Here’s a short write-up of the session we had on 24 Aug 2014.
“Nothing you ever do can take away God’s love. Nothing you ever do can gain more of God’s love.”
We explored about the Parable of the Faithful Father based on Rembrandt’s painting entitled ‘The Return of the Prodigal Son’.
- More than being a place, home is about relationships
- God desires to be our home; through adoption, God gives us sonship / daughterhood and wants to bring us home
- The divine embrace – motionless outside, radiating inside; transformation from death to life
- How are we responding to the father’s love?
- Preoccupied – indifferent
- Gazing – curious, rationalising, no commitment
- Watching – dreaming, unbelieving
- Looking – critical, self-righteous, angry, jealous
- Jesus did not give a neat ending to the story; the journey to the embrace is ongoing; our destiny is the embrace of God the Father
- The call to vulnerability – the courage to be seen
- The impact of the Father’s Love in our lives and the relationships we hold close
Watch video (Brene Brown’s Power of Vulnerability)
Watch video (Barry Adams’ Father’s Love Letter)
Read Barry Adams’ Father’s Love Letter
“He will restore the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers.”
– Malachi 4:6
For reflection:
- Read the ‘Father’s Love Letter’ and the scripture referenced therein.
- What is easy for you to identify with in the letter? What’s difficult?
- How does this affect you and your relationships (e.g. with spouse, children, parents, friends & colleagues)?
- Share with your cell and/ or spouse. Pray for each other for grace in the journey to embrace and live the Father’s love.