Episode 846
Reimagining Family: A Profound Reflection on Radical Welcome | 846
The "Daily Bible Refresh" is presented each day by Rev. Dr. Brad Miller who has a goal of speaking a bit of the bible into two million ears (one million people) in three years (2025-2028).
He is the author of "The A, B, C-1,2,3 Bible Study Guide" Free to you by clicking HERE.
Brad served as a local church pastor for forty years and has a background in radio and podcasting. Moreover, he is a life-long student of The Bible.
He believes in the words of Jesus that “scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21)
The "Daily Bible Refresh" is available seven days a week by 6:00 am ET. The episodes are no longer than ten minutes long and are...
- Understandable: A reading from the New Testament (usually the Gospel) selected from the Revised Common Lectionary using "The Message" translation.
- Relatable: You will have a couple of "points to ponder" from the text which will relate to your life
- Applicable: Every episode includes a way you can take action based on the reading
- A recommended resource to help you go deeper in biblical study and spiritual direction.
- A prayer for your day.
A companion resource to the Voice of God Daily Podcast is the “ABC Bible Study Guide” available by clicking HERE.
The "Daily Bible Refresh" is available every day at VoiceofGodDaily.com on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all major podcast directories.
You can help Dr. Brad attain his goal of getting a bit of the bible into two million ears by subscribing to "Daily Bible Refresh" on Apple Podcasts, leaving a five-star rating, and writing a review. More importantly please share with your network of family and friends about the "Daily Bible Refresh".
Please make listening to the "Daily Bible Refresh" a part of your daily life.
Remember… “All scripture is God-breathed and useful”(2 Timothy 3:16)
The parable articulated in the Gospel of Luke, specifically Luke 15:11-32, delves into profound themes of familial reconciliation and the transformative power of unconditional love. The narrative introduces us to a younger son who audaciously demands his inheritance, effectively wishing for his father’s demise, and subsequently squanders it in a distant land. This act of rebellion sets the stage for a journey of self-discovery, culminating in a return to his father where he anticipates rejection. Yet, contrary to his expectations, the father’s response is one of overwhelming grace and acceptance. He runs to his son, embracing him and calling for a celebration, symbolizing the radical welcome that defies societal norms. This moment encapsulates a powerful message about the nature of love within familial relationships, emphasizing that true acceptance transcends past transgressions.
Moreover, the parable invites us to reflect on the dynamics of power and societal expectations. The older brother’s resentment towards the celebration of his sibling’s return highlights a common struggle—how we often equate love with merit and obedience. The father’s insistence on celebrating his son’s return serves as a profound critique of this transactional understanding of relationships. Instead of reinforcing power structures based on worthiness, the father’s actions challenge us to reconsider how we engage with those who have experienced marginalization. In a society rife with judgments and divisions, this narrative compels us to adopt a perspective that is inclusive, recognizing that grace is not contingent upon one’s past but is a fundamental aspect of love.
Ultimately, the parable of the Lost Son serves as a clarion call for radical inclusion in our communities. It prompts us to assess how we can embody the spirit of welcome in our personal and communal spaces. This entails examining the barriers that may exist, identifying who feels comfortable and who does not, and taking actionable steps to create environments that foster inclusivity. By practicing radical welcome, we not only align ourselves with the father’s example but also contribute to the dismantling of exclusionary practices that pervade our society. In doing so, we strive to cultivate a culture of acceptance, where every individual is celebrated for their inherent worth, regardless of their past choices or societal perceptions.
Takeaways:
- The parable of the prodigal son invites us to reconsider traditional family dynamics and unconditional love.
- We are encouraged to transcend binary thinking, recognizing the complexities within familial relationships.
- The father's radical acceptance challenges societal norms, illustrating the power of grace over judgment.
- This narrative advocates for economic justice, presenting a model of abundance rather than scarcity.
- We must examine our personal and communal spaces for inclusivity, ensuring that all individuals feel welcomed.
- The story serves as a call to action, prompting us to embrace radical welcome in our interactions.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- voiceofgodddaily.com
Transcript
Brad Miller.
Speaker A:Hello good people.
Speaker A:Welcome to Daily Bible Refresh.
Speaker A:This is the place where you come every single day to get a reading of the New Testament.
Speaker A:We read from the selected verses for this very day from the Revised Common Lectionary.
Speaker A:We're in year C and this is the fourth Sunday of Lent.
Speaker A:We make the Bible understandable.
Speaker A:We read from the New Testament the Message version, relatable by offering you some points to ponder and applicable giving you an action step to take.
Speaker A:It's all brought to you by voiceofgodddaily.com that is the home of the ABC 1, 2, 3 Bible study method.
Speaker A:We do all that in under 10 minutes and have a prayer.
Speaker A: reading for the day from Luke: Speaker A:The younger said to his father, father, I want right now what's coming to me.
Speaker A:So the father divided his property between them.
Speaker A:And it wasn't long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country.
Speaker A:And there, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had.
Speaker A:After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to feel it.
Speaker A:He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs.
Speaker A:He was so hungry that he would have eaten the corn cobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.
Speaker A:That brought him to his senses and he said, all these farmheads working for my father sit down to three meals a day.
Speaker A:And here I am starving to death.
Speaker A:I'm going back to my father and I'll say to him, father, I've sinned against God.
Speaker A:I've sinned before you.
Speaker A:I don't deserve to be called your son.
Speaker A:Take me on as a hired hand.
Speaker A:And he got right up and he went home to his father.
Speaker A:When he was still a long way off, his father saw him and his heart pounding, he ran out and embraced him and kissed him.
Speaker A:And the son started his speech, father, I sinned against God.
Speaker A:I sinned against before you.
Speaker A:I don't deserve to be called your son ever again.
Speaker A:But the father wasn't listening.
Speaker A:He was calling to his servants, quick, bring a clean set of clothes and dress him.
Speaker A:Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Speaker A:Then get a prize winning heifer and roasted we're going to have a feast.
Speaker A:We're going to have a wonderful time.
Speaker A:My son is here, given up for dead and now alive.
Speaker A:Given up for lost and now found.
Speaker A:And they began to have a wonderful time.
Speaker A:And all this time the older brother, the older son was out in the field.
Speaker A:And when the day's work was done, he came in.
Speaker A:And as he approached the house, he heard the music and the dancing and calling over to one of the houseboys, he asked, what is going on?
Speaker A:And he said to him, your brother came home.
Speaker A:Your father has ordered a feast.
Speaker A:Barbecued beef.
Speaker A:Because he was home safe and sound, the older brother stomped off in an angry sulk and refused to join in.
Speaker A:And his father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't listen.
Speaker A:The son said, look, how many years have I stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends?
Speaker A:Then this son of yours who's thrown away all your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast.
Speaker A:And his father said, son, you don't understand.
Speaker A:You're with me all the time and everything that is mine is yours.
Speaker A:But this is a wonderful time and we had to celebrate.
Speaker A:This brother of yours was dead and he's alive.
Speaker A:He was lost and he's found.
Speaker A:Great story.
Speaker A:You're familiar with it.
Speaker A:We sometimes notice the prodigal son.
Speaker A:It's really a story of reimagining family and radical welcome.
Speaker A:And there's this family parable here and it's all about radical inclusion and challenging some traditional family structures with unconditional love.
Speaker A:So here's some points to ponder.
Speaker A:First thought is to go beyond binary thinking.
Speaker A:That is to say, the story is often reduced to kind of a good son, bad son kind of a thing, but invites us to move beyond a simplistic understanding.
Speaker A:What we might call a binary.
Speaker A:Just the duality of this.
Speaker A:Both sons are trapped in different ways, one by rebellion and one by rigid conformity.
Speaker A:The father's response challenges our tendency to categorize people as deserving or undeserving, worthy or unworthy.
Speaker A:In our current context, this speaks to how we might move beyond polarizing politics and judgmental theology.
Speaker A:Here's another point to ponder.
Speaker A:It's about disrupting the power dynamics that were going on.
Speaker A:The father's actions are revolutionary and in the Middle Eastern culture, running was undignified for an elder.
Speaker A:Yet he runs.
Speaker A:He interrupts his son's rehearsed confession, refusing to participate in shame based restoration.
Speaker A:This models how privilege and power can be used to dismantle hierarchies rather than reinforce them.
Speaker A:It's particularly relevant as we consider how institutions might respond to marginalized communities seeking reconciliation.
Speaker A:Then there's the economics of grace.
Speaker A:This isn't just a story about family dynamics, it's about economic justice.
Speaker A:The younger son's request affectedly wishes his father dead, yet the father responds with radical generosity.
Speaker A:The older son's complaint reveals his transactional view of the relationship.
Speaker A:I've served you, you know, where's my party at?
Speaker A:And the father's response is everything I have is yours.
Speaker A:And it suggests an economy of abundance rather than scarcity.
Speaker A:And this challenges both the capitalistic accumulation and religious merit based thinking of that day.
Speaker A:And ours as well, I believe.
Speaker A:Here's your action step Practice radical welcome auditing that is examiner your personal and your communal spaces, the places you hang out, you know, your home, your workplace, your church, your faith community, your friends through the lens of welcome.
Speaker A:Who feels comfortable there?
Speaker A:Who doesn't?
Speaker A:What unspoken rules or expectations create barriers and choose a concrete action to make your space more welcoming to those who may be typically excluded.
Speaker A:And you might want to document that the challenges that arise in that and consider how you can be more inclusive.
Speaker A:We're going to pray in just a moment here.
Speaker A:Just I want to do want to remind you that we have a great resource for you to help with your own personal Bible study.
Speaker A:We really love it when you join us here on the Daily Bible Refresh.
Speaker A:But you know you need to study the Bible on your own.
Speaker A:You know that.
Speaker A:Here's your help.
Speaker A:Go to voiceofgodddaily.com and there we have a resource for you.
Speaker A:It's called the ABC 123 Bible Study Guide.
Speaker A:You, you take it, you use it and make it a part of your everyday discipline of Bible study.
Speaker A:It will help you.
Speaker A:Go to voiceofgodddaily.com for this free resource.
Speaker A:Let's pray.
Speaker A:Oh God, you are divine.
Speaker A:Love and we are just amazed by a love with the example of the Father here that runs to meet us.
Speaker A:We confess we're often more comfortable with transaction than grace with judgment than welcome.
Speaker A:And sometimes we're the younger child breaking free from suffocating expectations.
Speaker A:And sometimes we're the older son resentful of grace extended to others.
Speaker A:And sometimes we're the watching neighbors quick to whisper and judge.
Speaker A:Help us recognize how we perpetuate systems of worthiness and unworthiness.
Speaker A:Give us courage to release our grip on who deserves celebration and who doesn't thank you for modeling a love that doesn't wait for perfection, that runs to meet us in our mess, that throws parties for the undeserving.
Speaker A:May we become people who create spaces of radical welcome, who challenge systems of exclusion, who dare to celebrate resurrection where we find it.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:So good to be with you here on the Daily Bible Bible refresh.
Speaker A:We're here every day.
Speaker A:We usually drop these episodes before 6am we're here every single day.
Speaker A:We're here to meet the goal that I have of getting the audible voice of God into 2 million ears.
Speaker A: That's a million people by: Speaker A:I'd love it if you can join me in that mission.
Speaker A:You do it by joining me here tomorrow and by bringing a friend to voiceofgoddaily.com until that time, my name is Dr.
Speaker A:Brad Miller.
Speaker A:Just encouraging you to know that God's loyal love doesn't run out.
Speaker A:His merciful love hasn't dried up.
Speaker A:It's created new every morning.
