🔹 Story 1: The Prodigal Son – A Journey from Rebellion to Restoration
Main Characters: Prodigal son, father, elder brother
Story Summary: The younger son demanded his inheritance early, left home, and squandered it on reckless living. When famine hit, he returned in shame. The father ran to him with compassion, restored him, and celebrated his return.
Key Verses: Luke 15:11–24
Theme Connection: God’s mercy reaches to the lowest place—there is always a way home through repentance.
🔹 Story 2: The Elder Brother – Resentment in the Righteous
Main Characters: Elder brother, father, prodigal son
Story Summary: The elder brother was angry at the celebration for his brother’s return. Though he stayed home, his heart was distant—he could not rejoice in grace.
Key Verses: Luke 15:25–32
Theme Connection: Obedience without love leads to bitterness—God calls both the rebellious and the religious to transformation.
🔹 Story 3: The Father – Compassionate and Just
Main Characters: Father, both sons
Story Summary: The father runs to welcome the returning son and gently urges the elder son to come in. He honours both sons but responds to each with grace and truth.
Key Verses: Luke 15:20–32
Theme Connection: The father reflects God’s patient, welcoming heart—longing for reconciliation and joy in restored relationship.
🔹 Story 4: The Far Country – The Emptiness of Sin
Main Characters: Prodigal son, citizens of the land
Story Summary: The younger son fled to a distant land in pursuit of freedom but found himself empty, degraded, and starving. His suffering opened the way to repentance.
Key Verses: Luke 15:13–17
Theme Connection: Sin promises freedom but leads to famine—only in God do we find true fulfilment.
🔹 Story 5: The Feast – Joy in Heaven Over One Sinner
Main Characters: Father, servants, prodigal son
Story Summary: Upon the son’s return, the father threw a feast. The celebration symbolized the rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents.
Key Verses: Luke 15:22–24
Theme Connection: God delights in mercy—every act of repentance is cause for celebration in the kingdom.
🔹 Story 6: The Inheritance – A Picture of Entitlement and Grace
Main Characters: Prodigal son, elder brother, father
Story Summary: Both sons misunderstood the purpose of their inheritance. The younger squandered it; the elder saw it as earned. The father reminded them that relationship matters more than wealth.
Key Verses: Luke 15:12, 29–31
Theme Connection: Grace is not a wage—it is a gift freely given to the undeserving.
🔹 Story 7: The Servants – Witnesses to the Father’s Grace
Main Characters: Servants, father, prodigal son
Story Summary: The servants obeyed the father’s commands to clothe the returning son and prepare the feast. They became silent participants in the joy of restoration.
Key Verses: Luke 15:22
Theme Connection: God often involves others in the work of grace—those who serve become part of someone’s restoration story.
🔹 Story 8: The Journey Back – Turning Point of the Heart
Main Characters: Prodigal son
Story Summary: After hitting rock bottom, the son “came to his senses” and decided to return home, confessing his unworthiness and hoping to be treated as a servant.
Key Verses: Luke 15:17–19
Theme Connection: True repentance begins with humility and a change of heart—God meets us in that moment of turning.
🔹 Story 9: The Father’s Words to the Elder Son
Main Characters: Father, elder son
Story Summary: The father gently reminded the elder son that everything he had was already his—but they must rejoice, for the lost had been found.
Key Verses: Luke 15:31–32
Theme Connection: God’s grace does not exclude the faithful—it calls them to share in the joy of restoration.
🔹 Story 10: The Parable in the Context of Luke 15
Main Characters: Jesus, Pharisees, sinners, disciples
Story Summary: This parable is the third in a trio Jesus tells to confront the Pharisees’ scorn of sinners—after the lost sheep and lost coin. It expands the message of God’s joy in saving the lost and rebukes the prideful rejection of grace.
Key Verses: Luke 15:1–3, 11–32
Theme Connection: The story is not just about two sons—but a reflection of how heaven views repentance, and how God challenges hardened hearts to rejoice in redemption.
🔹 Key Bible Passages for the Theme
- Luke 15:11–32
- Luke 15:1–10
- Romans 2:4
- Psalm 51:17
- Ephesians 2:4–9
- Hosea 14:1–2
- Jonah 4:1–4
- Matthew 21:28–32
- 2 Corinthians 7:9–10
- Galatians 6:1