4 episodes
There's No Place Like Home Hamilton Mill UMC Sermons
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- Religion & Spirituality
Ralph Waldo Emerson and Charles Dickens both called it the “greatest story ever written.” Rembrandt and other artists have immortalized it in famous works of art. And theologians across the ages have long referred to as it as the “gospel within the gospel.”
So, what is it about Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son that connects with us at such a deep, personal level? Join us starting Sunda
re the intricate details of Jesus’ most beloved parable and discover new—and maybe even surprising—ways that it continues to teach us about God, grace, and what it means to hear the words, “Welcome home.”
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Invited to a Party You Don’t Want to Attend
If there’s one thing we all inherently believe in its fairness. We like it when people get what they deserve. We don’t like it when people get something that they haven’t earned. Such is the predicament of the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son. How can his father throw a party for his other son who practically spits in his face and left home? Is it possible to find forgiveness for someone who doesn’t deserve it? Today, we’ll consider what’s so amazing about God’s grace.
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The Prodigal Father
There’s no shortage of phrases to describe it. “At the end of your rope.” “In dire straits” “In between a rock and a hard place.” “Up the creek without a paddle.” All of these colorful phrases perfectly describe the circumstance that the prodigal son found himself in once his money had dried up and a devastating famine swept through the land. So what do you do when you find yourself in a similar spiritual situation--when you’ve turned your back on God and wandered from the faith? Today, we’ll look at what it means to be welcomed home by God.
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Walk on the Wild Side
“Live your best life!” It seems like every social media post, commercial, and self-help book seems to try to sell us our best life. But when the cameras are off, the Instagram filters are gone, and we’re alone with our thoughts, what really is our best life? If we have everything we want in the world, why do we sometimes still come up empty? This week we’re going to take a walk on the wild side as we explore the life of the prodigal son living his “best life” away from home.
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Leaving Home
We don’t like to admit it, but many of even the most faithful Christians can tell you about a time when they wandered from their faith. Sometimes it’s deliberate and immediate. Other times it’s slowly and unintentional. But on the journey faith, it’s not uncommon to become “lost” along the way. So how does Jesus feel about those who have strayed from God? Today, we’ll look at the very beginning of the most famous parable Jesus ever told: The parable of the prodigal son.