitudes. This is an interesting connection to the Feast of All Saints.Jesus’ is giving is disciples (and us) a way to live. In our context: there is the contrast of what society lives and then what Christ instructed here in Luke. It isn’t “Blessed are you who are rich, for yours is the kingdom of God.” nor “Blessed are you who are filled now, for you will never be hungry.” Though, if that is what we listen to or ever begin to believe... that is not the gospel. There is a reason the poor is blessed... and that the hungry will be fed.This is a charge to the Saints. Our work: for your kingdom come and will be done on earth as it is in heaven. To bring heaven to earth... to leave this world better than we found it. We are not to be locusts or parasites. There is no legacy in use and abuse.In verse 27, he says to love your enemies. Again, a contrast to society... to the point of mentioning “from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic (chiton in Greek) either.” Meaning the clothing worn closest to the skin.In a time where isolation has becoming pervasive, we need to hear that we are not alone. For those who have been... are in a way, with us. And us, with them. Their work, their stories, their art... they are with us. The work we do today in our world, will be the kind of world we leave for our children, and their children. We will make it more and more difficult to do the work giving for us to do if we celebrate isolation... divide.

Ask yourself: Are we in a constant state of divide? Us vs them? A constant state of outrage? Living with constant contempt for anyone with a different vantage point? These are signs of unhealth. We are not remembered by our arms / weapons. We should ask: How am I armed? How can I disarm? How can I listen? How can I learn? These are signs of health. Leaving the world better than we found it means to embody this passage of Luke.One of the best remedies to combat isolated individualism is our gratitude, especially toward others. Someone helped to guide our paths & we stand on their shoulders. We aren’t where we are by accident or happenstance... & this is not the end. Thanks be to God."If I can give you any advice, I beg you to get closer to the Eucharist, to Jesus... We pray for the tenderness of the Eucharist.” -Mother Teresa

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Trust, Not Trends | Fr. Chad E. Jarnagin2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 (NIV) 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness... This is about scripture’s trustworthiness, not if it is literal or figurative. The phrase means “given by inspiration of God,” is one word in the Greek text (theopneustos), which means “God-breathed.” The Greek is a compound word, with theo the Greek word for God, attached to the word pneustos which means “wind, or spirit, or breath.”Beginning in 2 Timothy 4:1, the attention turns from the past to the future... and the corresponding need to root people in “sound doctrine” and “the truth”. Timothy receives a solemn charge in 4:2, which might be the centerpiece of the entire letter: “preach the message [logos]”, that is, the good news about Jesus Christ (see also 2 Timothy 2:15).2 Timothy 4:3: interesting comment about people with “itching ears,” who “accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires.” It’s an accusation any group might make against those who don’t listen or translate “properly,” or more commonly in with human tendency, of surrounding ourselves with authors, teachers, and voices who say only the things we want to hear.Now more than ever before we are isolating ourselves in echo chambers, and only interacting with like-minded people. This becomes most hazardous when it gives us excuses to discount other voices. And when it creates teachers or preachers who pander to audiences, it has long lasting effects of discontentment and distrust. In circumstances where denominations or congregations suffer from deep divides, groups find it too convenient to ignore anyone who doesn’t “suit their own desires / opinions”.Maybe the warning offered in 2 Timothy 4:3 can help us today realize that listening for “the truth” requires us trust... to listen. The hinge of all of this: when we are disappointed in someone who breaks our trust, were we trusting the wrong being? For some of us, maybe trusting people is easier than a Creator or maybe visa versa? Many of us have projected distrust on God when it should have been placed directly onto a human... God isn’t guilty by association.“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” It is helpful to have voices that we resonate with, but find voices who expand our view due to a trust, not simply trend.

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2 Timothy 1:1-14 (NIV)1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,2 To Timothy, my dear son:Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.3 I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. 9 He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.For the next few weeks, we are going to be looking at Paul’s letters of 2 Timothy.Over and over again Paul speaks of the promise of eternal life to believers in Christ Jesus. If you wonder why we pass peace each Sunday, we see it in greetings from Christ, Paul, and other writers... Paul, helping us to keep perspective reminds them (and us) saying whatever good we do, it is for God.If some of us are so fortunate to have a lineage of faithful disciples before us, we can trace some of those values to our current lives. It’s what Paul was speaking about with grandmother Lois, mother Eunice... and goes on to remind them to fan into flame the gift of God in them.7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.And the spirit of a sound mind means quietness of mind. The Holy Spirit is not the author of a timid or negative dispositions, anxiety, or of fears. Maybe these serve as reminders of our constant need?This passage draws a contrast that isn’t very popular with some... Those who hold to the gospel will not be ashamed or disgraced; but those who oppose it, will be ashamed. Paul trusted his life, his soul, and eternity, to Christ.In the same pattern, whoever has stillness and quietness of mind will be enabled to hope... those wrestle with busyness, noise, and such will simply struggle.Paul is speaking from prison again... and begins to speak of joining him in suffering for the gospel. Just so we know, the vast majority of Scripture was written by oppressed people for oppressed people... which frankly, may be one of our greatest weaknesses for the West to comprehend the messages.All that is important comes in quietness and waiting - Paul is helping to unearth the importance of quieting the mind in the midst of circumstance beyond our control.Paul says, 13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

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Marking Moments | Fr. Chad E. JarnaginLuke 12:32-40 (ESV)32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.You Must Be Ready35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! 39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”I would encourage us to meditate on this gospel this week from time to time. There is a lot here.Jesus begins with “fear not, little flock... where your treasure is, there your heart will be.”In my twenties/thirties, I had a friend that was just different than everyone else. His wardrobe consisted of 3 pairs of jeans and 5 green t-shirts and 1 white button-down. He was attempting to live a minimalistic life... He was one of the most content people I’ve ever known: In a sense, selling what he owned and giving it away.You Must Be Ready35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.Verse 40 says “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” This has been abused in many circles: stoking anxiety and urgency for a conversion experience. The urgency shouldn’t be one of conversion, but of awareness & awakeness... There is a peacefulness about not knowing when preparations have been made.Let’s assess our parish environment for a moment: We value: peace... meaningful moments... sacramental moments and rites. We bless those going back to school. Pausing and marking / devoting a moment... after Eucharist this week, we went to the river to baptize. Devoting / sealing with Christ... “Fear not, little flock... where are treasure is, there our hearts will be”. Our weekly / daily practices can reveal where are hearts are.
This story is not one to cause anxiety. It is a gentle encouragement to do the simple work of preparation. Like my friend who began living out minimalism, which prepared him to have less and travel at a moment’s notice... his capacity for the unexpected eventually become more and more open.Maybe this idea of Christ’s return helps us to be open to Christ’s presence when & where we least expect it. This prepares us for whatever will eventually occur... When this happens; when, not if, we can have more capacity for whatever comes... for God is with us.Again, for Christ said: “Fear not, little flock... where your treasure is, there your heart will be.”

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What We Value | Fr. Chad E. JarnaginLuke 12:13-21 (ESV)The Parable of the Rich Fool13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”Jesus spoke often about our riches and how difficult it is to have them. The fact is that wealth and things are a deep temptation that hardly anyone can ever combat.The way we steward our life, time, resources... mind, energy, and attention... matters.This parable is a caution against coveting... to want what we don’t have... to want when we already have plenty... and perhaps encouragement to be wise. “The one who lays up treasure himself and is not rich toward God... “ Riches in this context means value. It is saying that the movements of our money can sometimes represent the movement of our hearts.Christ's kingdom is spiritual, and not of this world. Christianity is organically otherly. A citizenship and kingdomship unlike our culture... Beyond the reach of empires and nations.The rewards of Christ's disciples are of another nature... and it come from communion. To covet is an actual sin we need constantly to be warned against; happiness and comfort do not depend on the wealth or influence of our world... or how much we have... or want to have.The needs of our souls are met with spiritual energy. This is a parable, which shows the folly of our want. When he saw a great crop upon his ground, instead of thanking God for it, or rejoicing to be able to do more good, he afflicts himself. What shall I do now? The poorest person in the country could not have said anything more anxious. The more we have, the more perplexity. Biggie said it best “Mo money, mo problems”. His folly: To think of making no other use of his plenty, than his own indulgence... without any thought of doing good for others.Richard Rohr writes that “Those who agree to carry and love what God loves, both the good and the bad of human history, and to pay the price for its reconciliation within themselves—these are the followers of Jesus. They are the leaven, the salt, the remnant, the mustard seed that God can use to transform the world. The cross is the dramatic image of what it takes to be such a usable one for God.”May we be reminded that the more we dwell / commune with God, we will be more kingdom-minded because over time, we will care more and more for what God cares for... and in the process of this communion, there will come wisdom on how to embody in the world around us.

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Resurrection vs Resuscitation | The Rev. Chad E. JarnaginLuke 24:1-12 (ESV)24 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.Our faith is an ancient faith, yet vibrant, not dead. No matter how we like to imagine new innovation and creative ways of worshiping, it isn't new. It is tethered to the past, present, and future. It transcends space and time. That should be an amazing comfort for us.Those following Christ are people of resurrection not simply resuscitation, and our hope in Jesus brings about a bigger picture in a new creation, not simply an eternal evacuation. Jesus was resurrected, not resuscitated.To be resuscitated means to come back to the same body, same problems, same tensions... with the same inevitable ending. Resurrection means to defeat and complete death. Our human death is but a channel into eternity.From Good Friday: The Way of Jesus cannot be understood apart from loss. The deeper the loss and lament, the greater the tremors of hope. We are a part of the new creation... a new way of living...“Jesus's resurrection is the beginning of God's new project not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize earth with the life of heaven. That, after all, is what the Lord's Prayer is about.”― N.T. Wright, Surprised By HopeHope always remains, even in the very face of despair. May we always remember that our hope is not in evacuation and resuscitation... but in the Christ of renewal and resurrection.

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Holy Week | Fr. Chad E. JarnaginLuke 19:28-40 (ESV)The Triumphal Entry28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?”34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”As Jesus approaches, people are waving palm branches and throwing their cloaks down and spreading them over the road. This is a common image that we have with Palm Sunday... the cries of hosanna, which means “save us”. When we look at the crowd in this story, we can imagine that for many, when they cried out hosanna, they were asking to be saved from the Roman empire. These were desperate political cries, hopes in a Messiah, a King who would come and defeat the Romans, who controlled Jerusalem.The act of throwing a cloak down on the ground was a sign of homage and submission...of laying one’s self down, in hopes of deliverance and liberation.What does “hosanna” mean for us today? We are certainly in need of a hosanna posture... “save us”... though not from the Roman empire: save us from our addictions, our clutter, our busyness, our technology... our religions... our politics... our greed... save us from, ourselves.Good FridayThe entrance of sin into this world started a chain of events that wasn’t a part of the original story. Humanity was born in a garden in the presence of God to live, reign, and flourish with God in true communion. The Greek word schizó means to rip / tear in multiple ways / dimensions. There is a violence to this meaning that helps us frame the dramatic meaning of the cross of Christ. From there, everything changed. Humanity began to notice that we were naked and ashamed... needing clothing. Were hungry and then needed food. Humanity was ripped from our place.The tragic Notre Dame Cathedral fire arrested our attention. 800 years of history may just do that... has the blaze reignited the one holy catholic and apostolic Church... during this Holiest of Weeks? Gutting, yet symbolic destruction to be rebuilt... anew?The Way of Jesus cannot be understood apart from loss. The deeper the loss and lament, the greater the tremors of hope. Renewal comes out of death and destruction. We are a part of the new creation... a new way of living... but it begins here at the cross at Good Friday.

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Fr. Chad E. JarnaginLuke 15:11-32 (ESV)The Parable of the Prodigal Son11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 And 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. 13 Not 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. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to[a] one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And 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! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20 And 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. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’[b] 22 But the father said to his servants,[c] ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For 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. 26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And 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.’ 28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29 but 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. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”At this point in Lent, this story is very timely. In a way, it means we can always come home again. As Jesus tells the story, the father does not rebuke his son. On the contrary, he celebrates his return.... Then we see the other son’s anger at his brother’s celebration... feeling slighted.... his father tells him: ‘You are always with me, and all that is mine is yours’. Even true repentance like the Prodigal’s cannot wipe out the past, and it does not put everything right - The inheritance has still been squandered.The key moment is this embrace.Through all of our lives, we change. We have a difficult time recognizing one another after a lot of time has gone by. I wonder if our milage and decisions can sometimes make us think or feel that our Creator may not recognize us?“The farther I run away from the place where God dwells, the less I am able to hear the voice that calls me the Beloved, and the less I hear that voice, the more entangled I become in the manipulations and power games of the world.” ―Henri J.M. Nouwen, Return of the Prodigal SonIn a story like this, we should see the grace and welcomed embrace of this father to his lost son. At the heart of the Gospel is the belief that Christ's love has the power, in any human life, to make the image of God evident again.

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