Today we continue our walk to forgiveness. We are continuing to explore forgiveness through one of the stories in the bible that paints a picture and is one that has always been pretty significant in my life. It is the story of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15. This story is about a son who asked for his inheritance-meaning he wished his father dead, left for another country, spent all his inherited money, then he started working for someone else, realized the slaves were taken better care by his father, and he decided to go home to his father. Once home, his father welcomed him home, ran out to meet him, embraced him, clothed him and put a ring on his finger, and threw a party with the fatted calf, while the older son was jealous and resentful towards his brother because of how his brother acted and displeased that his father would welcome him back so easily. As we talked about last week, much of the focus is on the younger son. Yet, the light also shines on the father. Todays? focus is on the father.

So let?s review a little bit from the perspective of the older son and from the younger son. The older son is responding from a place of bitterness, hurt, tension, misunderstanding, rejection, and being lost. The younger son is responding from a place of inflicting hatred on his father, rejecting his community, culture, values, and family, lavish living and loose women, to total poverty and rejection, and being lost. Yet the younger son is willing to repent and go home, while the older son is not yet in a place to bridge the tension and go home. Both of these sons are coming from different places and experiences, yet their father meets them both in the place where they have been and where they are with acceptance, tenderness, mercy, forgiveness, welcome, and most importantly?love.

I think that is the type of father we all want or wanted. For some of us the only idea of a father comes from our earthly father. When I think about the experiences others have had with their fathers-healthy or unhealthy, feeling loved or unloved, hurt, abused, or accepted, and then I think about the two sons. Yet, I know that our earthly fathers are very different than our God who loves us like a father. I am in full agreement with Henri Nouwen about the type of God, or Father, I want to believe in: ?a Father who, from the beginning of creation, has stretched out his arms in merciful blessing, never forcing himself on anyone, but always waiting; never letting his arms drop down in despair, but always hoping that his children will return so that he can speak words of love to them and let his tired arms rest on their shoulders. His only desire is to bless (The Return of the Prodigal Son, Henry Nouwen, pg 96).?

Nouwen continues with these words about the walk to forgiveness, ?The Father wants to say, more with his touch than with his voice, good things of his children. He has no desire to punish them. They have already been punished excessively by their own inner or outer waywardness. The Father wants simply to let them know that the love they have searched for in such distorted ways has been, is, and always will be there for them. The Father wants to say, more with his hands than with his mouth: ?You are my Beloved, on you my favor rests.? He is the shepherd, ?feeding his flock, gathering lambs in his arms, holding them against his breast? (ibid pg. 96).? The image of the father in the painting reminds us that no matter what we have done, no matter what we have done to others, that when we make the journey to walk home, we are walking into the outstretched arms of a God who has already forgiven us.

The hands in this painting and in this story have always had a great impact on me and say so much about being embraced by God. But I started to pay closer attention to the hands and realized hands were different! Henri Nouwen gives the following insight to the painting. The left hand, the hand above the foot with the shoe on, ?is touching the son?s shoulder is strong and muscular and cover a large part of the prodigal son?s shoulder and back. If you look very closely, you can see a certain pressure, especially in the thumb. That hand seems not only to touch, but with its strength, also to hold. Even though there is gentleness in the way the father?s left hand touches his son, it is not without a firm grip (Ibid, pg 98-99).?

When we move our eyes to the right hand, ?this hand above the barefoot of the son, we see that the hand does not hold or grasp; it is refined, soft, and very tender. The fingers are close to each other and they have an elegant quality. It lies gently upon the son?s shoulder, almost as if it is there to caress, stroke, and to offer consolation and comfort. It is a mother?s hand (Ibid, pg 99.?

Nouwen continues in these words and they had such a great impact on me. He says, ?As soon as I recognized the difference between the two hands of the father, a new world of meaning opened up for me. The Father is not simply a great patriarch. He is mother as well as father. He touches the son with a masculine hand and a feminine hand. He holds, and she caresses. He confirms and she consoles. He is, indeed, God, in whom both manhood and womanhood, fatherhood and motherhood, are fully present. The gentle caressing right hand echoes for me the words of the prophet Isaiah: ?Can a woman forget her baby at the breast, feel no pity for the child she has borne? Even if these were to forget, I shall not forget you. Look, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.? When thinking about which hand is placed over which foot, this question resonated with me: ?Is it too much to think that the one hand protects the vulnerable side of the son, while the other hand reinforces the son?s strength and desire to get on with his life (Ibid, pg 99)??

As I think about the amazing God we worship, I am in awe of how this portrait can bring out the many unique ways of God. It makes me think about children, and how sometimes children have an easier time talking with their mom about some things and an easier time talking with their dad about other things. I think about how I received different things that I needed from my mom and dad growing up. It causes me to think about how we as a faith community have all received different things from one another, from our children and grandchildren, and from the rest of our families.

And as I think about the two sons and the different type of relationships they had with their father, I am reminded of the importance of how God is portrayed in this painting. The father in our painting is portrayed as a God who welcomes, embraces, goes out to, celebrates, engages, and forgives. This is a God who does not compare his children, but loves them regardless of what they have done right or wrong. It?s the old saying that ?God has a picture of everyone in his creation on his wall and that every single picture is his favorite child?.

Could you imagine how different all of us would be if people looked at us like God looks at us? If we look at the world and the world looks at us with the eyes of God?s love and discover that God?s vision is not that of the patriarch, but rather as an all-giving and forgiving father who does not measure out his love to his children according to how well we all behave, then maybe all of us could quickly see that our only true response to God is of deep gratitude. What if the world knew that God has already chosen everyone to be embraced into his arms and that they are loved and forgiven?

?The parable of the prodigal son is a story that speaks about a love that existed before any rejection was possible and that will still be there after all rejections have taken place. It is the first and everlasting love of a God who is Father as well as Mother. It is the fountain of all true human love, even the most limited. Jesus? whole life and preaching had only one aim: to reveal this inexhaustible, unlimited motherly and fatherly love of his God and to show the way to let that love guide every part of our daily lives. In his painting of the father, Rembrandt offers us a glimpse of that love. It is a love that always welcomes home, always forgives, and always wants to celebrate (Ibid, pg 108-109).?

The walk to forgiveness is a constant walk. It is a walk of self-reflection as well as a walk with God. I truly believe it is something that happens throughout the days, weeks, and months. It is a never ending journey, but is one that begins by believing in a all-giving and all-forgiving God who will welcome you into forgiving arms even when you wished he was dead. It is my prayer that as you have reflected these past couple of weeks on the ways you need to be forgiven, on how you might need to forgive others, and where you seek forgiveness from God, that you have been able to put down some of the burden that you have carried. Remember, whatever it is that you need to be forgiven, God is just waiting for you with open arms. What will it take for you to be willing to drop to your knees and be welcomed through forgiveness?