How many sons are prodigal in the Parable of the Prodigal Son?

God has tremendous love and joy for a wanderer of who finds their way back home. We deeply love this aspect of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, and it's absolutely true, deeply, and truly hopeful. When we wander, we can always come home and be welcomed with open arms. However, the other question that the parable asks, that we like to glance over, is whether, we, would have found our way home, are as excited for and welcoming of the new wanderers as God is? The older brother doesn't share the father's excited. Does the church look like that sometimes?

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

What will never leave us empty?

Humanity longs for more than mere existence, but we are not always great at finding that meaning in good and healthy places. That missing spot in our souls is meant to filled by the presence and power of God. That is the thing that will never leave us emptier than when we started.

Isaiah 55:1-9

Where does our true citizenship reside?

What matters the most in life? What helps us overcome our existential fears? When all our physical needs are met, and we can finally appear out to deeper concerns, where do we turn? These are humans most profound and enduring questions, and we've come up with a whole hosts - including lean into decadence and excess. Paul uses his call to Christian unity to the Philippians to posit another answer. Our citizenship resides in Heaven rather than being ruled by more imminent concerns.

Philippians 3:17-4:1

What tools do we have to resist temptation?

After 40 days in the wilderness, Jesus gets tempted by Satan. In the exchange, Satan quotes scripture at Jesus, and Jesus counters with quotes from scripture. Jesus's temptations may look way different from ours. Satan can only tempt with doing the wrong good thing. We may have baser temptations, but we are not left alone to deal with them. God pours out strength if we will take the time and create the space for us to receive it and intentionally prepare to resist temptation.

Luke 4:1-13

What is reality really?

Peter and James and John get a powerful window into the true nature of this semi-homeless, traveling rabbi, son of a carpenter. Turns out, he's God, and at the Transfiguration, he gets wardrobe and company worthy of that. It's a cosmic tip of the hand to the deeper reality of our reality. Things may seem perpetually mundane, but God is in the world. So, our actual actuality has much deeper dimensions and deeper hope.

Luke 9:28-43a

Can we forgive the big stuff?

Our world feels utterly ripped apart, and it can appear impossible for the chasm to mend. When massive harm happens, forgiveness and healing seems unreachably far away. Joseph's brother did an extreme degree of harm to Joseph. The tried to kill him, chose to sell him into slavery instead, and robbed him of home, comfort, and love. For years, his life was a desperate struggle for survival. Yet, when he ended up in a position of great power and had the opportunity to rightly punish his family, he chose to forgive and love. So, we know that with God, that level of healing is at least possible.

Genesis 45:3-11, 15

Can we ever get some justice in here?

We can all too easily over spiritualize this whole religion. We can imagine a God that cares for souls, and thus, we should be in the caring for souls business. We trust in Heaven and serve no earthly good. God does care for souls, but God cares holistically - for the immaterial and the profoundly material. The Sermon of the Mount points to the soul. The Sermon of the Plain grounds us in reality. God has a special place in God's heart for the poor and downtrodden, and woe to us if we don't do the same.

Luke 6:17-26

How does God bring us together?

Jesus leads Peter and friends to catch a massive amount of fish. This, my friends, is a metaphor for life in God's Kingdom. It's easy in our modern moment to feel massively disconnected and cut off, and it's even easier to believe that we cannot bridge the divides that rend us asunder. Yet, God can forge an abundance of connection. It's hard to believe that's possible, but that is exactly the kind of miracle that sits at the core of who God is.

 Luke 5:1-11

What does love look like?

We like the way this scripture sounds. "Love is patient. Love is kind." It's a glorious example of what Paul is capable of as a writer, but it's not a romantic or nice text. He's reaching the height of some hard hitting rhetoric about the Corinthians arrogance and lack of love. This ode of love is a master stroke in an extended argument. It's a challenge. Love is the greatest of all. Is that reflected in your actions?

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

A Podcast about Scripture, Life, and Being the Church

Every week, Pastor Trey and Pastor Emily talk about Scripture and what it means to try and be the Church in the 21st Century.

The Goodness of God

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