This week’s lesson – the Parable of the Prodigal Son…or sons – or maybe even the Father who does not seem to act like a stern patriarch of a family in Jesus’ day.  To unpack the power of the parable and the power in which Jesus uses it we need to understand something of ancient Middle Eastern Culture centred around honour and shame.  Parables Domenic Cross tells us are like the tectonic plates and the fault lines below our feet waiting to disrupt our settled and comfortable lives.  There are some surprises here, and one that should not surprise us – God’s grace.  We’ll look at how, in a time when anger and revenge seem so much the message of Christian Nationalism and a message so far away from the teachings of Jesus, now it is we can become witnesses to God’s Grace.  Its never simple or easy to follow Jesus.