Politics (gasp) Is Messy

Eeeewww. Do we have to talk about politics?

Yep. But we don’t have to talk about our messy politics. Let’s talk about the messy politics of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, the Neo-Babylonian Empire, and the Achaemenid Persian Empire!

Let’s talk about the tragic, devout, and super-suspicious King Josiah and the new book of the bible he just so happened to “discover” in the Temple.

And, of course, let’s talk about an incredibly unpatriotic and impious cavalcade of characters with names like Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah — total loonies who claimed God told them why their nation was falling to pieces.

And what does all of this messy history have to do with that most beloved parable of the Prodigal Son we will read this Sunday?