February 27, 2022
Scott Murray
Several weeks back I happened across a story in the Lotus Sutra (from Buddhism) which is strikingly similar to the story of the Prodigal Son in the gospel of Luke. The story moved me and it seemed to me that it would be an interesting share at the upcoming baptism. First, however, a quick refresher on Luke’s story.
A rich man has two sons. The younger asks for his inheritance immediately. Reluctantly the man gives his son his portion of the family’s wealth. The young man immediately squanders it and is reduced to a life of begging. Finally he returns to his home and asks to be taken in as a servant. The older son who has been faithful during the reprobate’s absence objects. But the father says, You will inherit everything. But, he who was lost has been found. And with that a feast is prepared to welcome the lost son back.
In the Lotus Sutra there is a very similar story. A boy becomes a teenager and steals money from his family, runs away, and proceeds to quickly squander everything he had acquired. Reduced to poverty he becomes a wandering beggar.Years pass. His father spent a long time trying to find his son but without success. However he also continues to grow richer.
Finally the boy, now a man finds himself in his home village. There he sees a procession and thinks it must be that for some royal personage. It is, of course, his father. But in his reduced state he doesn’t recognize his father. The father, however, immediately knows his son. Pretending he doesn’t know the young man is in fact is his son, the man offers his son a modest position in his entourage. He tells him, You stay and work here, do not leave again. I will increase your wages, give whatever you need, bowls, rice, wheat-flour, salt, vinegar, and so on. Be at ease in your mind; I am, as it were, like your father; do not be worried again. Why? I am old and advanced in years, but you are young and vigorous; all the time you have been working, you have never been deceitful, lazy, angry or grumbling. I have never seen you, like the other laborers, with such vices as these. From this time forth you will be as my own son."
The elder gave him a new name and called him a son. But the poor son, although he rejoiced at this happening, still thought of himself as a humble hireling. For this reason, for twenty years he continued to be employed in scavenging. After this period, there grew mutual confidence between the father and the son. He went in and out and at his ease, though his abode was still in a small hut.
Years pass and finally as the man is about to die he reveals to his son their true relationship and tells him he will inherit everything. When the poor son heard these words of his father, great was his joy at such unexpected news, and thus he thought, "Without any mind for, or effort on my part, these treasures now come to me."
Satomi/Sophia, welcome to the family!
But, you know, as I say that, I don’t think that it’s really not quite correct. That is not what those two parables are telling us. Your baptism, or any baptism, is really not an entrance rite into a family; nor is this is not an adoption ceremony. I know, Paul and John’s gospel use adoption language, that God adopts us as his children through Christ. I’m standing here now to say I don’t think that is correct. If there is one thing I would like you to carry with you on your journey is that understanding that there was never, never, any time when you were not a full (not adopted) a full child of God. Never. I can’t imagine God making the hard choice of who to adopt and who not to adopt. That would everything based on works then, don’t you think? Only the person who did such and such would stand a chance of be adopted. Doesn’t make sense does it, that the God who gives rain to the good and bad alike would also make a choice on who to adopt and not adopt? Maybe that is not the language or imagery we should be using.
How much more empowering to know, I have always been this child of the most High. I may not have always been aware of it up till now, but this rite, this washing of repentance (which means, having a new mind, a new way of seeing), is an acknowledgement of this birthright, not a receiving of it. And the same spirit which descended on Jesus at his baptism descends on you. The same spirit! You are not beneath Jesus in rank, remember this. You are along side of Jesus. You share the same birthright and so equally beloved by God.
St. Athanasius said that God, in Christ, became like us so that we might become like him. And becoming like God means becoming what YOU were meant to be. It doesn’t mean become Jesus. It means become Sophia. Walk with Jesus. Learn from Jesus, but become Satomi/Sophia. God wants to experience the world through the unique experience of Satomi. Do you remember your joy, as a parent, watching your child explore and discover the amazing world around them as they grew up? Seeing the world afresh and new through their eyes and experience? I think must be what God feels through us, every one of his children unique in their experience of life here. Oh, far out, this is how Satomi lives in the world. This is different than how Scott lives or how Megumi interacts with the world. Each is beautifully unique and each equally valuable to God’s own process of becoming.
Satomi/Sophia, many blessings for you in your journey as a child of God.
Scott Murray
Several weeks back I happened across a story in the Lotus Sutra (from Buddhism) which is strikingly similar to the story of the Prodigal Son in the gospel of Luke. The story moved me and it seemed to me that it would be an interesting share at the upcoming baptism. First, however, a quick refresher on Luke’s story.
A rich man has two sons. The younger asks for his inheritance immediately. Reluctantly the man gives his son his portion of the family’s wealth. The young man immediately squanders it and is reduced to a life of begging. Finally he returns to his home and asks to be taken in as a servant. The older son who has been faithful during the reprobate’s absence objects. But the father says, You will inherit everything. But, he who was lost has been found. And with that a feast is prepared to welcome the lost son back.
In the Lotus Sutra there is a very similar story. A boy becomes a teenager and steals money from his family, runs away, and proceeds to quickly squander everything he had acquired. Reduced to poverty he becomes a wandering beggar.Years pass. His father spent a long time trying to find his son but without success. However he also continues to grow richer.
Finally the boy, now a man finds himself in his home village. There he sees a procession and thinks it must be that for some royal personage. It is, of course, his father. But in his reduced state he doesn’t recognize his father. The father, however, immediately knows his son. Pretending he doesn’t know the young man is in fact is his son, the man offers his son a modest position in his entourage. He tells him, You stay and work here, do not leave again. I will increase your wages, give whatever you need, bowls, rice, wheat-flour, salt, vinegar, and so on. Be at ease in your mind; I am, as it were, like your father; do not be worried again. Why? I am old and advanced in years, but you are young and vigorous; all the time you have been working, you have never been deceitful, lazy, angry or grumbling. I have never seen you, like the other laborers, with such vices as these. From this time forth you will be as my own son."
The elder gave him a new name and called him a son. But the poor son, although he rejoiced at this happening, still thought of himself as a humble hireling. For this reason, for twenty years he continued to be employed in scavenging. After this period, there grew mutual confidence between the father and the son. He went in and out and at his ease, though his abode was still in a small hut.
Years pass and finally as the man is about to die he reveals to his son their true relationship and tells him he will inherit everything. When the poor son heard these words of his father, great was his joy at such unexpected news, and thus he thought, "Without any mind for, or effort on my part, these treasures now come to me."
Satomi/Sophia, welcome to the family!
But, you know, as I say that, I don’t think that it’s really not quite correct. That is not what those two parables are telling us. Your baptism, or any baptism, is really not an entrance rite into a family; nor is this is not an adoption ceremony. I know, Paul and John’s gospel use adoption language, that God adopts us as his children through Christ. I’m standing here now to say I don’t think that is correct. If there is one thing I would like you to carry with you on your journey is that understanding that there was never, never, any time when you were not a full (not adopted) a full child of God. Never. I can’t imagine God making the hard choice of who to adopt and who not to adopt. That would everything based on works then, don’t you think? Only the person who did such and such would stand a chance of be adopted. Doesn’t make sense does it, that the God who gives rain to the good and bad alike would also make a choice on who to adopt and not adopt? Maybe that is not the language or imagery we should be using.
How much more empowering to know, I have always been this child of the most High. I may not have always been aware of it up till now, but this rite, this washing of repentance (which means, having a new mind, a new way of seeing), is an acknowledgement of this birthright, not a receiving of it. And the same spirit which descended on Jesus at his baptism descends on you. The same spirit! You are not beneath Jesus in rank, remember this. You are along side of Jesus. You share the same birthright and so equally beloved by God.
St. Athanasius said that God, in Christ, became like us so that we might become like him. And becoming like God means becoming what YOU were meant to be. It doesn’t mean become Jesus. It means become Sophia. Walk with Jesus. Learn from Jesus, but become Satomi/Sophia. God wants to experience the world through the unique experience of Satomi. Do you remember your joy, as a parent, watching your child explore and discover the amazing world around them as they grew up? Seeing the world afresh and new through their eyes and experience? I think must be what God feels through us, every one of his children unique in their experience of life here. Oh, far out, this is how Satomi lives in the world. This is different than how Scott lives or how Megumi interacts with the world. Each is beautifully unique and each equally valuable to God’s own process of becoming.
Satomi/Sophia, many blessings for you in your journey as a child of God.