The prodigal God: recovering the heart of the Christian faith

Introduction

The parable

The people around Jesus : "all gathering around to hear Him"

Two kinds of people

Why people like Jesus but not the church

The two lost sons : "there was a man who had two sons"

The lost younger brother

The younger brother's plan

The lost elder brother

Redefining sin : "all these years I've been slaving for you"

Two ways to find happiness

Two lost sons

A deeper understanding of sin

Both wrong, both loved

Redefining lostness : "the older brother became angry and refused to go in"

Anger and superiority

Slavishness and emptiness

Who needs to know this?

The true elder brother : "my son, everything I have is yours"

What we need

Who we need

Redefining hope : "He set off for a far country"

Our longing for home

The difficulty of return

The feast at the end of history

The feast of the father : "he heard music and dancing"

Salvation is experiential

Salvation is material

Salvation is individual

Salvation is communal

Babette's feast.