"Come Home" - The Lost Son

I'm preparing for my last service at Blackwood UC. The gospel reading is Luke 15:1-32. Here's my worship planning so far. I haven't included everything.

I have a series of images on the theme "Come Home" that begins with a view from outside a house, then a close-up of a house, then an open front door, finishing with a view of a table inside a house. Three photos are on Creative Commons licences from flickr.com  and one I bought from Shutterstock. The photos are sequenced throughout the service to indicate a journey. This first photo is by Beth.

Video and Music
I've combined Padraig O'Tuama's wonderful song "Yearn" with a portion of the video from All India Radio's video of "Tijuana Dream."

Call to Worship

Adapted slightly from a piece by Roddy Hamilton from Mucky Paws.

There is a place
shaped for the lost
a place that knows your name
and calls you home
Love’s homecoming place

There is a place
shaped for the estranged
a place that reaches out
and welcomes you home
Love’s homecoming place

There is a place
shaped for the lonely
a place that meets you
and knows your need
Love’s homecoming place

There is a place
shaped for the refugee
a place that is empty without you
and knows your worth
Love’s homecoming place

There is a place
shaped for the broken
a place that knows your brokenness
and promises healing
Love’s homecoming place

There is a place
shaped for you who have never left
a place that waits
and longs for each return

This is God’s place and God’s time
All are welcome here
Let us come home to Love.

[Above photo by Joe Zimny]

\ There will be some visual pieces on display during the service. One is a large black and white woodblock print from Frank Wesley's original print which I bought from Frank's wife Athalie, but that's another story.

Reflection

The Bible reading is a meditative reading of the text that accompanies Rembrandt's painting "The Return of the Prodigal Son" shown in sections. This is effectively the first part of the sermon. I once bought a slide transparency set of the painting to accompany a commentary on the story by Henri Nouwen. Since I no longer use a slide projector, I created a digital version of the same images. It's a great technique of telling a story by showing parts of an image and then showing the whole image at the conclusion.

Here is a copy of the Bible reading with indicative images of the sections of the Rembrandt painting.

Download Prodigal_Son_Rembrandt_Text

The reading will be accompanied by William Orbit's version of "Barber's Adagio for Strings".

The reflective reading is followed by some questions with space for personal reflection by the congregation.

What part of the story stood out for you?

In which part of the story do you find yourself today?

In which character of the story do you find yourself today?

Song - "For the Lost and Lonely" Geoff Bullock (presented as an item).

The second visual piece in the worship space is a table covered with a stony road and a figure walking home. It is actually the bottom half of a broken candle holder.

Reflection

The second part of the "sermon" is a guided refection.

It begins with Cheryl Lawrie's wonderful reflection on the Prodigal Son published in "Hold This Space" from Proost. It's here in the worship handout.

Download Worship_Handout

The guided reflection involves taste. There will be bowls and communion glasses for people to taste from. I'm basing the reflections on previous worship stations that I've done but planning to rewrite them. Here are the original worship stations from 2010. The taste thing is something that I worked on in 2017 for some worship workshops.

Download Prodigal_Son_Worship

Download Prodigal_Son_Stations

a. Bitterness - a reflection on the Son being among the pigs and feelings of bitterness and regret. The taste is caraway seeds. What is the bitterness or regret that we hold on to, that we can't let go of, that we need to bring home to God?

b. Tears - a reflection on the long road home, the tears and the doubt of forgiveness and welcome. The taste is salt. From what do we doubt that God will forgive us? What tears can we not let go?

c. Homecoming - a reflection on being welcomed into God's embrace. The taste is sparkling apple cider served in communion glasses. (I skipped the champagne idea...) What part of us needs to come home to God?

Song - "Be Our Light" by Craig Mitchell and David Macgregor

[Photo right by Terry Chapman]

Affirmation of Faith - by Roddy Hamilton from Mucky Paws

We believe in a world full of God
Where light drips with the weight of heaven
And love prepares in eager anticipation
For the outcome of every moment
We live in the company of grace and love

We believe in a world full of God
Where a child who leaves,
finds their way home
To a waiting, anticipating, impatient parent
Ready with a promise and ready with feast
We live in the company of grace and love

We believe in a world full of God
Where a child who remains behind,
discovers their way home
To an open, accepting, grace-filled place
And a banquet fit for heaven
We live in the company of grace and love

We believe in a world full of God
Where bread becomes a feast
And wine an ever-flowing covenant
And a table a celebration with the lost
We live in the company of grace and love

We believe in a world full of God
Where every pain fractures bread
Every cry spills wine
And every table is a place God waits
We live in the company of grace and love

We believe in a world full of God
Where we, the lost of the world
Can turn and make our way home
Where God anticipates our return
Into arms that are outstretched
Round a table that is beckoning
And towards a feast
that is prepared for the world
We live in the company of grace and love

[Photo by Tomertu on Shutterstock]

Since it's my last Sunday I'll also be telling a final "Frog & Toad" story which has almost nothing to do with the theme...

A few more things still to work out.

Comments

[Cynthia Page]

Craig, I never cease to marvel at the breadth of your knowledge, creativity and skills. This is wonderful. Would you please post a picture of the table with the stony road on it? Also, how will people taste the different ingredients? I'm planning a stations worship for the Prodigal Son and will use these ideas if that is okay. Thanks again for being such a blessing. I'm sorry that you will be so far away from me in Victoria. I would love to sit at your feet and learn. Maybe we could trade wine and/or beer for some tutoring? I would like that. Blessings for you leaving Belair and preparing to move to Victoria.

[Cynthia Page]

I meant Blackwood, sorry.

[craigmitchell]

Thanks Cynthia. You're welcome to use anything. I'll email you some Prodigal Son stations that I've done. I'm sure I stole some ideas from Cheryl Lawrie. When I've done this before I've had people sitting at tables with bowls for tasting in the centre of the table. I'm thinking this time of simply having bowls that are passed along the rows and people take some seeds or rock salt. I'm thiniknig of using communion glasses for the third tasting. That then made me wonder if I would change the third tasting for something like sparkling apple juice. I'll add a photo of the Son figure above - it's actually the bottom of a broken candle holder but it sort of looks like a person.

[Wendy Snook]

Really excellent suggestions, Craig. i am sharing them with my W@9 leader for this Sunday, and we'll see what happens! Blessings and I hope your final service in Blackwood UCA goes well.

[Wendy Snook]

Also I discovered Cheryl Lawrie's book is sold out, so is it possible for a copy of her reflection to be added on -line? Many thanks. Wendy

[craigmitchell]

Thanks Wendy and Cynthia. I just added some estra stuff to the page.

[Colleen]

Thanks Craig. Wonderful! And an image from Frank Wesley. I saw an exhibition of his work many years ago - it has always stayed with me - so completely filled with emotion.

[Peter Oliver]

Old grey father had a farm
Two sons made him glow.
And on that farm he heard one son
"Dad I want to go"
With a "Gimme" here, and a "Gimme" me there.
Here a "Gimme" there a "Gimme" everywhere a "Gimme" "Gimme"
Old grey father had a farm
"Dad I want to go"

Old grey father's prodigal son
Put on quite a show
With a "Party party" here.

Old grey father's wasteful son
Soon ran out of dough.
With a "Help me" here.

Old grey father's pig sty son
In mud he sank his toes.
With an "Oink oink" here.

Old grey father's sorry son
"In his eyes I'll be so low"
I'll be ordered here and ordered there...

To old grey father's surp-rised son.
"There's nothing that you owe."
With a "Hug, hug" here and a "Hug, hug" there.