"You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me." (John 12:8)

It's the season of Lent and the Prime Timers are following the Revised Common Lectionary. Why not spend some of your forty days with us? You are invited to join us in the Parlor near the church offices, each Sunday after the 9:00am service, 10:15am to 11:00.

The Prodigal Son

Jesus parable of the Prodigal son is a rich subject for art. Here are some examples.

The Wayfarer, by Hieronymus Bosch, Oil on panel at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam.

The Prodigal Son by Albrecht Dürer, 1496, engraving.

The Prodigal Son at the Tavern, by Rembrandt, 1635, Oil on Canvas at the Gemäldegalerie, Dresden.

Prime Timers Celebrate Good News

We celebrate our members Good News at Prime Timers with a $1 contribution to Henny Penny, our Good News chicken. Periodically Henny donates the money she collects to a charity, currently the Amistad Mission in Bolivia. George is nearing his 80th birthday and owns some farm property that needed a lot of work due to the drought last year. All of his sons and grandsons got together and gave him the gift of labor, helping out at the farm. Sue gave thanks for the fourteen people, including some men (Sue tells us this is unusual in itself) who showed up at Hampton House for the service she conducts each Sunday, using the St. Martin's guide.

Dinner with the Prime Timers

Every month we go to a local restaurant and this month is a special St. Patrick's Day celebration at Masraff's. It's at 1025 South Post Oak Lane, right around the corner from the church, (713) 355-1975. So get your green and Erin Go Bragh and call Lynn Swaffar at (281) 495-3832 to let her know you are coming.

Camp Good News

PrimeTimers is participating in an outreach project with Camp Good News, a camp for children who have a parent in prison. The outreach project will be writing letters or cards of encouragement or inspiration to these children who receive very little mail. The camp session is the first part of June and more information will be forthcoming. Click on the Camp Good News name for more information about this organization.

The Lost Son

Carol Hartland led the Prime Timers today in our Lectionary based class on Jesus' parable of the Lost Son. The story illustrates the unbounded mercy of God, and as our Study Guide points out, is the culmination of three parables, the lost sheep (Luke 15:1-7), the lost coin (Luke 15:8-10) and now the lost son. The younger son seems to be getting the better part of the deal as his father gives him the best robe, a ring and "the fatted calf" on his return. Carol mentioned four other stories in the Bible where the younger son appears to be better: Cain and Abel, (Genesis 4:1-8) where the younger son Abel is murdered by his brother; Ishmael and Isaac (Genesis chapters 16-25) Isaac is the younger son and Ishmael, "a wild donkey of a man", (Genesis 16:12) is actually a son by the maidservant Hagar; Ephraim and Manasseh, (Genesis 48:1-20) where even though Manasseh is the elder son Ephraim is given the blessing of the first born by Joseph because Jacob forsees Ephraim being the greater son; and Jacob and Esau in Genesis 25:19-34, (and continuing in Genesis) with Esau the eldest and a wild man, and Jacob the favored younger son and scholar.

This is the only use of the word prodigal in the Bible, and Rev. Fields on his Wednesday service pointed out that the while the word can mean profuse or wasteful, or recklessly spendthrift it can also mean yielding abundantly. Many people confuse prodigal and prodigy, but they couldn't be further apart!

As an example of the the returning son, the class agreed that it is just about all our stories, but there is none better than the story of John Newton (1725–1807), who wrote the hymn "Amazing Grace." Click the song title for more details but this is the story of a slave trader who becomes an Anglican minister and goes on to work with William Wilberforce, the member of the British parliament instrumental in banning slavery in England.

While it is easy to understand the feelings of the elder son in the story, George pointed out that while the elder son professes to obey the fathers commands, if you treat the father as God the son is disobeying the Ten Commandments by not honoring the father's wishes. George also mentioned how as a father he understands the father's love for his child. He gave the example of the seven year old who accidentally burns down the barn. While as parents you would be upset, your love of the child will keep you from doing anything rash.

When we appreciate the elder son's concerns we illustrate how God's ways are different that ours. God is forgiving and it is our lesson to understand this forgiveness. While God loves us unconditionally, we have trouble with the concept of unconditional love.

The conversation turned to the subject of immigration, perhaps due to the tough economy and immigration "reform" or lack of that forces many immigrants to return home. We heard an example of appalling treatment of one of our members at the border. This is a very charged subject, lets leave it by pointing out that the system is broken.

Carol asked us to consider the feelings of the three characters in the story at different times as the story progresses. All are profoundly changed by the events, although we have to fill in the change in the elder son, as it is not spelled out in the scripture.

Carol concluded class with a short prayer.

The Readings for Sunday,March 21st are from Lectionary Year Three, Lent 5-C, "Extravagant Love"

The Readings for this week are Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:4b-14 and John 12:1-8. The text is from the New International Version.

Isaiah 43:16-21

¹⁶ This is what the LORD says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,

¹⁷ who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:

¹⁸ "Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.

¹⁹ See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.

²⁰ The wild animals honor me,
the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the desert
and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,

²¹ the people I formed for myself
that they may proclaim my praise.

Psalm 126

¹ When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion,
we were like men who dreamed.

² Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."

³ The LORD has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.

⁴ Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like streams in the Negev.

⁵ Those who sow in tears
will reap with songs of joy.

⁶ He who goes out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with him.

Philippians 3:4b-14

⁴...If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.

⁷But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. ¹⁰I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

¹²Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

John 12:1-8

¹Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. ²Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. ³Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

⁴But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, ⁵"Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." ⁶He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

⁷"Leave her alone," Jesus replied. " It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. ⁸You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."

NIV