Good morning Church family,
Today I thought I would share with you a reflection Rudolf is using for his prayer group at work today. This week they are looking at the Parable of the Lost Son in the Gospel of Luke (Luke Chapter 15 verses 11-31).
Rudolf writes:Many of Jesus’ teachings were told using parables, or simple stories that teach spiritual truths about the kingdom of God. The reason He did this was because parables included scenes from everyday life and were therefore easy to remember, His listeners could more easily identify with the characters, and the stories were generally more accessible to the average individual.
The Parable of the Lost Son is the last of a set of three parables dealing with the topic of lostness and the ways in which God seeks after the lost. The first two are the Parable of the Lost Sheep (v 1-7) and the Parable of the Lost Coin (v 8-10).
In the Parable of the Lost Son, there are three main characters; The Father, the younger son and the older son. The Father represents God, just as God is represented by the Shepherd in the first parable and the Woman in the second parable.
As you read through this parable, keep in mind that in the first century Jewish culture, it was considered shameful or beneath the dignity of a grown man to run, yet here God is portrayed as running towards His lost son!
Laurie writing now: If father God were to respond to us who might be feeling lost in the midst of this new way of life, how might He respond? Well for one I think God would not need to be socially distant, the virus doesn’t affect him so he would probably visit with us daily, more than that he would perhaps tell us that He is part of our bubble. How do you feel knowing that God is part of your bubble? I hope it brings you comfort today.
Blessings
Laurie
Rimutaka Baptist Church 