Reflections on the Prodigal Son
The parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) is a tale of two worlds: on one hand, there is the remarkable amount of apathy from the son towards the father, and on the other, an even more remarkable amount of love and forgiveness from the father back to that same son. Countless sermons have been preached on this very parable, as it is one of the more famous of Jesus’. Even today, the phrase “prodigal son” is integrated into pop culture to describe someone who has wandered away from their previous position. And while you could preach on this parable for another 2,000 years and still not exhaust all the depths of its story, I want to narrow down some possibly less-talked about lessons we can learn from it as well. Consider:
- God will always let you do what you want to do.
Despite the coldness of the son in asking for his portion of the inheritance (basically saying that his father couldn’t perish fast enough), the father was nonetheless willing to give it to his son for him to do with what he wish. What this shows is the existence of “free will,” or the ability for all of us to live our lives however we see fit to do so, whether good or evil. We might like to think that if we go down the wrong path in our lives, that God will always, 100% of the time, directly intervene to force us to come back, but remember, the father in this story only stood watching for his son – he never went into the “far off” country to drag him back against his will. That being said…
2. The father provided when his friends didn’t.
The son burned through his inheritance in a relatively short amount of time, engaging in what the Scriptures call “loose living;” In today’s terms, that could translate to lots of parties and women (see Luke 15:30). But that worldly lifestyle that commanded a dominating social scene reaped no rewards on the back end, as Luke 15:16
reveals that when the famine hit, “no one was giving anything to him.” Where were those same friends then? The ones that were more than willing to help him spend his money were those same ones who found new friends to leach off of when his money ran out; how many times have we seen that story play out in today’s world? But while they were his friend when he had everything, his father was the only true friend when he lost it all. Which means…
3. Repentance is common sense.
Looking at the situation analytically, it’s a no-brainer: he’s lost everything, and now he’s working in a field with swine, and yet he’s still starving. His father’s house has hired servants that have more food than they can even eat, so why should he stay there and die when his father could employ him in half a second? All it would take is a repentance back to his father’s house and a simple apology, which he was more than willing to offer when faced with the overwhelming depravity of his new life. But how would his father receive him?
4. Repentance is met with enthusiasm
Keep in mind, there was no guarantee that the father would even take him back; as a parent, would you allow someone who spat in your face to walk back in scot free? The real surprise though is not that he was accepted back (he was still his son, after all), but that he was met with such overwhelming joy! We tend to think that a return to God’s house will be met with “I told you so’s” and “We were right, weren’t we?” but the exact opposite is accomplished here. Before the son is even through with his apology, the father has clothed him with a robe and a ring, killed the fatted calf for him, and thrown a party. And if he’s reacting that way…
5. Joy on earth should match joy in heaven
The only downer was that the other brother did not match his father’s enthusiasm. While they partied, the brother fumed, thinking about all the times his faithfulness was met with perceived disinterest. Stewing about it, the father discusses with his other son the necessary joy that goes into a son returning back to his father, that one who was dead, “comes back to life.” In other words, the father’s joy should not be exclusive to him; the other son would have been just as happy, had his heart been right. So, we ask ourselves, do we rejoice with a brother/sister who’s fallen away and has since returned, or do we sit and stew about what we “haven’t been given,” wishing for the day when it’ll be our turn? If we are truly God’s people, our attitude will match God’s in all things, and that includes rejoicing at righteousness in any form.
Worship Calendar
- Mar. 30 Lent: Come Home: The Father’s Love and Forgiveness Luke 15:1-3, 11-32: Rev. Eric lee
- Apr. 6 Lent: Rev. Eric Lee
- Apr. 13 Lent: Rev. Eric lee
- Apr. 20 Easter Sunday: Rev. Eric Lee
- Apr. 27 Mission Awareness Sunday: Mission team
- May 4 Silver Jubilee Anniversary: Rev. Eric Lee
NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Christian Women of Etobicoke
After the World Day of Prayer on March 2nd, 2024, at Christ the King Anglican, their women’s group decided because of the great camaraderie enjoyed by approximately 60 women that it would be good to get together more than just once a year. So, they formed the Christian Women of Etobicoke group.
The first planning committee meeting was held in June 2024, and it was decided to focus on outreach to seniors in our community. Regular monthly events are planned with Christ the King being the venue due to accessibility. Each church will take a turn hosting. Average attendance so far has been about 50 seniors.
Currently five neighbourhood churches are involved, and they would welcome participation and contributions from Graceview. Their next planning meeting is April 7th at 10:00 at Christ the King. Anyone that would be interested in joining this committee, please speak to Maureen Screen for contact information.
Loonies for Lent
This year Outreach is asking you to set aside loonies and toonies or other monetary donations in order that we may send a large donation to the St James Food Basket. The money that we send will be spent on such basics as tuna, canned tomatoes, tomato paste and vegetable soup which will be distributed to their client families. Each year the number of people who rely on food banks continues to grow and the uncertain times that we are currently living in will only further increase this need. Outreach is asking our members to send their monetary donations to the church (loonies/toonies in containers, cash, cheques or e-transfers) to support this initiative. Please mark your envelopes for “Loonies for Lent, Outreach” and include your name and envelope number.
We would appreciate receiving your contributions by April 20th.
Mzuki Wa Inüili (An Afternoon of East African Music and Food):
Mzuki Wa Injili (An Afternoon of East African Music and Food), set to be held in Spring 2025
pending council approval, is an all-around celebration of East African culture with a particular focus on Kenyan Gospel music and food. Along with a social hour with Kenyan food, coffee, and snacks, the event will feature Kenyan gospel artist, Ruth Matete and her band as musical guests.
Date: April 6 Time: 2:30pm – 4:00pm
Location: Humbercrest United Church (Sanctuary or Heritage Hall)
Impetus and Outcomes:
Through the ministry of Rev. Diane, we, as the congregation of Humbercrest United Church, have the opportunity to offer new and unique experiences to the community around us.
Rev. Diane’s intimate connection to and knowledge of the East African community in Toronto is a particular asset in this regard. Thus, we feel that an authentic, respectful, and joyful celebration of Kenyan culture at Humbercrest United would be a genuine opportunity to touch and engage with various communities around us, in a meaningful and intentional way. The primary goal of the event is to establish a meaningful and working relationship between Humbercrest, the East African Community of Toronto, and the Indigenous community Namares.
The event will be ticketed (Eventbrite) to raise funds to cover the costs of hosting the event. All proceeds beyond this threshold will be donated to Namares. Tickets: $20.00
A Spring Devotional Update:
A new edition of These Days (April/May/June), as well as the current edition of Our Daily Bread (March/April/May) are available on the table in the church vestibule and in the devotional box on the church porch.
Lenten Candle Liturgy Readers
- Mar. 30 – Rachael Chen
- Apr. 6 – Georgena Engineer
- Apr. 13 – Carol Hyndman
- Apr. 18 – Chris Parr
A Spring Devotional Update:
(Updated Mar. 25, 2025)
A new edition of These Days (April/May/June), as well as the current edition of Our Daily Bread (March/April/May) are available on the table in the church vestibule and in the devotional box on the church porch.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Residents of Parkland on Eglinton have booked a Mary Morton bus trip on Wednesday, May 14th to Stratford to see “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” at the Avon Theatre after Chicken Supreme entrée lunch at the Parlour Inn for $227. 00 each. Please call Maureen at 416-433-8148 if interested.
Coffee/Tea Sign – Up
The sign-up sheet for coffee/tea service after worship is on the bulletin board opposite the kitchen downstairs. Please sign yourselves up or sign up your committee so that our Fellowship time after church can continue.
- Mar. 30 – Mission Team
- Apr. 6 – Harry & Pat
- Apr. 13 – ???
- Apr. 20 – Susan & Nancy G.
- Apr. 27 – ???
- May 11 – Iris & Carol
PRAYER REQUESTS AND PASTORAL CARE
♰ Pray for the people of war-torn countries who are living in fear and uncertainty. Pray for those close to home who need your special love and guidance during trying times.
♰ With great sadness, we learned of the passing of our own Charlotte Prentice last Saturday evening. The Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday, March 29 at 10:30 AM at Graceview. A light lunch will follow.