The Prodigal Son and God's Forgiveness

Aloha! Well, it’s been a rough week for me. After leading the Daughters of the King
Quiet Day Retreat at St. Anthony Retreat Center last Saturday, I developed cold
symptoms Saturday night. I pray I didn’t spread my germs at church on Sunday! By
Sunday night it had grown into the flu with a nagging temperature and bad cough. This has been very humbling, and that fits right in to Lent! Thank you for your prayers, and thanks to Nancy Chun for filling in on Wednesday evening at our Lenten Soup and Supper gathering. I’m feeling much better now and looking forward to seeing you on Sunday!

Last Sunday, we crossed the halfway point on our journey to Holy Week, and we visited Mount Horeb with Moses, who came across a burning bush and realized he was in a holy place, in the very presence of God (Exodus 3:1-15). As a response, he removed his sandals—just as I had removed my hiking boots in that holy place at the Episcopal church camp in Georgia. We considered our own holy places, and I encourage you to find one where you sense the presence of God during Lent and spend some time there—but be sure to remove your slippas!

This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday in Lent, and we’ll consider one of the most
beautiful and beloved of Jesus’s parables: The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32).
We’ll think about what it tells us about God’s forgiveness of each of us, and what that
means for how we live our lives. (And I apologize to the Daughters of the King who
heard a version of this sermon at the Quiet Day Retreat!)

Dear sisters and brothers, I am so grateful for you! You are in my prayers, and I
ask for your prayers for St. Timothy’s Church, for our dedicated staff and our devoted
lay leaders, and for your vicar. May God bless you and your loved ones in this holy
season. 

Aloha Ke Akua!
Fr. Pete+