Parables

Sunday Reflection – Lent IV, March 30, 2025

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Two lost sons

Luke 15 Tax collectors and sinners were all crowding around to listen to Jesus. 2 So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses started grumbling, “This man is friendly with sinners. He even eats with them.”

3 Then Jesus told them this story:

11 Jesus told them yet another story:

Once a man had two sons. 12 The younger son said to his father, “Give me my share of the property.” So the father divided his property between his two sons.

13 Not long after that, the younger son packed up everything he owned and left for a foreign country, where he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 He had spent everything, when a bad famine spread through that whole land. Soon he had nothing to eat.

15 He went to work for a man in that country, and the man sent him out to take care of his pigs. 16 He would have been glad to eat what the pigs were eating, but no one gave him a thing.

17 Finally, he came to his senses and said, “My father’s workers have plenty to eat, and here I am, starving to death! 18 I will go to my father and say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against God in heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer good enough to be called your son. Treat me like one of your workers.’ ”

20 The younger son got up and started back to his father. But when he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt sorry for him. He ran to his son and hugged and kissed him.

21 The son said, “Father, I have sinned against God in heaven and against you. I am no longer good enough to be called your son.”

22 But his father said to the servants, “Hurry and bring the best clothes and put them on him. Give him a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 Get the best calf and prepare it, so we can eat and celebrate. 24 This son of mine was dead, but has now come back to life. He was lost and has now been found.” And they began to celebrate.

25 The older son had been out in the field. But when he came near the house, he heard the music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants over and asked, “What’s going on here?”

27 The servant answered, “Your brother has come home safe and sound, and your father ordered us to kill the best calf.” 28 The older brother got so angry that he would not even go into the house.

His father came out and begged him to go in. 29 But he said to his father, “For years I have worked for you like a slave and have always obeyed you. But you have never even given me a little goat, so that I could give a dinner for my friends. 30 This other son of yours wasted your money on prostitutes. And now that he has come home, you ordered the best calf to be killed for a feast.”

31 His father replied, “My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we should be glad and celebrate! Your brother was dead, but he is now alive. He was lost and has now been found.”

Kids Korner: Lost sons (March 30th)

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Read Luke 15:11-32 with your family.

When we read this story about the lost son, so many focus on the younger son who realized he made a mistake by leaving his father’s home, and returned asking for some basic help, but instead found himself treated like a returning prince. We do not spend much time looking at the older brother outside of thinking he is selfish for not wanting to celebrate and share with his brother.

But what happens when we realize that both sons were lost?

We know how the younger son was lost, but what about the older son? He did not see his place in his father’s house as special simply because his father did not celebrate him in the same way. But his father DID celebrate him.

The older son did not understand that what he received from his father was always there and always would be. They shared trust and were together for all the good times and bad times. The oldest son was reliable and had his father’s trust. The father celebrated his older son every day in countless ways, big and small.

Sometimes we only see the big parties but not the every day events that celebrate us. Try to see those every day things. They add up and show us how special we are all the time.

Sunday Reflection – November 19, 2023

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God’s gifts are to be shared

Matthew 25 14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 

19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 

24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 

28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Kids Korner: Sharing the gifts of God (Nov. 19th)

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Read Matthew 25:14-30 with your family.

All of the stories Jesus told had exaggerations in them to make people listen for the meaning of the story.

Today’s story talks about giving money and investing it, but it really wasn’t about the money. The way we can know that is because the money amounts were so big they were beyond understanding. In today’s dollar amounts the first servant would have been given close to 20 million dollars!

So, knowing it was an exaggeration we can now start to figure out what Jesus was really talking about.

We know God has given us many gifts, including love, kindness, and thinking. Jesus has also told us we are supposed to help make God’s world of inclusion and abundance available to everyone, and share those gifts with everyone we meet.

If we share that message and share God’s gifts, we will feel like we get even more love, kindness and deep thoughts back.

But if we don’t share that message or live God’s love, no one will find out how good life could be.

Sunday Reflection – October 15, 2023

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Parable about the rich landowner and tenants

Matthew 22 Once again Jesus used stories to teach the people:

2 The kingdom of heaven is like what happened when a king gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3 The king sent some servants to tell the invited guests to come to the banquet, but the guests refused. 4 He sent other servants to say to the guests, “The banquet is ready! My cattle and prize calves have all been prepared. Everything is ready. Come to the banquet!”

5 But the guests did not pay any attention. Some of them left for their farms, and some went to their places of business. 6 Others grabbed the servants, then beat them up and killed them.

7 This made the king so furious that he sent an army to kill those murderers and burn down their city. 8 Then he said to the servants, “It is time for the wedding banquet, and the invited guests don’t deserve to come. 9 Go out to the street corners and tell everyone you meet to come to the banquet.” 10 They went out on the streets and brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike. And the banquet room was filled with guests.

11 When the king went in to meet the guests, he found that one of them wasn’t wearing the right kind of clothes for the wedding. 12 The king asked, “Friend, why didn’t you wear proper clothes for the wedding?” But the guest had no excuse. 13  So the king gave orders for this person to be tied hand and foot and to be thrown outside into the dark. That’s where people will cry and grit their teeth in pain. 14  Many are invited, but only a few are chosen.

Kids Korner: Get ready for the banquet (Oct. 15th)

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Read Matthew 22:1-14 with your family.

In our story today Jesus continues to use parables to tell the leaders in the temple that they are not doing a good job of representing God to the people. This time Jesus compares God to a King who wants to hold a special wedding feast for his son (meaning Jesus), and invites all the power people who like to think they are important. But all of those people say ‘no’ to the invitation and even kill the messengers.

Jesus tells the Temple leaders that after that rejection, the King, or God, calls ordinary people who are not rich or powerful, and they are the ones who will get to enjoy what the King/God has given to our world.

Sometimes in the church when people think they are important, and other people treat them as important, they start to think they are better than others. This story reminds those people that God calls everyone. But in order to be part of God’s world, you also have to do the work and live the way God calls us to live.

It’s not good enough to say we are Christian, we have to mean it with the way we behave and treat others..

Sunday Reflection – October 8, 2023

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Parable about the rich landowner and tenants

Matthew 21 33  Jesus told the chief priests and leaders to listen to this story:

A land owner once planted a vineyard. He built a wall around it and dug a pit to crush the grapes in. He also built a lookout tower. Then he rented out his vineyard and left the country.

34 When it was harvest time, the owner sent some servants to get his share of the grapes. 35 But the renters grabbed those servants. They beat up one, killed one, and stoned one of them to death. 36 He then sent more servants than he did the first time. But the renters treated them in the same way.

37 Finally, the owner sent his own son to the renters, because he thought they would respect him. 38 But when they saw the man’s son, they said, “Someday he will own the vineyard. Let’s kill him! Then we can have it all for ourselves.” 39 So they grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

40 Jesus asked, “When the owner of that vineyard comes, what do you suppose he will do to those renters?”

41 The chief priests and leaders answered, “He will kill them in some horrible way. Then he will rent out his vineyard to people who will give him his share of grapes at harvest time.”

42  Jesus replied, “You surely know that the Scriptures say,

‘The stone the builders
    tossed aside
is now the most important
    stone of all.
This is something
the Lord has done,
    and it is amazing to us.’

43 I tell you God’s kingdom will be taken from you and given to people who will do what he demands. 44 Anyone who stumbles over this stone will be crushed, and anyone it falls on will be smashed to pieces.”

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard these stories, they knew Jesus was talking about them. 46 So they looked for a way to arrest Jesus. But they were afraid to, because the people thought he was a prophet.

Kids Korner: The rich landowner and the tenants (Oct. 8th)

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Read Matthew 21:33-46 with your family.

Sometimes we have to listen very carefully to what Jesus meant in his parables, and sometimes we don’t have to wonder at all.

In this parable the priests who were listening knew Jesus was talking about them and about how they had not respected or accepted the messengers from God who had come to teach them about how God wanted them to live. They felt guilty but they did not want to change how they behaved or how rich they were because they worked at the Temple.

The last part of the story was the land owner, meaning God, sent his son, meaning Jesus, and they beat and killed him too.

Jesus barely finishes telling the story when those same priests were planning ways to get rid of Jesus – like they hadn’t even heard the warning in Jesus’ story that they better leave Jesus alone.

There are a lot of people who call themselves Christian leaders, but who are more interested in the power to tell others how to behave rather than living like Jesus wanted them to.

Jesus knew about them and how they chose power and money over God’s teachings.

That is also why Jesus taught us we don’t need anyone else getting in the way of our relationship with God. We can pray to God, sing to God and do the things Jesus taught us to do to make the world into a fair place where everyone is treated properly.

Sunday Reflection – July 30, 2023

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Repeat from July 25, 2020

Parables of the Kingdom of Heaven

Matthew 13 31 Jesus told them another story:

The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a farmer plants a mustard seed in a field. 32 Although it is the smallest of all seeds, it grows larger than any garden plant and becomes a tree. Birds even come and nest on its branches.

33 Jesus also said:

The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a woman mixes a little yeast into three big batches of flour. Finally, all the dough rises.

44 The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when someone finds a treasure hidden in a field and buries it again. Such a person is happy and goes and sells everything in order to buy that field.

45 The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a shop owner is looking for fine pearls. 46 After finding a very valuable one, the owner goes and sells everything in order to buy that pearl.

47 The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a net is thrown into a lake and catches all kinds of fish. 48 When the net is full, it is dragged to the shore, and the fishermen sit down to separate the fish. They keep the good ones, but throw the bad ones away. 49 That’s how it will be at the end of time. Angels will come and separate the evil people from the ones who have done right. 50 Then those evil people will be thrown into a flaming furnace, where they will cry and grit their teeth in pain.

51 Jesus asked his disciples if they understood all these things. They said, “Yes, we do.”

52 So he told them, “Every student of the Scriptures who becomes a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like someone who brings out new and old treasures from the storeroom.”

Kids Korner: Heaven is like… (July 30th)

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Read Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 with your family.

We have bounced around Mathew 13 over the last few weeks. When the writer and editor put this chapter together, they picked up on the first part of a few stories later in the chapter. That is why we have been bouncing around.

But all of Matthew 13 is about Jesus helping his followers and others who were listening to these stories understand what Jesus wanted them to learn. Sometimes for grown-ups it is easier to hear truth in stories than it is if they just talk plainly. Kids are good at talking plainly. Adults are not.

In the stories from today, Jesus compares heaven to a lot of different things: something small that can get so large it will provide food and shelter for everyone (mustard seed); something even tinier that will grow and grow until it provides for everyone (yeast in bread); something that is like a discovery that is so wonderful we want to tell everyone (treasure in the field); something so valuable that a person will sell everything they own just to have it (pearl); something that will grab everyone up together (fishing net)

At the end of the passage is still the reminder that good and bad will be separated. This is also a story that give lots of warning so we know to make good choices .