May (1 of 2): Small Group Discussion Guide
The Parable of the Relentlessly Faithful Father
This week’s small group centers on Jesus’ parable of the two lost sons in Luke 15. Though their actions differ, both the younger and older sons misunderstand the heart of the Father—one by running away in rebellion, the other by staying close yet serving out of duty and pride. The Father’s response is stunning: he runs toward the rebellious son with compassion and pleads with the self-righteous son to join the celebration. This discussion will explore how our own assumptions about God—whether rooted in shame, fear, or pride—can distort our relationship with Him. We'll reflect on the depth of the Father's love, how He absorbs our shame, and what it means to live as His beloved children. Ultimately, the problem with both sons is that they fail to grasp just how much their father loves them and celebrates them.
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Resources
Surrender to Love: Discovering the Heart of Christian Spirituality by David Brenner
Sermon Video
Sermon Text
Luke 15:11-32
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
Sermon Quotes
God doesn't turn away from sinners in disgust but moves toward us, bringing us his redemptive presence. Perhaps not surprisingly, Christians who assume that God is preoccupied with sin tend themselves to adopt the same focus. In fact, they often seem to think that they honor God by taking sin as seriously as they do. Often they become uncomfortable with an emphasis on divine love; they feel an urgent need to balance this by highlighting God's hatred of sin. Unfortunately, while they may give intellectual assent to God's love, they often experience very little of it." - David Brenner
Discussion Questions
David Benner writes that many Christians are more focused on sin than on God’s love. Have you seen or felt this tension? How has it shaped your spiritual life?
What’s the danger of thinking God is primarily angry, disappointed, or ashamed of us?
How would you live your life if you knew that God embraces and celebrates you with enthusiastic joy and relentless love? How would this shape the way you see yourself? Would it shape the way you live? What would you do or try, or stop doing or stop trying?
In what ways is the older son “lost” too? What does he misunderstand about the Father?
Have you ever experienced a moment where God’s love broke through your defenses? What happened, and how did it change you? What lies or false narratives about yourself do you think block you from receiving God’s love fully?
Challenge Question (It’s a tough one. We are meant to feel some tension with the older son’s objection, but that tension is also supposed to tell us some things about our own heart.): Do you think the older son is justified in being angry with the father? Do you think it’s fair that the father had never actually slaughtered a fattened calf and thrown a party for the older son?
