Over the next five Sundays, we’ll embark on a deeply personal and spiritually enriching journey together—a journey of Coming Home. Our new sermon series will walk through the parable Jesus told in Luke 15:11–32, often called “The Parable of the Prodigal Son,” but perhaps more accurately understood as a story of two sons and a father. 

This story reaches into the lives of all of us. At one time or another, we’ve all found ourselves in the shoes of the younger son—wandering, searching, wondering if we can come home again. We’ve also felt the older brother’s frustration—longing for fairness and recognition. And if we’re honest, we’ve tasted the father’s heartache too—hoping, waiting, forgiving, and rejoicing. 

One of the most moving interpretations of this parable comes from Henri Nouwen in his beloved book, The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming. Nouwen was introduced to Rembrandt’s painting of the same name while spending time in Trosly, France, at a L’Arche community—a place of love and belonging for people with mental disabilities. One day, while visiting a colleague at the documentation center, his eyes fell on a large poster of the painting hanging on her office wall. He wrote, “My eyes fell on the large poster . . . and I would not take my eyes away.” 

The image stirred something deep in Nouwen’s soul. For several years, he carried it with him in his imagination, until he finally traveled to the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg to see the original. He sat with the painting for over four hours. As he reflected on the father’s tender hands and the kneeling son’s posture of surrender, he wrote, “I became more and more part of the story that Jesus once told and Rembrandt once painted . . . [The] painting has become a mysterious window through which I can step into the Kingdom of God.” 

This series will gently guide us through that same window—into a deeper awareness of God’s grace, into a more honest reflection of our own spiritual journeys, and into the kind of love that only a compassionate Father can extend. Like Eugene Peterson, who so often reminded us that discipleship is a long obedience in the same direction, Nouwen invites us to see spiritual maturity as becoming like the father—full of mercy, grounded in love, and open-hearted toward both sons. 

My prayer is that this season will help us all find our way home again. Whether you are in a time of returning, wrestling, rejoicing, or releasing, God is calling you back to His heart. 

Here is our series schedule: 

Sermon Series: “Coming Home: A Journey with the Prodigal Son”̶ Luke 15:11–32 

• May 4 – The Younger Son: “Longing for Home” 
  Key Verse: “Father, give me my share of the estate.” (v.12) 

• May 11 – The Younger Son: “The Turning Point” 
  Key Verse: “But when he came to his senses…” (v.17) 

• May 18 – The Older Brother: “The Resentful Son” 
  Key Verse: “Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you…” (v.29) 

• May 25 – The Father: “The Compassionate Father” 
  Key Verse: “His father saw him and was filled with compassion for him…” (v. 20) 

• June 1 – “Becoming the Father” 
  Key Verse: “But we had to celebrate and be glad…” (v.32) 

Every week, we’ll listen to Jesus’ voice calling us home. We’ll linger, like Nouwen did, with the image of a God who runs toward us with arms wide open. And we’ll learn again what it means to live with the kind of love that doesn’t give up on anybody. 

Come with me, and let’s walk the path home together. 

In His grace,