Friday, September 4, 2026
Luke 15:11-32
The Parable of the Prodigal and His Brother
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 wealth that will belong to me.’ So he divided his assets between them. 13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant region, and there he squandered his wealth in dissolute living. 14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that region, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that region, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 16 He would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to his senses 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 as 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 assets 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.’ ”
Devotion from Care Connections Network, Huntington Beach, Calif.
Feelings of isolation, loneliness and grief are common for adults as they age. This is where many of Lutheran Services in America’s (LSA) partners, such as the Care Connections Network (CCN), step in: they support older adults as they create community to address the spiritual hunger that isolation can cause, with negative effects on mental health. Specifically, CCN’s brand of accompaniment is called a “village,” where older adults can live in their homes throughout the entire aging process, remaining active, learning together and growing with their community. CCN’s ministry exists at a tension point: those who are aging may feel the impending isolation of death, yet CCN chooses to celebrate and empower the lives that older adults are living right now.
This Sunday’s Gospel text, the parable of the “Prodigal Son,” speaks to similar tensions that arise at unexpected celebrations. The parable can be broken into three acts: the younger son’s decision to ask for his inheritance early and the immediate consequences (Luke 15:11-17), his decision to return and his father’s welcome (18-24), and the older son’s angry reaction to the father’s welcome, followed by the father’s response (25-32). The first two acts center on the younger son’s decisions alone: his decision to take the inheritance, his decision to run, his decision to return and ask forgiveness. But the father’s joy in the third act has nothing to do with his younger son’s decisions. Instead the father chooses to celebrate his child’s return. He is happy for no other reason than his son being with him.
Celebrating people as members of our community gives us the power to do something miraculous. The father concludes this parable by saying, “This brother of yours was dead and has come to life” (32). The invitation to celebrate someone for their very status as a “child of God” is an invitation to resurrection. We preclude that resurrection when we predicate their worthiness to participate in community on their ability to pay for services, on their past life decisions or on their language of origin.
No doubt, this celebration is not easy. This parable asks us to do two things simultaneously: (1) recognize ourselves in the older son, as people who see the unfairness of the moment, and (2) identify with the rest of the characters in the third act, who celebrate the younger son. Because, at the end of the day, the gospel calls us to celebrate all people as beloved children of God.
In this way, CCN is a gospel organization, a ministry that, thanks in part to gifts to ELCA World Hunger, asks nothing of the people it accompanies except their continued relationship with their communities. CCN’s educational programming focuses on older adults’ desire to learn, not their knowledge deficits. From Japanese language seminars to technology tutorials, that programming celebrates older adults for their intellect and enthusiasm. By providing workshops on senior scams, CCN recognizes this population as worthy of justice. By helping older adults to stay in their homes, CCN sees them as integral to their communities — as children of God, created for their neighbor.
Reflection Questions
Make a list of the people you see throughout your week. Choose three people from that list and let them know — in person, on the phone or by text — that you are grateful for them. Celebrate your community!
Make a list of your gifts, qualities you are proud of. Acknowledge those gifts by writing one or two sentences about why they deserve to be celebrated.
Which of these two reflective practices was more difficult: celebrating yourself or celebrating others? Why do you think that is?