First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh's Podcast First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh

Jesus’ most famous parable of the father who redefines what it means to be a father by his over-the-top generosity and willingness to forgive.

The late Henri Nouwen was so moved by seeing Rembrandt’s classic painting, “Return of the Prodigal,” and by studying Jesus’ great parable, that it changed his life. How do we learn to repent of our waywardness and our self-righteousness and become more like the father who empties himself?

The Apostle Paul wants his readers to grasp the surpassing love of God.

God wants to do for us “immeasurably more than all we ask for imagine.” So we do we settle for so little? How do we open ourselves to the riches God has in store for us?

Jesus’ parable of a poor widow whose only hope of changing the mind of a heartless judge was her persistence.

How can it be that Christians are just as messed up as non-believers? It turns out that being saved doesn’t instantly change our character. If the most marginalized person in town, a widow, can get justice from a heartless judge, don’t we think that we can get justice from our loving God?

The Apostle Paul reminded the early church that each person in the church is gifted in such way as to bless everyone else.

The US Surgeon General recently reported on the “epidemic” of loneliness and its devastating effects. And yet Jesus has given us the solution to loneliness, his church? How do we get the world to see that we have what it most needs?

The Prophet Isaiah, speaking to Jewish exiles in Babylon, assured them that God had not forgotten them.

We’re not in exile. We live in the freest and most prosperous country in history. We’re so connected to each other electronically, it’s as if we can’t get away. We have no privacy at all. So why do we feel like exiles? How do we know God hasn’t forgotten us?

In teaching the disciples to pray, Jesus first cautions against babbling and then teaches us to address God as “Father.”

In an era where we’re expected to use gender-neutral language, some think that should extend to how we address God. But is that right? Can we begin to grasp the privilege Jesus has given us, to call on God in the most intimate way?