Our Heavenly Father Wants All His Children Home Again

This video excerpt features the Rev. Dr. Scott Bruzek, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church, Wheaton, Illinois, in conversation with the Rev. Dr. Dien Ashley Taylor, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church, The Bronx, New York, at the virtual conference held in June 2021, Orbiting Christ: Belonging, Believing, Behaving. Their conversation, in which they discussed formation through liturgy and community in their respective congregations, is rich with wisdom.

This excerpt begins with a question posed by me, the moderator, about how each congregation is an inviting community. Pastor Bruzek responds first with the allusion to the Prodigal Son (“Our heavenly Father wants all his children home again”). Pastor Taylor picks up on the Prodigal Son language as well, reminding us that “we [Christians] all know what it is to feel loved.” For those who do not, the community can become the place where those who feel unloved have their “minds transformed” by the loving embrace of the community. This excerpt is about 6 minutes long.