Introduction

The parable

The people around Jesus: all gathering around to hear Him

Two kinds of people

Why people like Jesus but not the church

The two lost sons : there was a man who had two sons

The lost younger brother

The younger brother's plan

The lost elder brother

Redefining sin : all these years I've been slaving for you

Two ways to find happiness

Two lost sons

A deeper understanding of sin

Both wrong, both loved

Redefining lostness : the older brother became angry and refused to go in

Anger and superiority

Slavishness and emptiness

Who needs to know this?

The true elder brother : my son, everything I have is yours

What we need

Who we need

Redefining hope : He set off for a far country

Our longing for home

The difficulty of return

The feast at the end of history

The feast of the father : he heard music and dancing

Salvation is experiential

Salvation is material

Salvation is individual

Salvation is communal

Babette's feast.