The Words of Christ

Luke 15:11-32 I have reviewed this video and the associated scriptures, and there are two points that stand out very deeply to me this morning: When the prodigal son returned, his father saw him coming home a great way off and ran to meet him in his return home.  There are those who will (more or less) always be faithful to the cause of the Father.  Theirs is the promise of inheritance. That may not be as readily apparent in this life, as is an immediate celebration for one who has returned.  The outward manifestation of temporal blessings are not an indicator of our progress that we've made or of promises that are still pending.

John 10:1-18 This reminder of Christ's Church and how Christ interacts with his faithful disciples has captivated my attentions these past several morning. There are several characters in the Savior's teachings about the sheep and the shepherd: the good shepherd - the Savior. the sheep - the disciples of Christ. the theif - opposite to the sheep, those that would not use the gate, but would try to come in some other way. the stranger - he who is not familiar to the disciples of Christ. the wolf - possibly the adversary, or others with destructive and malicious intentions. the hireling - paid supervisors or administrators.  the porter - a gate keeper.  The thief/robber is the first character introduced in this parable. The Savior introduces him as one who is trying to find admittance among the sheep by some other means other than using the door, and then calls him a thief and a robber.  The shepherd is then introduced by stating he uses the door. (There is only