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Lost and looking
The youth weekend focussed on the cartoon, Finding Nemo, which told of the journey of a father angel fish, searching for his son, who had swam off in a headstrong moment, and ended up caught and trapped, his dad never gives up looking, until at last he rescues him.
The Bible passages that were looked at all came from Luke 15, where we read a series of parables which tell a similar tale of leaving, losing, looking and loving.
Let’s just look at the greatest of them, The Parable of the Lost Son
Read Luke 15:11-13 LEAVING
Sometimes the troubles of our lives are self-inflicted. What are the hints in the story which indicate poor choices, bad judgment, hard-heartedness on the part of the younger son?
How much can you identify with the younger son’s rebellion? What were his motives? Is this kind of behaviour exclusive to younger people or is it more likely at a younger age?
What happens if you treat people as a means to an end?
What do you think of the father’s response to the request of the younger son? Why did he agree? Do you think God the Father may respond in the same way to our requests? Sometimes it’s said, ’Be careful what you ask for, you may get more than you expect’. Is that true in your experience?
Read Luke 15:13-16 LOSING
What did the son lose besides his money in the distant country?
What do you think are the worst things you can lose in life, when you go down a similar road? The increasing sense of loneliness is painted with tremendous power, have you ever felt a similar sense of being isolated through your selfishness? Sometimes it’s said that a person has to reach the bottom before they can start to rise, do you think that is true in your experience?
Read Luke 15:17-20 LOOKING
The son’s journey back, begins with him looking at what his life had become.
The phrase, ’When he came to his senses’(v17), almost suggests he had been living in an unreal state, a dream that had become a nightmare. Have you any experience of this in your life? We have all had people giving us advice when we have gone wrong, why is it important that we have to come to the realisation ourselves? The son realises his sin is principally against God and not just his father. Why is this the case when we mess up in our lives?
The son thinks he has blown it with his father, but still reckons there might be the chance of some mercy. What he doesn’t realise, is that while he has been looking at his life, the father has never stopped looking for his son. This is the case with God the Father and ourselves.
Read v 20 again and ask, what is most surprising about the scene described? How do you think the son would have felt approaching his father, and then after the response that he received from his father?
Read Luke 15:21-32 LOVING
The son doesn’t even get the chance to finish his apology and plea before the father interrupts him with grace: the best robe was a sign of honour, the ring stood for authority, the shoes were the mark of a free man, and the feast was a great celebration. Why was the occasion so very special? What gave the father so much pleasure? How is this like how God treats us when we return to him?
The story ends with a sting in the tale, when the elder brother comes on to the scene (v25-30). What made him so angry? Was the father being unfair to the elder brother? What are the signs that the elder brother’s heart was not right to his brother or his father? How do we respond when grace and gifts are given to people we regard as less deserving?
How do you think the story ended, with the brother going in to welcome his younger brother? Why do you think Jesus doesn’t tell us? How will it end in our relationships with others whom God blesses, with our anger or our joy?
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