Fathered by God - Part 2: "The Loving Father"

This Sunday we take a look at the story of the Loving Father that Jesus told in Luke 15. Any understanding we are going to have about the Fatherhood of God has to begin with His great love towards us. We see through this story that the Father's love allows room for freedom, always works for the reconciliation of relationship, and is on full display through His pursuit of us and His enduring presence in our lives. May we recognize the Father’s heart toward us as He draws us near with cords of loving-kindness! Life Group Questions: 1. What stood out to you the most from the story Jesus told in Luke 15? Was God highlighting something to you personally this week? 2. How does God show His love to us by giving us freedom? Why is the freedom to choose (even wrongly) an important part of love? Why is this difficult to do as a parent with our own kids? 3. How does the Father respond to his returning younger son (see Luke 15:20-24)? Have you ever experienced God's love like that in your life? Have you ever had an opportunity to love a returning prodigal this way? What makes it so difficult to respond to prodigals the way the father does in this story? 4. How is the Father’s love shown through his interaction with his older son (Luke 15:28-32)? The older son always lived near the father, so what was he missing that he could so easily mis-understand God’s Love? Why couldn’t he celebrate his younger brother’s return? 5. What is the most challenging aspect of God’s Love in this story for you to receive from Him? How could you open yourself up to receiving that from Him? What is the hardest part for you when trying to love others the way God does? (think about your closest relationships: spouse, kids, close friends & family) How could you grow in that area?