Your Operating System

 

The last few Sundays, we have opened our hearts to the parable of the Prodigal Family (Luke 15:11-32).  We have let this story of Jesus connect to our story.  On June 26^th, we connected to the younger son finding himself in the messy muck of life, which at times has been a place I have resided/called “home” ~ if not physically ~ certainly emotionally and spiritually.  There have been times, when like the younger son, my plotting and planning led me to a place I never intended to go.  I think about times when I have said something that wounded someone or moments I have been so laser focused on crafting/creating a career that I did not take my vacation time.  I have been there with the younger son bumping elbows with pigs, situations when I wondered, “How did I get here?!?”.  Then, there are moments I have been like the older son, adamant in my own corrected and righteousness and stubbornness.  The elder son, like the younger son who wandered away, hurt those closest to him.  I can too, when I am so concerned about getting my point across or scoring points on some does-not-exist scoreboard of life that I stomp on other’s toes.  Then, there is the lavish love of the father who goes out to BOTH the younger and older sons.  He meets both where they are.  When I let God’s grace feed and fuel my life (rather than anger or fear or pain), there is a wonderful wastefulness that is more than just being “nice” or “polite”.  I decide to let God’s love be my compass, the “why” we talked in the meditations last week, pointing me toward offering hope and healing. 

 

To me, it wasn’t only the younger son who acted prodigal-ly (although I don’t think that is a word).  Rather each person in the story was in some way reckless with resources; wastefully extravagant; and beautifully broken.  There have been countless books written and sermons preached on this parable.  Here is one quote from Rev. Timothy Keller’s book, “The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith,” “Your computer operates automatically in a default mode unless you deliberately tell it to do something else. So Luther says that even after you are converted by the gospel your heart will go back to operating on other principles unless you deliberately, repeatedly set it to gospel-mode.”  Deliberately reset your heart to gospel mode ~ not just once, but every single day.  There is an invitation for you and me today.

 

There is a bit of both sons and the father that live in each of us – each of their stories are downloaded to our mind’s operating system, but we need to reset and reaffirm the gospel operating system each day.  As you go about your day today ~ notice moments you are reading from each of these character’s scripts.  Like the younger son, I do this when I think I have it all figured out and wander away from God to do it MY way.  Like the older son, I have times when I stomp my foot demanding to be heard and cling to my certainty.  Like the father, I have moments I meet the person before me with God’s grace and love.  May that gospel mode operating system of God’s presence guide you today, help you write the script of your life each hour, and be what run in your heart each minute.  May you know peace, grace, and love today. Amen.