The prodigal son or the loving father? What about the angry older brother? This parable of Jesus is the most well-known, but why? The challenge of seeing ourselves in this family might be easy, but the idea that the father shows the son mercy isn’t easy to grasp. Mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve and our deliverance from judgment. How do we extend mercy as we’ve received it?
Pastor Mary’s message is based on Luke 15: 1-3, 11b-32. To read it, click here. As we celebrate communion, take a few moments to read this poem:
Be gentle when you touch bread,
Let it not lie uncared for – unwanted.
So often bread is taken for granted.
Thee is so much beauty in bread,
Beauty of sun and soil,
Beauty of hones toil.
Winds and rain have caressed it,
Christ often blessed it.
Be gentle when you touch bread.
Celtic prayer attributed to David Adam
