Dear Friends in Christ,

Now in the middle of summer and our summer Wednesday worship, we find ourselves in the middle of a three-session sermon series on the Parable of the Prodigal Son. You likely know it and have some impressions of it.

Like most parables of Jesus, it’s multi-valent story, meaning it has multiple meanings and many interpretations. This is why it lends itself to being the subject of a multi-week sermon series!

Last week we focused on perspectives this parable raises about forgiveness in general. Like God’s nature and our own. And, like the question, “Must we forgive?”

This week, we’ll focus on being a prodigal, being wasteful as Google AI suggests by “using money, time, or energy in reckless and foolish ways.” In our sermon, we’ll discover that in whichever character we most identify with: the son, the father, or the brother, we may find – and therefore be- a prodigal person regarding forgiveness.

Finally, during next week’s Communion service, we’ll focus on a practical aspect of forgiving: navigating the relationship between forgiving and memory because forgiving, forgetting and remembering are three different movements within the human spirit.

If you can’t join us for all three of these week’s sermons, I hope you may join us for one or two because forgiving is an important calling around which we have a vital stewardship of love.

Blessings of Summer,
Pastor Ed