We learn a lot about God during times when God feels close. But Jesus and the prophets were clear that God would also feel distant at times. The text today is one of the several parables Jesus tells about an “absent God.”

• What can we learn about God in God’s absence that we can’t learn in God’s presence? Is it possible to get clarity in absence as well as presence?

• Where does God feel absent in your life, in your family, in your community and in the world?