Sunday Sermon Summary – March 30 2025

COMING HOME – The Prodigal Son
Luke 15: 11-24

We have had a meaningful panel discussion on the Prodigal Son. The congregation also contributed to the discussion. We considered four questions. 

1. Why did the son decide to leave his father’s home?

The second son decided to leave his father’s house because he did not realize how blessed he was. He took his father’s love for granted. He wanted to explore the outside world. He didn’t consider that it will grieve his father if he left the home for good. 

2. ⁠How do we understand the prodigal son trying to eat pig’s food?

The Bible says that he spent all he had in a far away land. Then a famine came, and he had nothing to eat. His hunger pushed him to stoop down to be willing to eat even the pig’s food. To the Jews pigs were unclean animals.  They will not even touch the pig. The prodigal son was now looking after pigs. 

This is symbolic of what can happen to us when we go far away from our Heavenly Father. 

3. ⁠How do we understand the celebration of his return by the father?

The Father, seeing him far away, ran and embraced him and kissed him.  The son returned to his father unworthy to ask for anything. He came only to serve as a servant.  But the father gave him new garments, a ring and sandals. He also killed the fatted calf and there was a great celebration. The father said, “My son was lost, but now he is found. He was dead, but now he is alive. 

4. ⁠Do we learn anything else from this story?

For this last question we reflected on 2 Corinthians 5:17 If a person is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old has passed away and everything has become new.”  The relationship between the father and his son was very special now. They had a very close bond.  The son realized how much his father loved him.  Nothing can separate them anymore.  Amen.