Imagine, for a moment, what it feels like to be that father—the one left standing alone at the edge of the property, watching both of your children slip away in different directions and breaking your heart at the same time. One runs far off, to chase their own pleasure and freedom and popularity, leaving you behind without a second thought. The other stays close but grows cold and resentful and angry, doing all the “right” things but with a heart that’s distant, hard, and transactional—waiting for the moment you to die so they can claim everythings. Its doing the right stuff, for the wrong reasons. This isn’t just a story about some rebellious kids or dutiful rule-followers. It’s about a father’s aching heart—full of love, longing, and loneliness—caught between two children who both want ONLY what he can give THEM, but neither truly wants him, his heart. And maybe, if we’re honest, that’s a picture of many of us the church—distracted, self-absorbed, cyncial, angry, neglecting the heart of God who simply waits for us to come home… not for what He gives, but for who He is.

July 13, 2025

www.umtemple.com

Sermon Notes https://drive.google.com/file/d/15BPq…

Bulletin https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cREg…

Transcript https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z7re…