2004 VESPER SERVICE

The Reverend Canon Michael D.H. Farr, B.A. Lth., Grand Prior

Scripture: Exodus 2:1-10 Psalm 150 St. Luke 15:11-32

Theme: Our God is the God of New Life

In the Old Testament reading today we hear the story of the birth of the baby boy who came to be called Moses. The Pharoah or the King of Egypt was concerned about the increase in the Hebrew population. He ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill all boy children born. They ignored the King’s order and so the King ordered all newborn Hebrew boys thrown into the Nile. That is the background of the story read today. Pharoah’s daughter finds the baby in the reeds and calls the baby Moses. Moses is raised as a Prince and after growing up he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave and because of this Moses fled Egypt to the land of Midian.

In the story in St. Luke, we read of a son who demands his inheritance before his father dies, and much to our surprise and maybe the son’s surprise as well, the father liquidates half of his estate and gives it to the son who packs up, leaves home and squanders all that he has living the “ high life”. He was prodigal or extravagant with his inheritance.

We too like Moses and the son waste what we have been given. We are all capable of wasting, time, talent or abilities, opportunities, or money whether that money is earned or inherited.

The good news in the scripture is that God gives Moses a second chance. God calls Moses back from the Land of Midian to ultimately lead the Hebrews to freedom and to become the greatest Hebrew prophet. The father saw the son coming a long way off. I get the sense that the father was sitting on the front porch waiting and watching for his son to return. The father restores him to the status of “son”. It is really the father’s love that is prodigal (extravagant) enough to restore the son and give him a second chance.

The stories are about God our Heavenly Father. Since God is able to restore and use a murderer like Moses and restore the prodigal to sonship, I learn and I hope you learn, that God’s love is enough to enfold us and forgive us, wherever we have strayed. God’s love is enough to restore us to our rightful place as children of God, and to use us for His purposes of love in this world.

Our God is the God of Life
Our God is the God of the Second Chance
Our God is the God of New Life

Amen