The Prodigal Father and Three Sons

It has been a month since Russia invaded Ukraine. Over three million refugees have been displaced, many lives lost, and buildings destroyed. There are political, economic, and military actions being taken to resolve the problem.

As a church, we’ve also contributed and will continue to contribute to the refugee relief efforts. As Christians in worship on Sunday, I would like to look at the spiritual aspect of the problem. I would like to quote my favorite Russian author, Leo Tolstoy, who said,

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” ~Leo Tolstoy

Tolstoy was a highly gifted author known for his War and Peace. However, after his conversion, the books he wrote were even more impactful. He had influenced Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. on their social justice movements. I believe Tolstoy’s book, Ressurection, should be read by every Christian.

At a time like this, most people are thinking about changing the world or figuring out how to eliminate Putin to stop the atrocity. The more tragedy we see, the more our minds turn toward vengeance, even though his atrocities have not directly affected us.

The media is also cheerleading the attitude. The vengeful mindset is not good for our spirit and is against Jesus’ teaching. We are in the Lenten season, and Lent is the time for us to consider changing ourselves.

Before Jesus began to change the world, he changed himself by his forty days of fasting. You might think it’s inconceivable to say that Jesus needed to change himself since he is the Son of God. However, don’t forget he is fully human and fully God. Like every one of us, he had to fight his flesh. If you treat him only as God, you will fail to learn from his human examples.

How do we know we are in a vengeful mindset or Christlike attitude? The way you want Putin to go down will determine your spiritual maturity. Today’s scripture lesson will challenge your level of grace or your Spiritual Quotient (SQ), just like your IQ and EQ.