Homily for Trinity 3

The father reaches for (his) robe to put on his son.

After a couple of years of preaching on Luke 15:1-10 for the Third Sunday after Trinity, I thought it was about time to use the alternate Gospel, Luke 15:11-32, "The Parable of the Prodigal Father." Yes, you read that correctly! Thanks to Kenneth Bailey's writings on this parable and the cultural context in which it was given, the father in Jesus' parable sure seems to be quite "prodigal"--no, not "wandering," but rather "wasteful" or "recklessly extravagant"--quite a bit more prodigal than the younger son. What a perfect way for our Lord Jesus to teach and proclaim that our Father in heaven is quite prodigal in His mercy and forgiveness for us, and all because of the Son's dying and rising for us.

To listen to "The Prodigal Father," just click on this link and download the audio file.