Homily, Under Christ’s Wings
Fourth Sunday in Lent, 2025
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
Plant City, FL
The Rev. Derek M Larson, TSSF
Today’s Lectionary Readings:
In the name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
You know someone is in trouble when you get home from work and your spouse says, “Do you know what YOUR son did, today?” If the word “our” suddenly becomes “your” then you know someone is in trouble. Suddenly it’s not our son—the son that we are raising together—but your son. If LauraAnn ever says that to me, I know it’s probably because our son did something questionable that reminded her of me, and therefore, something questionable that I have done. A simple little word change tells me that it is not only our son who is probably in trouble—I might be in trouble too.
Grammatically, those words (your, my, our) are called possessive determiners. They are related to possessive pronouns (yours, mine, and ours). And they are used to signify ownership or connection. I say ownership or connection because there is a difference. A book may be mine. I own it. But while a son is mine, I do not own him. I am connected to him. To say that he is my son and I am his father, does not point to possession or property, but connection.
And the reason I point this out is because of the way it shows up in today’s parable. For all the differences between the two brothers, they appear to see the world in the same way: through the lens of possession. The younger brother says to the father, “give me my inheritance.” The older brother says to the father, “give me my earnings.” What drives them in life is not their relationships but their possessions—what they own and what they lack.
And sadly, it appears that each of them see even their relationship to the father as one of possession rather than connection. They each see themselves not as sons of the father, but as slaves—as his property. The invitation of the father then is to shift their perspective of the world away from possession and towards connection.
When the younger son comes home with his tail between his legs, he says to his father, “I am not worthy to be your son, I will be your slave.” But the father can’t help but tell everyone, “this son of mine was dead and is alive. This son of mine was lost and is found.” You are not my possession; you are my connection.
When the older son complains to his father saying, “For all these years I have worked as a slave for you…” the father responds, “Son, you are always with me, and all that mine is yours.” You are not my possession; you are my connection.
And not only does the father invite his sons into connection with himself, but with one another. Notice the conversation he has with the older son towards the end of the parable. The older son says to him, “When this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!” Do you see what he’s doing? “This son of yours.” He refuses to call him my brother. He is severing the connection. If the father wants to claim this reckless son, then fine, but the older brother wants nothing to do with him.
But without missing a beat the father responds, “this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.” Do you what he did there? It was very subtle and very skillful. When the older son says, “this son of yours,” the father responds, “this brother of yours.” When the older son tries to dissociate himself from the family, the father gently reminds him of his connection to the family.
And that, I believe, is God’s invitation to us. To see one another not as possessions to control, not as people to compete with, not as problems to solve, but as brothers and sisters—siblings, bound together in relationship. The father in the story calls us out of our fixation on what we think we deserve or do not deserve and into the grace of simply belonging—to God, to one another, to the great family of faith.
So the question for us is: How do we see the people around us? Do we divide the world into mine and yours, or do we embrace the deeper truth that we are ours? That we belong to one another in Christ? Do we see with the eyes of possession? Or do we see with the eyes of connection?
God calls us into connection. God reminds us, just as the father reminded his sons, that love is not something to be earned, but something already given. May we have the grace to step into that love, to recognize one another as ours, and to live in the fullness of that connection. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
- In what ways do I view my relationships through the lens of possession rather than connection? How can I shift this mindset?
- Do I tend to see people around me as competitors or burdens? How can I work towards seeing them as siblings and members of a shared family?
- How do I respond to feelings of unworthiness in my relationships? Do I seek to disconnect or deepen my connections?
- Can I identify moments when I have referred to others using possessive language (e.g., “your son,” “this son of yours”)? What might change if I used inclusive language that emphasizes connection?
- How can I actively foster a sense of belonging and community in my interactions with others, both within my family and in the larger community?
Thoughts on Faith 