Welcoming Home the Prodigal Son

Covenant of Hope Ministries Sunday Sermon_5_18_2014

Good afternoon, and welcome to this Sunday Sermon for Covenant of Hope Ministries. I am Rev. Laura A. Neff. The ministry knows me as the Rainbow Minister. Find us posted on Sundays and studies on Wednesday. Our locations are online only:

Main Site: http://covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com/

Rev. Laura’s Other Sites: Facebook & Twitter & Google+ & Blogspot

Our Main Video Feed: Covenant_of_Hope

We have email (instant messenger if you need me) through Facebook every day. These are now extremely variable. We’re still working this out between the two of us as to what will happen, our Elder, Cal Jennings and I. I will inform you further regarding changes. These changes were made due to health reasons. The sermon length has shortened dramatically. We are unsure as to when there might be video presentations.

Prayer List: We have many on our prayer list. Some wish to remain anonymous, and others only wish to have their first names mentioned. Our prayer list has grown from last week. This is our current prayer list for this week.

- Please keep Elder Cal Jennings in your prayers as he is very sick and spends most days in bed unable to move due to his illness. Pray that answers come and his ability to share would be regained.

- Please pray for my friend Teresa’s sister who is in stage four cancer. Please also keep Teresa and her daughter in prayer for their current situation as it weighs down on them both quite heavily.

- Please keep others known by any of us up in prayer for whatever they might need.

- Please keep my friend Heather in prayer for patience and safe haven.

- Let us keep another friend, Jeff, and his family in prayer after a disappointment that has them searching for answers.

- Please keep my whole family in prayer for the pain, suffering, and chaos we are going through. Pray that two of the potential lights at the end of our tunnel bring bright and brilliant light proving hope and faith are true gifts of God’s everlasting and unconditional love.

- Pray that the adversity and the pain we have seen around the world would be relieved, and swept away. May we find common ground in many ways, even if we start with just one step.

- Remember those who have been lost either violently or peacefully this week.

- Keep the ministry in your thoughts, each member, no matter their location, their circumstances, because a group of friends, a ministry, should support one another.

- There are many in our ministry who are searching for more in regard to our presence with my health, and with the health of others. We pray that there would be health found once more, and that we have answers to all and for all.

Prayer: Father in heaven, we thank You for this day and for these who are here to share it with us. Help us to remember that Your love is always around us, within us, and given to us. We bring so many up to you in prayer. Those who have been oppressed, let them be free. Those who are imprisoned, let their chains be broken and the doors opened wide. Let those who are in pain and sorrow lean in Your everlasting arms. Bring those who have been lost but are found back into Your embrace as unconditional love lives forever. We ask these things in Your Holy Name through Jesus Christ our Savior in the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.

Opening Song: Amazing Grace http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDDlxmsciqY

Sermon: I woke up this morning, very early, realizing I’d forgotten something. I had lost something and would need it later in the week. It was as I located that missing piece when I realized God had just given me the whole sermon for this day. He did so in another view of the lost and then found. That viewpoint was brought in a parable spoken of by Jesus Christ our Savior. Let us look at the parable of the Prodigal Son.

Luke 15:11-32 NASB – And He said, “A man had two sons. 

The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them. 

And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. 

Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. 

So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 

And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. 

But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!

I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; 

I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”’ 

So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 

And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 

But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; 

and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 

for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.

“Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 

And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. 

And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’

But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and beganpleading with him. 

But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; 

but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ 

And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. 

But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’”

A long time ago I felt as though I were the prodigal son in female form. I had gone through some very bad experiences and then went home because of them, finances, health, education, and more all for nothing. That’s what it seemed to be. I had gone through all the money I had, not because I wanted to do so, but because other things just to survive had caused it to be such. I suffered a broken arm during this time. My education thus became as much a burden as the arm.

I felt a failure because the broken arm had me trying to do everything I was supposed to be, without enough ability to do so. At the time I was an art major. Imagine carrying a huge canvas on your own in the wind, with one arm in a sling. Then imagine attempting to paint while keeping your arm out of the way. It is no easy feat. The prodigal son felt as though he was becoming worthless, hungry, even willing to eat the food he was feeding the pigs. He was in rags, in pain, hungry from the lack of food, before he realized what his stubborn pride had gotten him.

Then, once he really thought about it, he realized he had to go home. Now, there are many in this world who have been homesick. In his case, that’s exactly what happened. He knew at home there would be someone there to lean on. There would be laughter, and love, and more. Then we see the younger son angry at the fact that they were making merry, first without him, and second with the son who had taken half of everything only to waste it.

Is this starting to sound familiar? Do we happen to remember the story of Cain and Abel? They too were brothers. Only a few differences could be noted between them. First, the older was jealous of the younger in the case of Cain. Second, the reason wasn’t because Abel took the wealth, but because he brought it home. The prodigal son was restless, unwilling to listen and hear, wanting more than what was due and what could be found within his father’s house. The younger son wanted to stay. He did so because he believed in the strength of his father.

So, what happens when you listen at last? You bring your faith back into your heart. Did any of us do so after we were devastated in one way or another? Many of us have suffered multiple episodes of devastation. Financial, physical, mental, and emotional, many of us have seen all of them. What did I do? I came home. I went back to school, a different school. I thrived. Then I met my husband, married, and moved on. I found God’s love, just as the prodigal son did. He found his love because he was lost, but then was found. There is a very familiar hymn that speaks of being lost, and then being found again. On those days when we feel lost, let us remember that there is always someone to talk to. Not only will that someone listen, they will hear. His name is God, who listens through the Son, and hears through the Holy Spirit. Now that’s something to think about as we pray in the prayer Jesus taught us saying: After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13 KJV)

Closing Song: Song Of Joy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gxio54dWfX4

~Shalom~

Rev. Laura A. Neff ~ The Rainbow Minister Facebook & Twitter & Google+ & Blogspot

Calvin Jennings ~ Elder Facebook & Twitter & Blogster

Covenant of Hope Ministries

Main Site: http://covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com/

Our Main Video Feed: Covenant_of_Hope

Scripture Excerpts: The New Open Bible Study Edition:Copyright © 1990: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.

Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © 1982: E. E. Gaddy and Associates, Inc.

Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © circa 1890-1910: International Bible Press,The John C. Winston Co.; Philadelphia, PA., USA

Sermon or Study Copyright © 2012 http://covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com/

Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries and Poetic-Expressions is not to exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is created through fear together as the rainbow in the darkness.