Be Prepared – Living with the Lights on
Had the Boy Scouts heeded their own motto, they may have prepared their individual troop leaders in such a way as to prevent the tragic episodes that led to them filing for Chapter 11, and facing millions of dollars in lawsuits. Of course it is difficult to be prepared for episodes that may have never entered the mind of original leaders.
In our preschool chapel today we lightly reenacted The Parable of the Two Lost Sons, otherwise known as the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
Helping the children understand the dynamic of selfishness in the parable was easy. Helping them understand how the younger son was not really “prepared” for what he was about to face (temptation, excessive spending and loss of money, abandonment of friends, hunger, and finally being treated worse than a pig) was a more tangential lesson which we simply tried to convey, by turning the lights off on the poor soul who had intentionally abandoned his father and (according to Jesus interpretation) also abandoning his faith.
Whether or not the preschoolers understood that all of the elements which he was unprepared for (noted above in blue) were in fact the spiritual lessons we are now trying to prepare them for (and protect them from) in preschool, is unknown. But even in a partially lit sanctuary on a cloudy day, a preschooler feel somewhat uneasy being in a darker area.
When you believe The Gospel – the forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ – living the Christian life is not so much about preparation, as it is “participation.” In fact in Christ we are as prepared as we will ever be for Judgment Day. We remember St. Paul’s epic words, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1). But growth in stewardship and faith is in fact preparation for facing trials and temptations. Although Jesus warned us about pestilence in the future, I don’t think too many people really anticipated COVID, and the changes it brings.
When we think about the Parable of the Prodigal Son, I don’t think too many of us think about what the struggle would be for the younger son in the future as he tried to live in the same household as his self-righteous judgmental brother (lost in his own perceived piety). Like Cain with the older brother rise up and slay his forgiven younger brother? Would he instead make his brother’s life a living hell by daily treating him with contempt and disrespect and a cold heart?
When we are forgiven by Jesus for our laundry list of sins, the grace we have received gives us preparation for the journey ahead, lived in fellowship with Christ. We are no longer thinking about how to make “provision for the flesh” (Romans 13:14). That was the original orientation of a young son, who specifically went as far away from his roots of faith to the foreign land. But a son matured by mercy, if he should ever have to leave again, might make preparation for that risky journey by praying “Lord God be my Good Shepherd and keep me from those things that would separate me from You.”
To signify the enlightenment of returning home, we left the spotlights on in the sanctuary directed to the altar area. (Of course it also helped that we had the sunlight shining through the front window silhouetting the cross, attracting the eye, and acting as a beacon calling the boy home.) If we have to go near the darkness, we should always prepare by remembering the light from which we came.