God’s Idea of Accountability Is Unlike Man’s

Today’s reading: Luke 15:1-32

My fellow Christians in Corpus Christi are about to face a test over the lessons of today’s reading.

An July 8 article in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times tells of pending “crack-down” upon city residents delinquent on their utility bill payments. (I’m not linking to it because, for most readers the link would be useless. This article is one of those that the paper’s new policy makes available only for people who subscribe to the print edition.)

On a typical day, the article says, nearly 500 homes become eligible for utility disconnection, but only about 200 of those are actually cut off. The city manager and his assistants want the city council to approve a policy  requiring all disconnections to happen as scheduled.

“There is no system in place to hold people accountable when they’ve missed a payment, with some customers paying as little as $5 a month against the outstanding balance to keep the water running. It’s led some customers to accumulate past-due bills as much as $2,500, city staff said.”

“’It just creates a pattern of delinquency that becomes this never-ending pattern,’” (City manager Ron) Olson said. ‘These guys are spinning around this endless loop of collections. It’s just a bad way to do business.’”

It’s interesting that I read that quote from Mr. Olson just hours after reading this about the Prodigal Son’s brother  in today’s reading:

“Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him.  But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!'” (Verse 28-30)

Olson and several other city leaders quoted in the article — including our mayor — have much in common with the brother. All are certainly justified in their complaints — at first glance at least. Good, righteous, responsible people do not deserve to suffer at the hands of  irresponsible friends.

But, then, Jesus, likewise, did not deserve The Crucifixion.

Today’s reading reminds me that it’s always good, and right, to suffer at the hands of irresponsible friends.

It’s unlikely that anyone in our city government will ask, much less heed, my advice on this matter, but I know it is right anyway. So I offer it here, for whatever it’s worth:

The example to follow in this case is the one set by the Prodigal Son’s father. All Corpus Christi residents should pray that all in the city will one day accept the responsibility of paying their utility bills on time. Then we must simply celebrate — one by one —  as they do. And, while God is making this glorious day come about,  we must remember that anger, punishment and ridicule toward the “offenders” only works against our prayers.

Since our local government seems ready to take the side of the brother in this famous story, it will likely fall upon Corpus Christi churches to honor The Father. By disconnecting utility customers, the city government is only assuring that more people turn to local churches and charities for help.

It’s exciting to remember that my own church, as well as  the church to which I have been attending lately as I make a transition to a new town, both have a practice of giving money to families in crisis over things like rent, food, and utilities. Both churches have special accounts set up in which members can donate specifically for such gifts of benevolence.

I am ashamed that I have not given to these funds faithfully in the past. But this week I pledge to change that habit, in honor of today’s reading (and of those precious souls who don’t have the money to pay their utility bills).

Thanks be to God for the glorious gifts that all prodigals have for the world — even those that may be delayed for decades.