In Luke 15, Jesus tells three lost & found stories. The first two parables lead into the third, which is about the son lost in a far country. Careful readers will notice that because the story is told to answer the Pharisees’ criticisms, the story is really about the other son, who is lost while at home. His condemnation of his prodigal brother prevents him from entering his fa-ther’s joy.

It’s this third character, the father, who completes the connections to the previous lost & found stories. Each of us can identify in some way with one of the two sons, and so each of us needs to see more clearly the father and his invitation.