Beyond the Weekend: Parables
The stories Jesus told and what they mean for your life today.
Why did Jesus teach in stories? Because the deepest truths about God are often found in the ordinary moments of life.
In the parables, Jesus takes everyday things, a lost sheep, a dinner party, a farmer planting seeds and uses them to show us what God is really like and what it means to follow him.
This summer, we’re spending seven weeks in the parables from Luke’s gospel. Whether you’ve heard these stories a hundred times or this is your first time, you’re invited to come and hear them fresh.
June 27/28–August 8/9
Communion
Read: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 || Listen: 1 Corinthians 11
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 1 Corinthians 11:26
This weekend, we celebrated Communion as a church family. Communion is a tangible corporate reminder of Jesus’s finished work on the cross. The bread and cup represent his broken body and shed blood, given so our sins could be forgiven. As we share this meal together, we proclaim who Jesus is, what he accomplished through his death, and the hope of his return. Communion also reveals the heart of the Father. Like the father in the parable of the prodigal son, God does not wait with folded arms, demanding that we earn our way back. Instead, he runs toward us with compassion, welcoming us through the sacrifice of his Son. The cross is the ultimate picture of the Father’s love, making a way for every wandering heart to come home to him.
In a culture that rarely slows down, Communion invites us to pause. It is not an empty ritual or a way to earn God’s favor. It is an opportunity to remember that we are loved, forgiven, and welcomed because of Jesus. As we reflect on his sacrifice, we are also invited to renew our hearts in joyful obedience, responding to the Father’s grace with lives fully surrendered to him.
TODAY: Spend a few moments reflecting on God’s love for you. Listen to the worship song, “Run to the Father,” and let its words remind you that because of Jesus, you are always invited to come home to the Father’s loving embrace.
