Greetings everyone,
It's been quite some time since my last update. To quickly sum up, I spent Christmas break in London, Paris and a small town in Switzerland called Fiesch. It was a really amazing time and makes me appreciate the family vacations where I don't have to pay for anything! (London is very expensive) But overall it was a really good time, and I could just go on and on about it but I'm limited by time so I must move progress.
I came down with some sort of illness that gave me a fever, nasty cough, and regular bloody noses, but thankfully I'm all better now.
I've now been in Senegal for two weeks and let me just say it's been an eye opening experience. We spent our first week working at the Talibe Center (the place for the boys who are studying the Qur'an, and have to beg on the streets everyday) and it was for us to get accustomed to how things are run and for the boys to get accustomed to us and vis-a-versa.
It truly is amazing to see how quickly these boys who have nothing except the clothes on their backs in many instances, welcome in a complete stranger to share in the one full meal they have in a day. It breaks your heart, and warms it.
During our first week, we were able to go on a tour of the Koranic schools (daras they are called, but I'm unsure of the spelling) run by various marabouts. It was a spiritually oppressive place. Not only are the sleeping quarters awful, there was darkness. It wasn't just a physical darkness, but something far more tangible. But in one of the daras, it was hard to stay very long at all.
This past week, we began a series of teachings on the life of Jesus beginning with his birth and moving forward through his ministry. It's amazing to see how these uneducated boys are able to recite the story back word for word, and that they do understand a great deal.
The boys are split up into the older and younger, and then two people from the team teach the two groups. Afterward the eat lunch, which is when we leave and go back to the WEC, the place that we are staying.
So much has happened over these past two weeks that are very hard to put into words, and so much more is going to happen.
Normally we have team time, which is either led by a student or one of the three staff we have. Yesterday, Friday, it was my turn, and I took the time to reflect on the past week, and what stood out us.
For me it was when I was sitting down after playing some football with the boys (they are really good), and then a boy, Usman is his name, came over to me and leaned against me. I put my arm around him and after that for the remainder of the day, he stuck to me like glue. All he wanted was an arm around him to give him a hug and make him feel safe.
It was on this that I reflected and it brought me to tears to think that these boys, some from the age of three, never know the love of a parent, and that all they want is to experience love.
My request of you is that you be praying that myself and those on the team would experience what it mean to have the heart of God.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email and I'll get back to you when I can.
Thanks for your prayers and support.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Phase 2 Continued and beyond
I forgot to mention previously that in celebration of our completing the lecture phase, we watched in order, the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, in the extended format. Friday to Sunday. It was awesome as many of the people watching had never seen the films before, and it reminded me of the first time I saw them in theaters.
Monday was the official first day of the Practical phase, and it was presentation day. The nine of us were broken up into teams and given a different topic to present on. My group was focusing on the Wolof and Djola people groups (the two major ethnic groups in Senegal), and we talked about various parts of their culture. The other groups shared on Islam and on Animism.
These last couple of days have been focused on the several skits (or for our English readers, sketches) that we have been preparing for the open air evangelism we will be doing in Senegal.
We have had more classes on culture and how as Westerners, and more importantly as white people, the way we behave has lasting effects on the mission effort in Senegal, so it was a warning against acting in a way that could hurt the way the church is viewed where we are working.
Today was primarily cleaning and packing. Tomorrow afternoon, I along with Spencer ( a fellow American) will be flying to London to start our Christmas break. I ask that you be in prayer for us as we are going to be travelling a lot and are in a strange place.
This is going to be my last blog entry for awhile ( I don't know how long) and I look forward to writing to you again soon.
Phase 1 Complete; Commence with Phase 2
So this is it. The final class of our DTS. Twelve weeks of intense teaching, intimate encounters with God, and moments when my life was just laid bare. It's both sad and exhilarating that I have reached this point, and in part it is thanks to you for the financial support and the prayer that you have offered on my behalf.
This weeks teaching was on the one topic that we haven't looked at yet; the Bible. It wasn't a in depth study of how the Bible came into being or how to read the original Greek and Hebrew, but it was a concise and simple teaching on the evolution from individual manuscripts into a comprehensive text. This was a class devoted more to getting us to think about the Bible, and pursue the answers within the text.
The topic that I really enjoyed and will take more time to study later is the inspired nature of the Bible and what to do when you see "contradictions". When you encounter a seeming contradiction, instead of just running off to tell the world that the Bible is a bunch of hooey, to think that maybe you are reading the particular passage out of context, or that you don't understand it. I realize this isn't the clearest way of saying this, but for me it doesn't just apply to the Bible but to other texts as well, and life in general. Think through something before jumping to conclusions. It was a nice way to wrap up the teaching by going back to basics.
A bunch of people needed their immunizations for Senegal, primarily the Yellow Fever vaccine, so we all piled into the cars and made the trip to Avignon, the city of Popes. It's a bit weird that it's called that because the last time a pope lived in Avignon was in the 14th century. Seeing as the three American's were all set with our shots, we decided to brave the French city on our own.
It was really cool to see another French town and be able to explore, but it was sad to see the state of disrepair the city had fallen into. Graffiti and the like. All that couldn't take away from the beauty of the square. I took lots of photos which I will hopefully be uploading tomorrow before I leave for Christmas break.
It was very cool to see the history of the place and visit the places that are talked about in history books, and and being a history nut, I soaked it all in. I saw the Pont d'Avignon, which is one of the most ridiculous looking pieces of architecture that I have ever seen. It is only half a bridge that just ends in the middle of the Rhone. We all took some time to mock this creation, and then took pictures in front of it!
Here is a well know French rhyme that once you get in your head, never goes away.
Sur le pont d'Avignon
L'on y danse, l'on y danse
Sur le pont d'Avignon
L'on y danse tous en rond
Les beaux messieurs font comm' ça
Et puis encore comm' ça
It was rather rainy and cold so we then went to Ikea. To get hot dogs. And they were awful. But I had two because I was starving. I thought that it was rather funny that an American was at a Swedish store in France. This made me laugh for quite some time. (Don't judge me.)
Saturday was a go, go, go day. Everybody was rushing around preparing a Christmas feast. Roast potatoes, roast pork, Yorkshire puddings, spiced cider and mulled wine. I, true to form, volunteered for far to many things, and was running in three different directions.
It was a fantastic night, a great turnout and we even had a Secret Santa! It was a really great time, and it made me realize how much I really love my family and friends.
(Phase 2 to follow)
This weeks teaching was on the one topic that we haven't looked at yet; the Bible. It wasn't a in depth study of how the Bible came into being or how to read the original Greek and Hebrew, but it was a concise and simple teaching on the evolution from individual manuscripts into a comprehensive text. This was a class devoted more to getting us to think about the Bible, and pursue the answers within the text.
The topic that I really enjoyed and will take more time to study later is the inspired nature of the Bible and what to do when you see "contradictions". When you encounter a seeming contradiction, instead of just running off to tell the world that the Bible is a bunch of hooey, to think that maybe you are reading the particular passage out of context, or that you don't understand it. I realize this isn't the clearest way of saying this, but for me it doesn't just apply to the Bible but to other texts as well, and life in general. Think through something before jumping to conclusions. It was a nice way to wrap up the teaching by going back to basics.
A bunch of people needed their immunizations for Senegal, primarily the Yellow Fever vaccine, so we all piled into the cars and made the trip to Avignon, the city of Popes. It's a bit weird that it's called that because the last time a pope lived in Avignon was in the 14th century. Seeing as the three American's were all set with our shots, we decided to brave the French city on our own.
It was really cool to see another French town and be able to explore, but it was sad to see the state of disrepair the city had fallen into. Graffiti and the like. All that couldn't take away from the beauty of the square. I took lots of photos which I will hopefully be uploading tomorrow before I leave for Christmas break.
It was very cool to see the history of the place and visit the places that are talked about in history books, and and being a history nut, I soaked it all in. I saw the Pont d'Avignon, which is one of the most ridiculous looking pieces of architecture that I have ever seen. It is only half a bridge that just ends in the middle of the Rhone. We all took some time to mock this creation, and then took pictures in front of it!
Here is a well know French rhyme that once you get in your head, never goes away.
Sur le pont d'Avignon
L'on y danse, l'on y danse
Sur le pont d'Avignon
L'on y danse tous en rond
Les beaux messieurs font comm' ça
Et puis encore comm' ça
It was rather rainy and cold so we then went to Ikea. To get hot dogs. And they were awful. But I had two because I was starving. I thought that it was rather funny that an American was at a Swedish store in France. This made me laugh for quite some time. (Don't judge me.)
Saturday was a go, go, go day. Everybody was rushing around preparing a Christmas feast. Roast potatoes, roast pork, Yorkshire puddings, spiced cider and mulled wine. I, true to form, volunteered for far to many things, and was running in three different directions.
It was a fantastic night, a great turnout and we even had a Secret Santa! It was a really great time, and it made me realize how much I really love my family and friends.
(Phase 2 to follow)
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Christmas Greetings
16
December, 2012
Chères amies et
famille,
I’m not accustomed to
writing Christmas letters, so this will be a combination of an update along
with my thoughts on Christmas. It is my hope that this letter encourages you
and is a blessing in this Christmas season.
Over the years, the
meaning of Christmas has evolved for me. I knew that it was the birthday of
Jesus, but it wasn’t always the focus. It used to be a time for looking through
every catalog I could find and making a list of all the toys I wanted. And then
it was a time for just being with family and eating a lot of good food. It has
become so much more than that for me now. It is a time for being with family
and remembering the coming of Jesus. Christ’s birth was the beginning of the
end and the start of something new.
Probably the strangest
thing is that this is the first time that I’m missing Christmas with my family.
It doesn’t seem quite real, like I’m in a dream. In just a few short days, we
will be on Christmas break and I will be off to see London, Paris and Switzerland
and I’m blessed to have a travel companion. I’m a bit sad to be missing this
time with my family, but God has blessed me with another family. We have our
dysfunctional moments. Times when we’re annoyed with each other, and times like
the other night where we just spend time together, talking and laughing.
This past week
concluded our final week of teaching for the lecture phase. Twelve weeks of
intense teaching, cover a variety of topics. Out of this time I have experience
God. I found it really telling when during the base Christmas Party, the
speaker from the first week approached me and said that there was something
different about me, to which I replied “I feel different.”
Tradition dictates that
I ask people what I want for Christmas, and the one thing that comes foremost
to my mind is prayer for my time in Senegal. I ask that you give two months of
prayer, whether that is once a day or once a week. I’m going into enemy
territory, and will be living right next to a mosque.
1. Pray
that I and the team would be protected from both physical and spiritual harm.
2. That
I would continue to grow in my faith, and not be swayed by the enemy.
3. That
the hearts of the Senegalese would be receptive to the gospel.
In
closing, I would like to once again thank those you for being there to support
me both financially and spiritually. It means a lot to me that I have you, and
I want to bless you this Christmas season. That you would remember the reason
for the season, and rejoice in our inheritance through Jesus Christ.
Joyeux
Noël, Bonne Année et la Bénédiction de Dieu.
Sincèrement.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
What is Islam? And other preparations...
So this was a different week. In every other class we have been allowed to take notes so on and so forth, but not this week. It was completely oral. It was explained that we were being taught this way because when we encountered objections from Muslims, we wouldn't be able to go to our notes and find how to respond. It needed to be in the forefront of our minds and in our own words.
Being from a western education system where it was required to take notes, it was a moment of shock and dismay for me because I'm not accustomed to this type of teaching. But it turned out really good, because it really made you think through stuff before asking questions and memorization is key.
I learned many new things about Islam: Abrogation, the Hadiths, how the Koran was compiled into a "single" text, how it is a sin for Muslims to question the Koran (and that if you question it, Muslims usually become angry) and more about the history of Muhammad.
One of the most interesting things about this week however had to be how they view Christians. They often know more about Christianity than about their own faith, but it has a twist to it. Many Muslims believe that when a Christian says Son of God, in reference to Jesus, they believe we are saying that God came down and had sex with Mary. But that is clearly not what we believe, so it is important to make sure that when talking to a Muslim, that you are using the same definition.
Another thing was the use of honor and shame. For Muslims, everything is honor and shame, and so it is important to make sure that you don't make them feel shame. In other words, don't make them feel inferior. This makes it very hard to use debating to convince a Muslim, because it is an attempt to prove them wrong, which puts them in a position of shame.
This can work in your favor however. If a Muslim is speaking against the Bible (which they believe is the word of God), then you can use shame to make them stop. Here's an example. A Muslim is saying that the Bible isn't true. My response could be. "What do you think about God? Do you think that man can change Gods word? What a shameful thing to say." This makes them stop because they are shaming them selves by speaking against God's word.
There are many more examples of how special care needs to be taken when witnessing to Muslims, but I think you get the idea.
It really opened my heart up to the Muslim world as well. They are just like any other lost people that God is heart broken over. The only way that we can come to a place of authentic witness is when we have God's heart, and that is where we can witness from.
This weekend was going out and buying some of the stuff we would need for Senegal. The list seemed to keep getting longer and longer. Thankfully, I have most of the stuff I will need and just need to order a few more things.
We also all went out and visited a Christian bookstore in the area. It was really cool to see (and I saw Wayne Grudem's Théologie Systématique. Really wanted it, but expensive) I was able to buy a really cheap French Bible, along with another journal. I now have three Bibles with me.
So I think that about sums it up. I only have another two weeks here at the school, and then for my grand tour of Europe. I will be going to London, and then Paris, and on to Switzerland. I need to leave France and the cheapest place to go is London ( Then going with some friends from the school here to Switzerland via Paris.) I really look forward to being able to see many of the places that you read about in history books. The craziest thing is that I will be spending Christmas in Paris! Who would have thought that I would have this opportunity. It makes me so thankful to you back home for your support, and for God's faithfulness in bringing me on this journey to know him.
I learned many new things about Islam: Abrogation, the Hadiths, how the Koran was compiled into a "single" text, how it is a sin for Muslims to question the Koran (and that if you question it, Muslims usually become angry) and more about the history of Muhammad.
One of the most interesting things about this week however had to be how they view Christians. They often know more about Christianity than about their own faith, but it has a twist to it. Many Muslims believe that when a Christian says Son of God, in reference to Jesus, they believe we are saying that God came down and had sex with Mary. But that is clearly not what we believe, so it is important to make sure that when talking to a Muslim, that you are using the same definition.
Another thing was the use of honor and shame. For Muslims, everything is honor and shame, and so it is important to make sure that you don't make them feel shame. In other words, don't make them feel inferior. This makes it very hard to use debating to convince a Muslim, because it is an attempt to prove them wrong, which puts them in a position of shame.
This can work in your favor however. If a Muslim is speaking against the Bible (which they believe is the word of God), then you can use shame to make them stop. Here's an example. A Muslim is saying that the Bible isn't true. My response could be. "What do you think about God? Do you think that man can change Gods word? What a shameful thing to say." This makes them stop because they are shaming them selves by speaking against God's word.
There are many more examples of how special care needs to be taken when witnessing to Muslims, but I think you get the idea.
It really opened my heart up to the Muslim world as well. They are just like any other lost people that God is heart broken over. The only way that we can come to a place of authentic witness is when we have God's heart, and that is where we can witness from.
This weekend was going out and buying some of the stuff we would need for Senegal. The list seemed to keep getting longer and longer. Thankfully, I have most of the stuff I will need and just need to order a few more things.
We also all went out and visited a Christian bookstore in the area. It was really cool to see (and I saw Wayne Grudem's Théologie Systématique. Really wanted it, but expensive) I was able to buy a really cheap French Bible, along with another journal. I now have three Bibles with me.
So I think that about sums it up. I only have another two weeks here at the school, and then for my grand tour of Europe. I will be going to London, and then Paris, and on to Switzerland. I need to leave France and the cheapest place to go is London ( Then going with some friends from the school here to Switzerland via Paris.) I really look forward to being able to see many of the places that you read about in history books. The craziest thing is that I will be spending Christmas in Paris! Who would have thought that I would have this opportunity. It makes me so thankful to you back home for your support, and for God's faithfulness in bringing me on this journey to know him.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
A week of missions and 48 hours
Thank you for the birthday wishes! It is encouraging to hear from you, even a few short words. For my birthday, some of the staff here, Lucie and Tabea, made a fantastic dinner to celebrate me reaching 20 years! While I didn't get to spend time with my family and friends at home, God has blessed me with a third family here in France.
The teaching this week was focused on missions, and we were able to gain specific insight as to what we will encounter in Senegal. Our teacher's name was Moira. She's originally from Scotland, and lived for 8 years as a missionary in Senegal, and she shared some of her experiences from her time there.
She explained what missions is, and used one of the most well know commissioning verses in the bible, Matt. 28:18-20. It gives us very clear parameters for what we are to do, and where we are to go, and just looking at the life of Jesus gives us a model to follow. He chose men to disciple, and after he taught and guided them, he gave them his authority and then the disciples repeated the cycle. That makes us the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great disciples of Jesus himself! (I think I missed a couple of greats in there, but I think you get the idea)
Back to Senegal, Moira explained just a few of the many cultural differences that exist, and how we as workers in their country need to model ourselves after their culture. Also, being a predominately Muslim country, it means that there are certain greetings and traditions that we must be aware of.
This weekend was called 48-hours of prayer. The class room was set up with multiple stations so that if you didn't know what to pray for, there would be some guidance. I took four hours from my weekend to spend in this prayer room. I didn't know what to do, but I came with a question. "God what do you have for me?"
I experienced an incredibly intimate time with God. It was really amazing at how much I felt God's presence, and how quickly time went by. The time was broken up; two, one hour sessions and then a two hour session. It felt like no time had passed before the next person came to the room.
It made me wonder about eternity. If several hours felt like minutes, then no wonder we need eternity to praise Good and get to know him!
I thoroughly enjoyed it and really look forward to spending more of my time in prayer.
God bless.
The teaching this week was focused on missions, and we were able to gain specific insight as to what we will encounter in Senegal. Our teacher's name was Moira. She's originally from Scotland, and lived for 8 years as a missionary in Senegal, and she shared some of her experiences from her time there.
She explained what missions is, and used one of the most well know commissioning verses in the bible, Matt. 28:18-20. It gives us very clear parameters for what we are to do, and where we are to go, and just looking at the life of Jesus gives us a model to follow. He chose men to disciple, and after he taught and guided them, he gave them his authority and then the disciples repeated the cycle. That makes us the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great disciples of Jesus himself! (I think I missed a couple of greats in there, but I think you get the idea)
Back to Senegal, Moira explained just a few of the many cultural differences that exist, and how we as workers in their country need to model ourselves after their culture. Also, being a predominately Muslim country, it means that there are certain greetings and traditions that we must be aware of.
This weekend was called 48-hours of prayer. The class room was set up with multiple stations so that if you didn't know what to pray for, there would be some guidance. I took four hours from my weekend to spend in this prayer room. I didn't know what to do, but I came with a question. "God what do you have for me?"
I experienced an incredibly intimate time with God. It was really amazing at how much I felt God's presence, and how quickly time went by. The time was broken up; two, one hour sessions and then a two hour session. It felt like no time had passed before the next person came to the room.
It made me wonder about eternity. If several hours felt like minutes, then no wonder we need eternity to praise Good and get to know him!
I thoroughly enjoyed it and really look forward to spending more of my time in prayer.
God bless.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
A story of two brothers
I've taken some extra time to analyze and decide what I want to write in this post. This was a week of more emotion than prior weeks which makes it hard to write so we shall see how it goes.
So this past week was another great week of teaching. We took an in depth look at Luke 15, and the parable of the Prodigal Son in particular. The first thing that our speaker, Pierre, said is that the title is wrong and that it makes it so that you miss a key fact of the story. There is not one prodigal son but two, along with a father. So the proper title should be two lost sons and their father, or something like that.
The title of the week was the father heart of God, and what it looks like. We looked at the three individuals in this story; the younger son, the father's reaction to the younger, the older son, and the father's reaction to the elder.
Starting with the younger, the beginning of the parable shows that he is bitter and angry with his father, and asks for his inheritance (essentially removing himself as his father's son). After he receives his portion, he leaves and spends it and is soon living in poverty. One of the questions asked, "was the portion when it says 'he came to his senses' a revelation of the Holy Spirit?" The was a partial yes, because it started off well. "Father I have sinned against heaven and you..." This is what was given by Holy Spirit as it shows repentance, but the younger doesn't stop there, and repeats what happened at the beginning of the parable, "I am unworthy to be called your son..." Since when does the loser (the younger) demand the terms? Just like in the beginning, he makes demands. "Give me my inheritance...", "Make me like one of your servants...". He thinks that he can redeem himself on his own, instead of waiting for the father's reaction.
I could spend the entire post on just the father, so I'll make it brief. This is the clearest portion of the parable, and the love that the father shows is tangible. Seeing how the father runs, embraces, kisses, and clothes his returned son shows how the father is willing and wanting to forgive and accept. We only need to turn to him, and confess.
Now onto the often overlooked person of this parable. The elder brother. He is commonly seen as the symbol of the scribes and pharisees that Jesus so often encountered during his ministry. We see that he stays home and works for his father, and he becomes angry when he comes and hears about the party that is being thrown for his brother that returned home.
The elder then begins to list all the ways that he is more worthy than his brother and why he deserves the party.
"But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 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. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!" (vs. 28-30) He says that he has never disobeyed his father and yet he refuses to enter the home even when the father asks, making him a liar. Then he says that he was never given a goat, but again looking at the text shows that the father, "divided his property between them." (vs. 12) In reference to what's written in Deut. 21:17 shows that the elder would receive double of what the younger receives so when the elder asks for a goat, he is greedy. All he needs to do is go and take a goat for himself. He is being ungrateful and selfish.
To finish with, Pierre then drew some parallels between this parable and our own lives. It is quite easy to go from the where the younger is, living in very visible sin and rejecting the father, to where the elder is, rejecting the father and living in hidden sin. In the same way we as Christians must be aware of how we are living; that we don't live as the younger did, with outright rebellion, nor as the elder, with his harsh and cold religiosity. We need to be careful, coming from a church background, that we don't become jealous of new believers that seem to experience God more.
The way Jesus closes the parable is a blessing for us today. "... you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours." (vs. 31) This is a promise that we should repeat to ourselves daily. That all that is God's, is ours. An amazing promise.
I hope this makes sense. I wrote it as I understood it, so please feel free to ask questions and post comments.
Many thanks and blessings.
So this past week was another great week of teaching. We took an in depth look at Luke 15, and the parable of the Prodigal Son in particular. The first thing that our speaker, Pierre, said is that the title is wrong and that it makes it so that you miss a key fact of the story. There is not one prodigal son but two, along with a father. So the proper title should be two lost sons and their father, or something like that.
The title of the week was the father heart of God, and what it looks like. We looked at the three individuals in this story; the younger son, the father's reaction to the younger, the older son, and the father's reaction to the elder.
Starting with the younger, the beginning of the parable shows that he is bitter and angry with his father, and asks for his inheritance (essentially removing himself as his father's son). After he receives his portion, he leaves and spends it and is soon living in poverty. One of the questions asked, "was the portion when it says 'he came to his senses' a revelation of the Holy Spirit?" The was a partial yes, because it started off well. "Father I have sinned against heaven and you..." This is what was given by Holy Spirit as it shows repentance, but the younger doesn't stop there, and repeats what happened at the beginning of the parable, "I am unworthy to be called your son..." Since when does the loser (the younger) demand the terms? Just like in the beginning, he makes demands. "Give me my inheritance...", "Make me like one of your servants...". He thinks that he can redeem himself on his own, instead of waiting for the father's reaction.
I could spend the entire post on just the father, so I'll make it brief. This is the clearest portion of the parable, and the love that the father shows is tangible. Seeing how the father runs, embraces, kisses, and clothes his returned son shows how the father is willing and wanting to forgive and accept. We only need to turn to him, and confess.
Now onto the often overlooked person of this parable. The elder brother. He is commonly seen as the symbol of the scribes and pharisees that Jesus so often encountered during his ministry. We see that he stays home and works for his father, and he becomes angry when he comes and hears about the party that is being thrown for his brother that returned home.
The elder then begins to list all the ways that he is more worthy than his brother and why he deserves the party.
"But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 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. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!" (vs. 28-30) He says that he has never disobeyed his father and yet he refuses to enter the home even when the father asks, making him a liar. Then he says that he was never given a goat, but again looking at the text shows that the father, "divided his property between them." (vs. 12) In reference to what's written in Deut. 21:17 shows that the elder would receive double of what the younger receives so when the elder asks for a goat, he is greedy. All he needs to do is go and take a goat for himself. He is being ungrateful and selfish.
To finish with, Pierre then drew some parallels between this parable and our own lives. It is quite easy to go from the where the younger is, living in very visible sin and rejecting the father, to where the elder is, rejecting the father and living in hidden sin. In the same way we as Christians must be aware of how we are living; that we don't live as the younger did, with outright rebellion, nor as the elder, with his harsh and cold religiosity. We need to be careful, coming from a church background, that we don't become jealous of new believers that seem to experience God more.
The way Jesus closes the parable is a blessing for us today. "... you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours." (vs. 31) This is a promise that we should repeat to ourselves daily. That all that is God's, is ours. An amazing promise.
I hope this makes sense. I wrote it as I understood it, so please feel free to ask questions and post comments.
Many thanks and blessings.
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