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What does prodigal mean?

I’ve always thought of the Biblical story of the prodigal son.  The word prodigal seemed to imply a run away, a ne’er do well, an ungrateful person.

Not so.  Prodigal is all about lavish generosity – to the point of foolishness.  The prodigal son was all about someone who spent without regard to wisdom or sensibility.

In our vocabularies, we incline towards the use of words based on current understandings, or implied ideas.  Etymology – the study of evolution of words – can often bring us to a new understanding. 

That’s what I love about the bucket of definition.  As you stir the word in the bucket, old ideas become clear and new images emerge as evolutionary sediment settles to the bottom.    And sometimes, it seems that a lightning strike to the bucket causes a new definition to emerge.

Just a bit of a thought – not an electronic bit, but a sizable bit – but then I may be a bit off on that, just in case you get bit with word fever!!

I was talking with a pastor yesterday.  Sort of a get acquainted opportunity.

We shared our backgrounds.  I’m a networker and tried to find geographic or relational connections.  There were no significant points of contact.

Other than the running theme of being/having been pastors. 

The business of pastoring connected me with a local church and congregation for many years.  Management, membership, money, and many other administrative tasks were a part of the job.

Then I retired and found that I was still connected to the church.  By people and passion, and perhaps the personality of a pastor.

I believe in Jesus.  I believe that God has swung wide a door to his living room through Jesus.  I want others to know about this opportunity.   I guess that’s why I am called a Christian.

Not all fellow pastors are as passionate or even as dogmatic as I am. 

So, back to meeting the pastor.

We came to a point in our conversation as we talked of being Christian pastors.  He outlined the “at least” question.

“Do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus?”

Spiritual leaders nowadays allow for Jesus in their worldview, but dig no deeper than good teachings.  Scratch the surface of their beliefs and if they do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus they are not Christian.  They may be moral, cooperative, nice people.  They are not Christians.

Both of us affirmed that we believed in the resurrection of Jesus.  More discussion will follow, I am sure.  And perhaps more “at least” questions.

But right now, at least, we start in the same book, while enjoying the journey of figuring out if we are on the same page!

I just finished five weeks of preaching in a town just south of us.  The church uses a “Liturgical Year” with readings for each Sunday outlined in advance.

There is something good about not pulling out your old sermons!  Each week was a new study time, a new application, and a new crowd.

Now, speaking to people you don’t know is always fun.  You watch very closely their body language, try a few new approaches (which really are just your usual way of doing things), and see what happens.

As in any communication setting, the idea is to communicate.  Not just to speak, or to expound or even to lay out three points.  You need to actually be able to chat at the back and see whether people heard what you said.

People heard my illustrations.  Seems that is the place where truth takes on clothing.  And I think they got the idea behind the story.  Some commented that they liked my short, pithy points – OK, they actually talked about being able to remember what I said because I used easy to understand words.

The group would like me back again.  If nothing else, they liked dancing in church, and singing new songs, and wondering what the preacher was going to do next!  But that’s for another blog 🙂

I challenged fellow journeyers at at Eatonia United church to write a week’s worth of thanksgiving.  The kids came back with cats and dogs, and momma and sisters.  The adults were a bit more inventive as they touched on God, provision and other topics.

Here are my thoughts for the week – I am thankful for . . .

• Jesus who makes church possible.
• church friends in Kindersley and Eatonia.
• words that describe life and that bring life to me.
• friends who will eat my soup and sandwiches.
• someone who could rhyme the word “Cynthia” in a poem.
• homegrown rhubarb that I could make into a rhubarb crisp.
• snow ????
• a new family – I now have six kids.
• For my first wife, Jill, who bequethed her body to the University so medical students could learn anatomy.
• From my second wife whose family loves puzzles, puns (not so much) and gramma buns . . . and me.