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| It Is Still Night by Eileen ************************ The Parable of the Lost Son: Luke 15:11-32 Jesus continued: "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 got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ……………… "Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 'Your brother has returned,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and 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 fattened calf for him!' ************************ It occurred to me the lost son is NOT the younger son who has hit bottom with his foolish irresponsible life style but the OLDER son who just “doesn’t get it”. “All these years”, he says to his father, “I’ve served you and never disobeyed you but where is my fatted calf and fun party?” (Like the line from the movie “The Family Man”…..”where are my Mary Janes?” when the Daddy wanted to purchase a $2,500 suit because his 6 year old daughter got a new pair of Mary Jane shoes.) The older son is lost. It’s really a shame because he tries so hard. But it’s all about our false self…the way the world measures things. Like the book “Too Deep for Words” said “my true self must increase and my false self decrease”. I too am lost. How do I move to decrease myself in this world? How do I loose the desire to be loved, approved, and preferred? I want a seat of honor too, just like the sons of Zebedee…..what’s wrong with that? This week I got a smack in the face of the reality of how I just “don’t get it”. Even though I know I don’t have it figured out, I don’t think I’m THAT bad. I DO attend church, pray, read the Bible, etc. But last Wednesday I had a chance to serve the Lord, not with my lips but with action…..and I didn’t. It was after 8:30 p.m., after an enriching 1-1/2 hour of a Lent Bible study that I stopped at the gas station to fill up the tank. I usually get gas in the morning….in the day light….and as I turned off the car, I was uneasy thinking about the car jackings that take place. As I got out of the car with my car keys and credit card, I thought about locking the car. Something didn’t feel right. I was the only car in sight filling the tank when an elderly woman called out to me and started to approach me. “Do you have $3.00? I’m hungry and I want to buy something to eat”. She had some dollars already rolled up in her hand. She honestly didn’t look threatening but I was suddenly scared that someone might come up behind me if I left the pump to get my purse which was on the front seat. My eyes darted left and right as I quickly finished fueling and said that I was sorry but I had no cash. My heart was beating like a scared rabbit. In “Too Deep For Words”, the ancient rabbi asked how can we tell when the night had ended and the day was on its way back? Answer: it is when you look on the face of any woman or man and see that he is your sister or brother. Because if you can not do this, then no matter what time it is, it is still night. You see, I STILL don’t get it. For all of the Memphis School of Servant Leadership classes that I have taken and for me it is STILL night. |