March 28, 2025 • 21 mins
Empathy is not just about intellect. Empathy is about putting flesh on Christian ideals. It's about compassion enough for everyone. The story of The Prodigal Son is one of Jesus' parables thats reaches beyond the Christian faith. In the story, Jesus stretches empathy wide for everyone involved.
In this episode, Melissa and Bishop Wright have a conversation about empathy, focusing on the story of The Prodigal Son. Using the story as inspiration, they discuss how God calls us to make community from the very things that cause divide. In the words of Bishop Wright, this is perhaps the best story Jesus ever told. Listen in for the full conversation.
This episode is based on part 4 of Bishop Wright's 5-part Lenten series "Growing Up in Christ!". Learn more about this year's series, watch the weekly videos, and download the reflection guides here.
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Bishop Wright (00:00):
Jesus stretching everybody in this story wide
with empathy.
I think that was his actualpoint.
You know, this is the storythat I would have to say that,
over my 61 years, has continuedto live with me.
Empathy is not just aboutintellect.
Empathy is about putting fleshon Christian ideals.
(00:20):
It's about compassion enoughfor everybody.
That's what makes this storyperhaps the best story Jesus
ever told.
Melissa (00:40):
Welcome to For People with Bishop Rob Wright, I'm
Melissa Rau and, over the courseof this season of Lent, bishop
and I are having conversationsbased on Growing Up in Christ, a
Lenten curriculum and videoseries produced by the Episcopal
Diocese of Atlanta.
You can access the videos andaccompanying material at www.
episcopalatlanta.
org.
(01:00):
These resources are perfect foryour individual Lenten devotion
or small group study.
So week four in your Growing Upin Christ series is titled
Empathy and it's based off ofMatthew 22, when we're reviewing
(01:21):
the great commandments ofloving God and loving neighbor.
There's also prodigal son themein here for this week of Lent.
Bishop Wright (01:39):
Oh goodness, Well , I mean, you know there's the
Webster's definition, but Ireally just understand empathy
as being able to understand andcome close to how people are
feeling as they travel.
You know the contours of life.
Right, it's, it's, it's.
It's an experience sort ofbased.
(02:01):
It's not just intellectual, butit's an experience, authentic
understanding of what the painsin life are.
St Paul says we ought to beable to weep with those who weep
and rejoice with those whorejoice.
So empathy is really aboutbeing fully human right.
Melissa (02:20):
So, bishop, you say in your reflection that empathy is
the capacity to imagine whatsomeone else might be thinking
or feeling, and when I think ofthat, I think of like taking the
time to go upstream and ask thequestion why?
Bishop Wright (02:33):
Yeah.
Melissa (02:34):
Yeah, so Christian maturity and empathy.
How do you feel like empathy?
It comes out in the greatestcommandment is to love God and
love neighbor.
Where does empathy come intoplay with that?
Bishop Wright (02:46):
Well, I mean, it's what helps me to do that
right, it's what helps me tolove neighbor as self, is that,
as I understand the contours ofmy heart's desire, my wants, my
needs, my pains, that puts mecloser to you.
I don't have to project on you,but it does give me some data
about what it must be like to.
You know, I have a house, I havea roof over my head, I have
(03:08):
food for my belly, and so,because I have those privileges
and gifts, it's not hard for meto imagine what the lack of that
must be like, what the hardshipof that must be like, and it
pains me to think about peoplewho don't have the things that
(03:29):
we, so many of us, just sort oftake for granted.
And so I think, you know,empathy can come out of a deep
appreciation of the benefits oflife that we enjoy and then
begin to appreciate the lack ofwhat that must be like, right?
I mean, I think that God isalways calling us down into
humanity at its fullestexpression.
And so if I enjoy the benefitof all these things, then,
(03:53):
conversely, maybe I can have adeep appreciation of the lack of
those things and then maybe Ican move towards my neighbor, at
least in understanding that andhopefully in trying to relieve
some of that burden.
Melissa (04:04):
Yeah, that, and hopefully in trying to relieve
some of that burden.
Yeah, I love this quote.
The takeaway is there is nogodly reality that permits our
indifference to our neighbor'swell-being.
That is a huge, bold statement.
And, bishop, I just went to ademonstration standing up for
immigrant rights and I'm shockedat the level of vitriol from
(04:28):
professed Jesus followers forimmigration rights in America.
And to me, it's just an empathything.
Right, it's not about legality,it's about a person, and so I
don't know how you see it comingout, but it's like bold and I
can't help but feel criticaltoward people who maybe practice
(04:53):
empathy in a different way tobe, you know, sort of impacted
by our empathy, right.
Bishop Wright (05:07):
And so I think we can, you know, in this
particular issue, as I've saidbefore, I think we can maintain
strong borders and deportdangerous criminals and, at the
same time, treat people withdignity and, at the same time,
be creative in organizingsomething like work permits for
people who can work and meet ourlabor shortages, et cetera.
I think what you know, the waythe debate goes around
immigration right nowdemonstrates a profound lack of
(05:30):
imagination and sort of aresentful and aggressive, you
know, sort of you know approach.
I think we're better than that.
I think you know how thisechoes in this story that we're
looking at today.
The prodigal son story here isthat you know the older brother
who doesn't run off, who staysand is dutiful, right, he feels
(05:54):
like part of his entitlement,right is indifference or even
contempt for his brother and hisfather.
You know we call him the lovingfather.
His father is really trying tochip away at this sort of
calcified, you know, enmity thathe has for his brother.
(06:18):
I mean, you know we understandhurt feelings, we understand
that legitimacy, but it seemslike the father is working on
something more.
You know, it's interesting thatthe older brother says your son
.
Melissa (06:32):
He doesn't say my brother.
Right.
Bishop Wright (06:35):
And I think you see this showing up in the way
that we're talking about others.
You know those people ratherthan our siblings.
You know it's interesting inthe Bible that you know, as
Israel is coming into its own, anew nation state, et cetera you
know they are reminded.
Remember that your ancestorswas a wandering Aramean.
(07:00):
In other words, remember thattime when you were vulnerable,
that time when you didn't haveenough food, that time when
everything wasn't sorted out.
Remember how vulnerable youwere.
Remember that God was your onlyhope.
Remember when you were refugees.
You know, in the Pope's letterto the US bishops some time back
(07:21):
, he reminded us that Jesus,joseph and Mary were refugees.
And so I think we can thread theneedle between law and
legislation that makes sense andwhat can make us truly great as
(07:42):
a nation, and that is ourChristian heritage, and part of
Christian heritage is empathy.
If there's no empathy, then theChristian heritage is a fraud,
right, and so we've got to, Ithink, seriously, look at this
and this story.
You know, the sort of takeawayin this story, for me at least,
(08:04):
is is that you know it'sabounding in empathy.
It's, uh, it's the empathy thatthe son who ran away and now
comes home finally, afterabusing it, finally understands
that his father has tried to beempathetic to him and now he
wants to come home and depend onhis father's empathy right.
Melissa (08:26):
And so, where does lack of imagination, or how does
imagination complement empathy?
Bishop.
Bishop Wright (08:35):
Well, I mean, what do we say with one another?
I can't imagine what it must belike to have a child who has
cancer.
I can't imagine what it's liketo not have enough food for my
family.
I can't imagine what it's liketo not have healthcare.
I mean, we're talking in termsof imagination, right?
And so I think that thisneighborliness that Jesus
(08:57):
teaches us in this story, andthis imagination that Jesus is
asking us to bring to the ideaof repair a profound family riff
, I mean, it's all aboutimagination.
And so I think part of livingand loving God is about offering
God our imagination, sort ofsubmit to God, our hermetically
(09:25):
sealed conclusions aboutourselves, about other people
and about the way the worldshould be, rather than to seek
God's counsel and say God, letme just put that to the side for
a second.
Let me just de-center myselfand wonder with you about what
is your preferred way for us tobe human community.
(09:45):
And I think that is also partof worship, right Worship being.
You know, god first, right?
So if God is first and God hassome ideas about how we ought to
be together.
And so here we are at thisintersection again with you know
, am I?
You know if I'm an Americancitizen.
(10:06):
If I'm, am I an AmericanChristian or I'm a Christian who
happens to be American?
You know, where is my ultimateallegiance right, where is my
first order of loyalty?
And I think this is what Jesusis working on resisting, you
know, with these stories, youknow our default, you know, in
(10:27):
putting him in boxes that reallyare largely unimaginative,
right, and he is persisting withthis.
You know, sort of dangerousoddness that he brings to things
, this persistent gentleboldness that he brings to
things, especially these storiesabout how life could be.
(10:47):
But what we've got to do is, youknow, and let me confess, what
we've got to do is we have tolet these stories erode our
pride.
I mean, because there's pridealso in this prodigal son story.
It's the sons, the older son'spride, sons, the older son's
(11:08):
pride, it's the younger son'spride and asking for his
inheritance and then traipsingoff, you know, to the nightclub
and to God knows what, andultimately I would say it's the
father's pride at the end,because he has to hear from the
son who stayed the ways in whichthis father, as loving as he is
, has missed the mark right tohis son, his eldest son, who
(11:32):
stayed.
And so it's all about empathy.
It's about empathy erodingpride, right, and it's about,
you know, and it's about growthand you know, and I think that's
why it's a really goodreflection, you know, for it's
about growth and you know, and Ithink that's why it's it's a
really good reflection, you know, for for Lent this year.
Melissa (12:15):
Yeah, well, when I think of the word you said it a
number of times.
You said the word remember andI haven't done a word study, but
I know enough that re means youknow again, right, and I like
the member part like re-member.
To me, that's all aboutwholeness is becoming whole
(12:39):
again and remembering re-memberas in like putting back together
again and keeping things real.
So when we talk about community, when we're a member of a
community, we're honoring oneanother, and so I don't know
where that goes, bishop.
But I feel like wholenessmatters here, and sometimes I
think in our pride, in the waythat our ego rears its other
(12:59):
ugly head and that we want tostand out from the crowd, we
often forget that we are justone of another.
Bishop Wright (13:08):
Well, remember, the Bible tells, I mean the
Bible says, again and again youknow that the versions of
wholeness that we are willing toaccept are terribly inferior to
the invitation to wholenessthat God holds out right.
And so we are always willing tosettle for a lot less than God
(13:34):
is inviting us, you know,towards.
You know, we're willing tosettle because of pride,
sometimes because of lack offaith, sometimes because of lack
of faith, sometimes because oflack of courage, sometimes
because of blindness.
We're always willing to acceptsome sort of Spartan notion of
(13:55):
life.
And here's God holding outthese stories to us in the
person of Jesus, saying you know, there's repair that's
available to you, but it doeshave a cost.
You know, the father sees theyoung son who has, you know,
been away, living, you know, indissolution, blowing his family
(14:21):
fortune.
The father keeps his eyes onthe gate.
You know that's what'sinteresting in this story.
You know, that's what'sinteresting in this story.
You know, you can just imagine,and you can just imagine that
father's whispered prayers.
But he held out.
He held out a hope for repairfor his family, for the return
of his son.
And one wonders, you know, it'snot in the story but, as Dr
(14:41):
King said, if I use my spiritualimagination, my sanctified
imagination, one wonders if thefather is able to hold out
empathy for this son and hopefor the son, because maybe the
father strayed from the straightand narrow at some point.
Right, you know, this story isabout more than a narrow
definition of righteousness andthis is what the older son
(15:02):
doesn't get Right.
He has this righteousness, theolder son does, but it's works
righteousness, it's an entitledrighteousness and the son comes.
The young son comes back, asDesmond Tutu says, probably
smelling like high heaven,everything wrong with him comes
(15:25):
and the older son gets a clinicabout a different kind of
righteousness and what seemsright to God is repair.
And that changes some of usthat if what is right to God is
repair, then that's a differentversion of right than many of us
(15:46):
know and uphold.
A lot of us hold up somethingyou know a lot less thick than
that.
But the righteousness of God isabout this repair for this
entire family, and so that's whywhat I say at the very end of
this story is that you know, inthe story it's really easy to
pick sides and whenever youpreach it, you know the first.
(16:08):
You know the first children inthe room.
You know they sort ofimmediately see and understand
the.
You know the elder son'sperspective who stayed and
worked diligently.
And also, when you're preaching, you know the kids in the room
who have been prodigal, who arestraight off the beaten path,
who took a far-flung journey andmaybe even did a lot of wrong.
(16:29):
They sort of take sides and ofcourse the parents in the room
are trying to figure out how todo this thing, how to thread the
needle.
But I think Jesus, stretchingeverybody in this story wide
with empathy, I think that washis actual point.
This is the story that I wouldhave to say that over my 61
(16:54):
years has continued to live withme, chew at it, live on it, you
know, listen to what the fathersays and doesn't say, listen to
what the sons say and don't say.
And I think now and you know,hopefully it'll continue to
evolve for me, I think now thepoint is is that empathy is not
(17:17):
just about intellect.
Empathy is about putting fleshon Christian ideals, it's about
compassion.
It's about compassion enoughfor everybody and I think that's
what makes this story perhapsthe best story Jesus ever told.
Melissa (17:37):
All right.
So, bishop, one of my favoritethings about the church and this
is going to sound really churchnerdy, but in the back of our
prayer book, on page 855, inwhat we call the outline of
faith or the catechism fancyword, it says the mission of the
church is to restore all peopleto unity with God and one
(18:00):
another through Christ.
So to me that's all aboutrestoring, and I don't know if
we could actually do that work.
I feel like a mission isactually possible if we're doing
what we need to be doing, and Ican't help but wonder,
listening to you, how muchempathy is required in order for
(18:20):
us to live out our mission asthe church.
Bishop Wright (18:23):
More than you want to give.
That's the answer.
More, more than you want togive.
That's why the story is soimportant.
Everybody had to do more, to domore.
The son, in the midst of histirade and tantrum in a foreign
land, comes to himself, theBible tells us.
(18:54):
In other words, he realizedthere was more.
The father realizes there'smore.
The older son realizes there'smore.
I, I think that you know, whenwe're talking about reconciling
the world to God and to oneanother, I think we also have to
remember that you know we areresponding to a God who is
reconciling in us andintegrating in us all those
things that are at odds and thatdon't come together gracefully.
(19:17):
And so anything that we take up, any mission that we take up,
is first happening to us, isfirst God's mission to us and in
us, and so that's what makes itauthentic.
So if I'm trying to producesomething that is not happening
in me, that is not alive andgenerative in me, then I'm some
(19:40):
kind of car salesman, then I'mcommending something I have no
idea about, I'm commending avacation I've never taken right.
And so what the catechismdoesn't say, but certainly
implies, is that we take up thiswork because we're responding
to what God has done and isdoing in us and therefore we are
(20:02):
a credible witness to otherpeople about what the power of
God can do, and I think that'swhat makes it real.
Words on a page can help us,but they have to be fleshed out.
I mean, this is the point ofJesus coming among us, fleshed
out.
I mean, this is the point ofjesus coming among us.
Right, and so this is the pointof, in fact, of these kinds of
stories is this is so they canbecome real.
(20:23):
Um, you know they can become,because we know what broken
families look like.
Right, we've been in them.
Um, if we're honest, some of ushave helped the cr to to break
some of them.
Um, and so is there any hopefor us is the question, and
that's why these stories againare so important.
That's why this mission is soimportant, that there is
(20:46):
medicine in the word of God, andthere is medicine first coming
to us and then pours through usinto the world.
Melissa (20:53):
All right.
So to wrap that up, to grow up,we need empathy.
Bishop, thank you, andlisteners, thank you for
listening to For People.
You can follow us on Instagramand Facebook at Bishop Rob
Wright, or by visiting www.
forpeople.
digital.
Please subscribe, leave areview and we'll be back with
you next week.
Jesus stretching everybody in this story wide
with empathy.
I think that was his actualpoint.
You know, this is the storythat I would have to say that,
over my 61 years, has continuedto live with me.
Empathy is not just aboutintellect.
Empathy is about putting fleshon Christian ideals.
(00:20):
It's about compassion enoughfor everybody.
That's what makes this storyperhaps the best story Jesus
ever told.
Melissa (00:40):
Welcome to For People with Bishop Rob Wright, I'm
Melissa Rau and, over the courseof this season of Lent, bishop
and I are having conversationsbased on Growing Up in Christ, a
Lenten curriculum and videoseries produced by the Episcopal
Diocese of Atlanta.
You can access the videos andaccompanying material at www.
episcopalatlanta.
org.
(01:00):
These resources are perfect foryour individual Lenten devotion
or small group study.
So week four in your Growing Upin Christ series is titled
Empathy and it's based off ofMatthew 22, when we're reviewing
(01:21):
the great commandments ofloving God and loving neighbor.
There's also prodigal son themein here for this week of Lent.
Bishop Wright (01:39):
Oh goodness, Well , I mean, you know there's the
Webster's definition, but Ireally just understand empathy
as being able to understand andcome close to how people are
feeling as they travel.
You know the contours of life.
Right, it's, it's, it's.
It's an experience sort ofbased.
(02:01):
It's not just intellectual, butit's an experience, authentic
understanding of what the painsin life are.
St Paul says we ought to beable to weep with those who weep
and rejoice with those whorejoice.
So empathy is really aboutbeing fully human right.
Melissa (02:20):
So, bishop, you say in your reflection that empathy is
the capacity to imagine whatsomeone else might be thinking
or feeling, and when I think ofthat, I think of like taking the
time to go upstream and ask thequestion why?
Bishop Wright (02:33):
Yeah.
Melissa (02:34):
Yeah, so Christian maturity and empathy.
How do you feel like empathy?
It comes out in the greatestcommandment is to love God and
love neighbor.
Where does empathy come intoplay with that?
Bishop Wright (02:46):
Well, I mean, it's what helps me to do that
right, it's what helps me tolove neighbor as self, is that,
as I understand the contours ofmy heart's desire, my wants, my
needs, my pains, that puts mecloser to you.
I don't have to project on you,but it does give me some data
about what it must be like to.
You know, I have a house, I havea roof over my head, I have
(03:08):
food for my belly, and so,because I have those privileges
and gifts, it's not hard for meto imagine what the lack of that
must be like, what the hardshipof that must be like, and it
pains me to think about peoplewho don't have the things that
(03:29):
we, so many of us, just sort oftake for granted.
And so I think, you know,empathy can come out of a deep
appreciation of the benefits oflife that we enjoy and then
begin to appreciate the lack ofwhat that must be like, right?
I mean, I think that God isalways calling us down into
humanity at its fullestexpression.
And so if I enjoy the benefitof all these things, then,
(03:53):
conversely, maybe I can have adeep appreciation of the lack of
those things and then maybe Ican move towards my neighbor, at
least in understanding that andhopefully in trying to relieve
some of that burden.
Melissa (04:04):
Yeah, that, and hopefully in trying to relieve
some of that burden.
Yeah, I love this quote.
The takeaway is there is nogodly reality that permits our
indifference to our neighbor'swell-being.
That is a huge, bold statement.
And, bishop, I just went to ademonstration standing up for
immigrant rights and I'm shockedat the level of vitriol from
(04:28):
professed Jesus followers forimmigration rights in America.
And to me, it's just an empathything.
Right, it's not about legality,it's about a person, and so I
don't know how you see it comingout, but it's like bold and I
can't help but feel criticaltoward people who maybe practice
(04:53):
empathy in a different way tobe, you know, sort of impacted
by our empathy, right.
Bishop Wright (05:07):
And so I think we can, you know, in this
particular issue, as I've saidbefore, I think we can maintain
strong borders and deportdangerous criminals and, at the
same time, treat people withdignity and, at the same time,
be creative in organizingsomething like work permits for
people who can work and meet ourlabor shortages, et cetera.
I think what you know, the waythe debate goes around
immigration right nowdemonstrates a profound lack of
(05:30):
imagination and sort of aresentful and aggressive, you
know, sort of you know approach.
I think we're better than that.
I think you know how thisechoes in this story that we're
looking at today.
The prodigal son story here isthat you know the older brother
who doesn't run off, who staysand is dutiful, right, he feels
(05:54):
like part of his entitlement,right is indifference or even
contempt for his brother and hisfather.
You know we call him the lovingfather.
His father is really trying tochip away at this sort of
calcified, you know, enmity thathe has for his brother.
(06:18):
I mean, you know we understandhurt feelings, we understand
that legitimacy, but it seemslike the father is working on
something more.
You know, it's interesting thatthe older brother says your son
.
Melissa (06:32):
He doesn't say my brother.
Right.
Bishop Wright (06:35):
And I think you see this showing up in the way
that we're talking about others.
You know those people ratherthan our siblings.
You know it's interesting inthe Bible that you know, as
Israel is coming into its own, anew nation state, et cetera you
know they are reminded.
Remember that your ancestorswas a wandering Aramean.
(07:00):
In other words, remember thattime when you were vulnerable,
that time when you didn't haveenough food, that time when
everything wasn't sorted out.
Remember how vulnerable youwere.
Remember that God was your onlyhope.
Remember when you were refugees.
You know, in the Pope's letterto the US bishops some time back
(07:21):
, he reminded us that Jesus,joseph and Mary were refugees.
And so I think we can thread theneedle between law and
legislation that makes sense andwhat can make us truly great as
(07:42):
a nation, and that is ourChristian heritage, and part of
Christian heritage is empathy.
If there's no empathy, then theChristian heritage is a fraud,
right, and so we've got to, Ithink, seriously, look at this
and this story.
You know, the sort of takeawayin this story, for me at least,
(08:04):
is is that you know it'sabounding in empathy.
It's, uh, it's the empathy thatthe son who ran away and now
comes home finally, afterabusing it, finally understands
that his father has tried to beempathetic to him and now he
wants to come home and depend onhis father's empathy right.
Melissa (08:26):
And so, where does lack of imagination, or how does
imagination complement empathy?
Bishop.
Bishop Wright (08:35):
Well, I mean, what do we say with one another?
I can't imagine what it must belike to have a child who has
cancer.
I can't imagine what it's liketo not have enough food for my
family.
I can't imagine what it's liketo not have healthcare.
I mean, we're talking in termsof imagination, right?
And so I think that thisneighborliness that Jesus
(08:57):
teaches us in this story, andthis imagination that Jesus is
asking us to bring to the ideaof repair a profound family riff
, I mean, it's all aboutimagination.
And so I think part of livingand loving God is about offering
God our imagination, sort ofsubmit to God, our hermetically
(09:25):
sealed conclusions aboutourselves, about other people
and about the way the worldshould be, rather than to seek
God's counsel and say God, letme just put that to the side for
a second.
Let me just de-center myselfand wonder with you about what
is your preferred way for us tobe human community.
(09:45):
And I think that is also partof worship, right Worship being.
You know, god first, right?
So if God is first and God hassome ideas about how we ought to
be together.
And so here we are at thisintersection again with you know
, am I?
You know if I'm an Americancitizen.
(10:06):
If I'm, am I an AmericanChristian or I'm a Christian who
happens to be American?
You know, where is my ultimateallegiance right, where is my
first order of loyalty?
And I think this is what Jesusis working on resisting, you
know, with these stories, youknow our default, you know, in
(10:27):
putting him in boxes that reallyare largely unimaginative,
right, and he is persisting withthis.
You know, sort of dangerousoddness that he brings to things
, this persistent gentleboldness that he brings to
things, especially these storiesabout how life could be.
(10:47):
But what we've got to do is, youknow, and let me confess, what
we've got to do is we have tolet these stories erode our
pride.
I mean, because there's pridealso in this prodigal son story.
It's the sons, the older son'spride, sons, the older son's
(11:08):
pride, it's the younger son'spride and asking for his
inheritance and then traipsingoff, you know, to the nightclub
and to God knows what, andultimately I would say it's the
father's pride at the end,because he has to hear from the
son who stayed the ways in whichthis father, as loving as he is
, has missed the mark right tohis son, his eldest son, who
(11:32):
stayed.
And so it's all about empathy.
It's about empathy erodingpride, right, and it's about,
you know, and it's about growthand you know, and I think that's
why it's a really goodreflection, you know, for it's
about growth and you know, and Ithink that's why it's it's a
really good reflection, you know, for for Lent this year.
Melissa (12:15):
Yeah, well, when I think of the word you said it a
number of times.
You said the word remember andI haven't done a word study, but
I know enough that re means youknow again, right, and I like
the member part like re-member.
To me, that's all aboutwholeness is becoming whole
(12:39):
again and remembering re-memberas in like putting back together
again and keeping things real.
So when we talk about community, when we're a member of a
community, we're honoring oneanother, and so I don't know
where that goes, bishop.
But I feel like wholenessmatters here, and sometimes I
think in our pride, in the waythat our ego rears its other
(12:59):
ugly head and that we want tostand out from the crowd, we
often forget that we are justone of another.
Bishop Wright (13:08):
Well, remember, the Bible tells, I mean the
Bible says, again and again youknow that the versions of
wholeness that we are willing toaccept are terribly inferior to
the invitation to wholenessthat God holds out right.
And so we are always willing tosettle for a lot less than God
(13:34):
is inviting us, you know,towards.
You know, we're willing tosettle because of pride,
sometimes because of lack offaith, sometimes because of lack
of faith, sometimes because oflack of courage, sometimes
because of blindness.
We're always willing to acceptsome sort of Spartan notion of
(13:55):
life.
And here's God holding outthese stories to us in the
person of Jesus, saying you know, there's repair that's
available to you, but it doeshave a cost.
You know, the father sees theyoung son who has, you know,
been away, living, you know, indissolution, blowing his family
(14:21):
fortune.
The father keeps his eyes onthe gate.
You know that's what'sinteresting in this story.
You know, that's what'sinteresting in this story.
You know, you can just imagine,and you can just imagine that
father's whispered prayers.
But he held out.
He held out a hope for repairfor his family, for the return
of his son.
And one wonders, you know, it'snot in the story but, as Dr
(14:41):
King said, if I use my spiritualimagination, my sanctified
imagination, one wonders if thefather is able to hold out
empathy for this son and hopefor the son, because maybe the
father strayed from the straightand narrow at some point.
Right, you know, this story isabout more than a narrow
definition of righteousness andthis is what the older son
(15:02):
doesn't get Right.
He has this righteousness, theolder son does, but it's works
righteousness, it's an entitledrighteousness and the son comes.
The young son comes back, asDesmond Tutu says, probably
smelling like high heaven,everything wrong with him comes
(15:25):
and the older son gets a clinicabout a different kind of
righteousness and what seemsright to God is repair.
And that changes some of usthat if what is right to God is
repair, then that's a differentversion of right than many of us
(15:46):
know and uphold.
A lot of us hold up somethingyou know a lot less thick than
that.
But the righteousness of God isabout this repair for this
entire family, and so that's whywhat I say at the very end of
this story is that you know, inthe story it's really easy to
pick sides and whenever youpreach it, you know the first.
(16:08):
You know the first children inthe room.
You know they sort ofimmediately see and understand
the.
You know the elder son'sperspective who stayed and
worked diligently.
And also, when you're preaching, you know the kids in the room
who have been prodigal, who arestraight off the beaten path,
who took a far-flung journey andmaybe even did a lot of wrong.
(16:29):
They sort of take sides and ofcourse the parents in the room
are trying to figure out how todo this thing, how to thread the
needle.
But I think Jesus, stretchingeverybody in this story wide
with empathy, I think that washis actual point.
This is the story that I wouldhave to say that over my 61
(16:54):
years has continued to live withme, chew at it, live on it, you
know, listen to what the fathersays and doesn't say, listen to
what the sons say and don't say.
And I think now and you know,hopefully it'll continue to
evolve for me, I think now thepoint is is that empathy is not
(17:17):
just about intellect.
Empathy is about putting fleshon Christian ideals, it's about
compassion.
It's about compassion enoughfor everybody and I think that's
what makes this story perhapsthe best story Jesus ever told.
Melissa (17:37):
All right.
So, bishop, one of my favoritethings about the church and this
is going to sound really churchnerdy, but in the back of our
prayer book, on page 855, inwhat we call the outline of
faith or the catechism fancyword, it says the mission of the
church is to restore all peopleto unity with God and one
(18:00):
another through Christ.
So to me that's all aboutrestoring, and I don't know if
we could actually do that work.
I feel like a mission isactually possible if we're doing
what we need to be doing, and Ican't help but wonder,
listening to you, how muchempathy is required in order for
(18:20):
us to live out our mission asthe church.
Bishop Wright (18:23):
More than you want to give.
That's the answer.
More, more than you want togive.
That's why the story is soimportant.
Everybody had to do more, to domore.
The son, in the midst of histirade and tantrum in a foreign
land, comes to himself, theBible tells us.
(18:54):
In other words, he realizedthere was more.
The father realizes there'smore.
The older son realizes there'smore.
I, I think that you know, whenwe're talking about reconciling
the world to God and to oneanother, I think we also have to
remember that you know we areresponding to a God who is
reconciling in us andintegrating in us all those
things that are at odds and thatdon't come together gracefully.
(19:17):
And so anything that we take up, any mission that we take up,
is first happening to us, isfirst God's mission to us and in
us, and so that's what makes itauthentic.
So if I'm trying to producesomething that is not happening
in me, that is not alive andgenerative in me, then I'm some
(19:40):
kind of car salesman, then I'mcommending something I have no
idea about, I'm commending avacation I've never taken right.
And so what the catechismdoesn't say, but certainly
implies, is that we take up thiswork because we're responding
to what God has done and isdoing in us and therefore we are
(20:02):
a credible witness to otherpeople about what the power of
God can do, and I think that'swhat makes it real.
Words on a page can help us,but they have to be fleshed out.
I mean, this is the point ofJesus coming among us, fleshed
out.
I mean, this is the point ofjesus coming among us.
Right, and so this is the pointof, in fact, of these kinds of
stories is this is so they canbecome real.
(20:23):
Um, you know they can become,because we know what broken
families look like.
Right, we've been in them.
Um, if we're honest, some of ushave helped the cr to to break
some of them.
Um, and so is there any hopefor us is the question, and
that's why these stories againare so important.
That's why this mission is soimportant, that there is
(20:46):
medicine in the word of God, andthere is medicine first coming
to us and then pours through usinto the world.
Melissa (20:53):
All right.
So to wrap that up, to grow up,we need empathy.
Bishop, thank you, andlisteners, thank you for
listening to For People.
You can follow us on Instagramand Facebook at Bishop Rob
Wright, or by visiting www.
forpeople.
digital.
Please subscribe, leave areview and we'll be back with
you next week.
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