First Free Methodist - FFMC

This week's episode explores a familiar story of Jesus about a generous father with two very different sons. The "Parable of the Prodigal Son" is one of three stories of Jesus that are grouped together for the sake of illustrating God's care for the margins and those who live there. Here we find a God who spares nothing to find everything that is lost.

We live in a 24/7 news cycle were people are reacting and engaging with the events of day like never before. Often, we try to find hidden meaning or motives in the news we watch. We do the same in our own lives. Was there meaning in finding a good parking spot? Was there meaning in being healed of cancer while the patient next to you died? Jesus challenges all of these primitive and childish assumptions in a new way. Perhaps we must pay more attention to the opportunity to change our ways and live a live filled with grace...and less time paying attention to luck.

We all respond to life's obstacles in different ways. Sometimes we press forward with stubbornness and other times we bend just a little to get along with everyone. Jesus offers us a different path. Here we find a Jesus intent on offering love to all. When that love and grace are spurned, we find a Jesus filled with lament. How the world would be different if we made space to lament!

Our lives are filled with temptations each day. Almost all of these temptations are ones that attempt to our ourselves at the center. How do we combat the messages of our culture that always seem to make us the most important person. Jesus offers a pathway of liberation and freedom as he faced his own temptations. That pathway is one born of love.

All of us have been trained from an early age to solve problems and create solutions. Often that leads us to bad outcomes born out of good intentions. In Luke's story of Jesus' transfiguration we see a wondrous image filled with meaning. We are invited to "listen" to Jesus' way of grace and love that will lead him to a cross. This is not a moment to rush a solution. It is a moment of wonder and reflection.