First Presbyterian Church, Grand Junction, CO
November 16, 2008
Tom Hansen, Pastor

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“Hide-N-Seek: Finally Being Found”

Luke 15:11-32

Luke 15:11 Then Jesus* said, ‘There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.” So he divided his property between them. 13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and travelled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. 14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 16 He would gladly have filled himself with* the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself he said, “How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.’ ” 20 So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. 21 Then the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”* 22 But the father said to his slaves, “Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!” And they began to celebrate.
25 ‘Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. 27 He replied, “Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.” 28 Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. 29 But he answered his father, “Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!” 31 Then the father* said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.”

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For the last several weeks we have been talking about this silly little game we play called Hide-N-Seek.  Now the version that we played (or still play) as children is a harmless tradition,  but the rendition of Hide-N-Seek we play with God and others (and even ourselves) is a disaster waiting to happen, and it leads to isolation, desperation, and dis-integration.  We’ve addressed some, but not all of what we hide from, as well as the things we hide.  We hide from God, our sin, the truth, our callings, family issues and dysfunction, and our fears.  We also tend to hide (or bury) our time, talent and treasure.  The question is never, IF any of us hide.  A.W. Tozier once said, (SLIDE)  “There is hardly a man or woman who dares to be just what he or she is without doctoring up the impression.  The fear of being found out gnaws like rodents within their hearts.”  The real question is:  How much longer are we going to stay in our hiding places?  Early on in the sermon series I received a poem from someone in our church family.  Can you can relate to any of it?  (SLIDE)

Questions From the Depths

How long can I hide myself?  From God?  From others?  From myself?

Can God find me if I keep my eyes and heart closed? 

Can others find me if I keep my mouth closed?

Can I find myself if I keep my mind closed?  Why am I hiding?  What am I afraid of?

Am I scared God will condemn me forever?

That others won’t like me if they get to know me?

That I won’t like what I find deep inside myself?

How long will I grope in the darkness for answers?

How can I get the courage to open my eyes and heart and seek help?

I pray that God has been helping each of us find the courage to respond to His loving and friendly cry of Ollie-Ollie-oxen free!  (All ye, all ye, all come free!)  God wants us to ‘Finally Be Found.’  As Jesus said after visiting with Zacchaeus, (SLIDE) “The Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”  (Luke 19:10)

One of the most well-known biblical stories is the story of the Prodigal Son at the end of Luke 15.  In the three stories of Luke 15, Jesus gives us a picture of this incredible Father who rejoices when that which has been hidden comes to light, and those who have been running away come back home.  I’m not going to read the story from Luke’s gospel today.  Instead I’m going to invite you to listen and look.  Now remember, the first part of the Prodigal Son story is heartbreaking and disconcerting.  If you feel like the music in the first half of this video is driving you crazy, that’s the effect Jesus wanted His hearers to have as they listened.

Show Video of Modern Day Prodigal Son

A pastor was on a return flight from a conference when the first signs of turbulence emerged.  The ‘fasten your seat belt’ sign came on and an announcement was made that the beverage service would need to stop.  As the pastor looked around the aircraft, he could see the anxiety on people’s faces.

A few minutes later, the stewardess gave an update which included the fact that the meal would not be served.  “The center of the storm is still ahead of us,” she said.  And then it hit.  The cracks of thunder could be heard over the roar of the engines.  Lightning flashed around them as they were tossed to and fro.  The pastor now shared everyone’s anxiety.  He began to worry. 

But in the midst of the chaos he noticed a girl who looked to be about 10-11 years old.  For the most part she didn’t look worried.  She kept reading her book with her legs curled up underneath her.  Everything in her world seemed calm and orderly.  The pastor could hardly believe his eyes.

When the plane finally made it through the worst of it, and ultimately landed (to the applause of everyone), the pastor made a point of approaching the girl and commending her for her courage.  He asked her why it was that she didn’t seem the least bit afraid, to which she replied, “ ‘Cause my daddy’s the pilot, and he promised he’d bring me home.”

Do you believe that God’s ultimate desire is to ‘bring you home’?

Or do you think that He enjoys making your life one, big, bumpy ride?

            If you were the Prodigal Son/Daughter in the story, do you think He’d embrace you and            throw you a party, or chew you out and read you the riot act before opening the door?

How we see God affects how we relate to Him, which – in turn – affects how we relate to others.

If we feel like we have to hide from God, we’ll probably also feel like we have to hide from others.

Jesus knew that His followers needed a clearer picture of His Heavenly Father.  The people had too much baggage from their own parents, the priests and rabbis who represented God, and some of the stories from the Old Testament that show YHWH’s sterner side.  But what we get here in Luke 15 is a wonderful and surprising story about a Father who is more excited about celebrating his “found” son, than givin’ his boy a whoopin’ or lecturing him about fiscal responsibility and parental respect.  God is way more interested in welcoming us home than sending us to our rooms, or to ‘timeout’ or to the woodshed.  He may have a serious concern about the way we live, but more than anything, God wants us to live with Him – at home in His presence.

Is this the picture you have of God?

For the last several Wednesdays, Paul Lessard and I and about 25 others from the church have been talking about God and a book called The Shack.  And it’s been a wonderful experience.  If you haven’t read the book, I encourage you to do so – regardless of what the critics say. 

In a very unique way The Shack reminds us what God is like.  He’s not like the “Big Brother” that George Orwell (in 1984) tells us is always watching us to see if we mess up.  He’s very different.  He is Love through and through!

Speaking of big brother – there is another form of hiding that happens at the end of this story in Luke 15.  The older brother stays away from the party, and hides in his spiritual smugness.  The sin of pride and the façade of “having it all together” and doing everything right has disconnected him from both his father and brother.  He doesn’t see his brother for who he is (in speaking with his dad he only refers to him as “your son”).  But the father reminds him “ ‘your brother’ has been found.”  He is reminded that they are part of the same family.  In this Father’s family, a beloved son or daughter is always a beloved son or daughter – even if they’ve runaway and hid.

In Philip Yancey’s book What’s So Amazing About Grace?, he tells the story about a teenage girl who grew up on a cherry orchard in Traverse City, Michigan.  In her mind, her parents are way too old-fashioned.  When they come down on her for her nose ring and rebellious attitude, she decides to run off to Detroit and see the big city for herself.  She’s only been there once – with her church youth group – to see a Tigers baseball game.  Now she’s all alone.

But she quickly meets a man much older who takes her in, gives her pills that make her feel better than she’s ever felt, and shows her what men like.  For almost a year, she enjoys the good life in the penthouse he puts her up in.  Other than seeing her picture on the back of a milk carton once, she almost forgets her former life.  But then she gets sick and the man who took such good care of her throws her out on the street.  Left to fend for herself, she continues to turn tricks to support her drug habit and learns to survive.

But one night, while she’s sleeping over the grate of a department store, it dawns on her that she doesn’t like being a woman of the world – she’s still a little girl.  In the cold of the night, with the pang of hunger in her stomach, she has a single memory of her golden retriever chasing a tennis ball through the rows and rows of blossomy cherry trees in their orchard.

“God,” she prays, “why did I leave?  My dog back home eats better than I do.”  And in that moment, she knows it’s time to go home.  She makes three straight phone calls to her parents, but there’s no answer.  After hanging up the first two times, she decides to leave a message: “Dad, mom, it’s me.  I was wondering about maybe coming home.  I’m catching a bus up your way, and it’ll get there about midnight tomorrow.  If you’re not there, well, I guess I’ll just stay on the bus until it hits Canada.”

On the seven hour ride back to Traverse City she realizes the flaws in her plan.  What if they aren’t home and don’t get the message?  She should’ve waited another day or so until she could talk to them.  They probably have given her up for dead by now.  She should have given them more time to get over the shock. 

Her thoughts bounce back and forth between these worries and the speech she’s preparing for her father.  “Dad, I’m sorry.  I know I was wrong.  It’s not your fault; it’s all mine.  Dad, can you forgive me.”  As tiny snowflakes pass by out the window she sees a sign that tells her she’s only miles away.  When the bus finally rolls into the station, the driver announces in a crackly voice, “Fifteen minutes, folks.  That’s all we have.”  Fifteen minutes to decide her life.  She walks into the terminal not knowing what to expect.

“Not one of the thousand scenes that have played out in her mind prepare her for what she sees.  There in the concrete-walls-and-plastic-chairs bus terminal in Traverse City, Michigan, stands a group of forty brothers and sisters and great-aunts and uncles and cousins and a grandmother and great-grandmother to boot.  They’re all wearing goofy party hats and blowing noise-makers, and taped across the entire wall of the terminal is a banner that reads “Welcome Home!”  Out of the crowd of well-wishers breaks her dad.  She stares out through tears quivering in her eyes like hot mercury and begins her memorized speech, “Dad, I’m sorry.  I know . . . .”  He interrupts her.  “Hush, child.  We’ve got no time for that.  No time for apologies.  You’ll be late for the party.  A banquet’s waiting for you at home.”

(For a complete version of the story, see pages 49-51 in What’s So Amazing About Grace?)

She’s finally found!  And that’s what Jesus tells us His Father is like.

With a Father like that, there’s never a need to hide.  Shame, sin, the hard truths about ourselves, our past, our family, and our fears; none of these are good reasons to hide.  Nothing that’s been given to us by this Father is worth holding back, and nothing we’ve earned ‘on our own’ is worth holding on to if He needs it for His Kingdom work.  The Father that Jesus introduces us to is different than all the rest of our fathers. 

And, no matter where we hide or why we hide, it turns out this Father’s there too.  As we’ve learned from Psalm 139 over these last several weeks, this Father “knows everything about us.” (v.1)   “We can never escape His Spirit.” (v.7)   “Even the darkness cannot hide us.” (v.12)   And, whether you believe it or not, this Father’s crazy in love with you. 

If you already know this Father, I want to call you to a deeper intimacy with Him.  There’s still so much of His love for us to discover.  If you feel like you’ve been hiding from this Father for a long time, please know that He’s calling you home.  And if you’re here this morning and you would say that you are maybe on your way home – that you’re seeking after God – you need to know that this Father’s already on His way out to greet you.

Blaise Pascal once said, (SLIDE) “When we begin to seek after God it is because God has already found us.”

We don’t have to hide.  Ollie-Ollie-oxen-free!  (Have everyone repeat it.)