The Homecoming
Roger Thomas
Luke 15:1-6, 22-24
Today, I begin a series of messages, all from this same chapter. You know the stories. You have heard them a million times. Over the next few weeks, I hope to introduce these stories, especially the story of the Prodigal Son, to you on a whole different level. I want you to hear the story, know the story, but most of all feel the story in your soul.
Jesus tells three stories, or parables-the wandering sheep, the lost coin, and what we have come to know as the story of the Prodigal Son. The classic definition of a parable is "an earthly story with a heavenly meaning." This means that there is more at play than just an interesting story. Jesus is illustrating some important spiritual truth that we need to hear.
Today I want to zero in on the central event that ties all three parables together. As we will see later, all three stories were told by Jesus in response to criticism from the religious leaders of his day. He welcomed people they thought should not be welcomed. They didn't like his reception of the wrong kind people. He welcomed sinners; they rejected them.
Today, I want us think, not so much about the details of the stories, but about that concept of the homecoming. If we can wrap our heads around the joy of our homecoming then we can begin to appreciate why the return of the prodigal is so important. Let's talk about homecoming . . .
Welcome home! I can think of no sweeter words in the world. Homecomings are always special. A soldier returns home . . . alumni return to campus . . . a student heads home for the holidays . . . families gather from across the country for a reunion. Homecomings call for celebration. A homecoming is a happy occasion. It was for the shepherd in the parable, likewise for a father and son in the parable that follows. We all enjoy homecomings.
Today, I want to explore this idea of coming home on three different levels. I want to call you ...
Roger Thomas
Luke 15:1-6, 22-24
Today, I begin a series of messages, all from this same chapter. You know the stories. You have heard them a million times. Over the next few weeks, I hope to introduce these stories, especially the story of the Prodigal Son, to you on a whole different level. I want you to hear the story, know the story, but most of all feel the story in your soul.
Jesus tells three stories, or parables-the wandering sheep, the lost coin, and what we have come to know as the story of the Prodigal Son. The classic definition of a parable is "an earthly story with a heavenly meaning." This means that there is more at play than just an interesting story. Jesus is illustrating some important spiritual truth that we need to hear.
Today I want to zero in on the central event that ties all three parables together. As we will see later, all three stories were told by Jesus in response to criticism from the religious leaders of his day. He welcomed people they thought should not be welcomed. They didn't like his reception of the wrong kind people. He welcomed sinners; they rejected them.
Today, I want us think, not so much about the details of the stories, but about that concept of the homecoming. If we can wrap our heads around the joy of our homecoming then we can begin to appreciate why the return of the prodigal is so important. Let's talk about homecoming . . .
Welcome home! I can think of no sweeter words in the world. Homecomings are always special. A soldier returns home . . . alumni return to campus . . . a student heads home for the holidays . . . families gather from across the country for a reunion. Homecomings call for celebration. A homecoming is a happy occasion. It was for the shepherd in the parable, likewise for a father and son in the parable that follows. We all enjoy homecomings.
Today, I want to explore this idea of coming home on three different levels. I want to call you ...
There are 15105 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
