Talk by Peter Walley

Mothering Sunday 30^th March 2025 – as told by Peter, Maisie & Mickey
‘The Big Spender’ based on Luke 15 1 to 3, 11 to end – The prodigal son

Maisie I am going to read our story today. It is The Big Spender from the Lion Storyteller Bible and it is the story of the ‘Porrigegal’ Son.

The people who thought they were good were still not happy with Jesus. They moaned. They groaned. They frowned. “It’s not fair,” they complained, “Jesus spends all this time with the bad people.” Jesus heard this and told them one more story.

Once upon a time there was a man who had two sons. He loved them both, very much. But one day, the younger son came to him with a sad request. I want my share of your inheritance and I want it now!

Maisie Hi Peter, can you help explain the story because Mickey doesn’t understand it.

Peter Of course Maisie. What doesn’t he understand…?

Mickey I do understand, it’s Maisie that doesn’t!

Peter Brilliant Mickey, would you like to explain it for us?

Mickey Umm….. the Dad was glad to have the naughty son back because he needed a new servant…?

Peter Not quite.. He loved his son, he welcomed him home as his son, not as a servant…

Maisie So… in the story are the people meant to be different people?

Peter How do you mean Maisie?

Maisie Is the Father meant to be Jesus or God?

Peter That’s right, he is God the Father

Maisie Who loves us and will always love us and lets us have pudding even when we’ve been naughty?

Peter Not sure about pudding but yes that’s the right idea, Because of Jesus, all our ‘naughty’ things are forgiven. We call them our sins. Our sins are forgiven and we are welcomed into the Father’s house because he loves us.

Maisie Does that mean we can do whatever we like and we can always just go back then?

Peter Well,,, what do you do when you have done something naughty at home Maisie?

Mickey She blames me

Maisie I do not. Unless you did it too….

Peter Right.. but what do you do if you get found out?

Maisie I say sorry…

Peter Well, that’s good to know… and that’s what the son did in the story. He came home and said sorry to his Father. When we repent, when we say sorry, we are forgiven.

Maisie It wasn’t very nice for the good son was it? When I’m a good girl I don’t’ think it’s fair if Mickey gets away with things.. It wasn’t fair for him.

Peter Well look at it this way… did the good son lose anything? Wasn’t he welcome at the party too?

Maisie No…. and yes….

Peter And didn’t his Father love him too?

Maisie Yes…

Peter It’s human to think of fair and not fair but that’s because God’s love is bigger than the way we think, bigger than fair or not fair and something very, very special.

Maisie So.. both sons were loved and both were special.. and because the naughty one said sorry he was welcomed home.

Peter That’s right Maisie.

Maisie So if I say sorry for what I did to Mummy’s make up before I left, then I can still have pudding…?

Peter Well… that’s up to Mummy…

Maisie Oh….I’m going to practise my sorry then…

The story of the ‘Porrigegal Son’ as Maisie put it at the start of the Luke reading is that at first sight, we may also think ‘its not fair!’ (the younger son getting forgiven by his Father from all the debt). The cry of the older brother (son), ‘I’ve worked hard for you all this time, and you haven’t even given me a young goat to celebrate my birthday and when your younger son comes home, you kill the fatted calf’.

God’s love isn’t ‘fair’ in human terms. His love is far, far bigger than our human love, which is often blighted by our inability to forgive. Here maybe lies a challenge for all of us in Lent. Is there anyone (living or dead), whom we haven’t ever truly forgiven? Is there a way in which I can reach out to them and offer peace?

If that someone has already died maybe the thing to do is write a letter to them and then in prayer offer it to God. If you need help to do this, then do speak to one of the clergy. We can help you ‘post it’ and offer absolution.

Jesus wants us to be free from anger or bitterness so that he can instead give us his peace. Lent is a good time to make things right as far as we are able.

Every blessing, Peter.