The Journey of Discovery
Five days in Luke 15 on the journey of discovering who God made you to be and what to do next.
5-Day Devotional · Luke 15:11-24 · September 2026
Amazing family,
I want to give a special thanks to Rev. Brandon Fisher for making the trip from Kyles Temple AME Zion Church in Sacramento to help us commemorate our 108th year.
Last Homecoming Sunday, Rev. Fisher preached from Luke 15:11, the story of the prodigal son. He asked us to see that son with grace, not as someone rebellious, but as someone on a search for identity and purpose, the same search a lot of us are still on. Nobody knows the backstory behind somebody else's choices.
From that story, he pulled three discoveries. The son discovered the vanity of the world: he was rich and empty, then broke and empty too, and the world never helped him at all. The world can never give you the purpose God gave you, though so many of us go looking for it elsewhere. He discovered the difference between being a victim and being a volunteer, and that owning what is actually ours is the only way to move forward. And he discovered the value of his father's house, a father who was still watching for him, ready to run to him with compassion.
Rev. Fisher closed with one invitation: it only takes one decisive step back toward God.
We will spend the next five days in Luke 15.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Kaloma
DAY 1 - THERE'S A BACKSTORY
Luke 15:11 · NRSVUE
"Then Jesus said, 'There was a man who had two sons.'"
Every person you meet is carrying a story you have never read. Behind every choice, every struggle, and every detour is a backstory that only God fully knows. The younger son in Luke 15 walked away from home with money in his pocket and hope in his heart. From the outside, it may have looked like rebellion. But underneath was a restless longing that he did not yet have words for.
We are quick to judge what we can see and slow to consider what we cannot. Someone in your life may be making choices that frustrate or confuse you. But before you write them off, remember that you do not know the full story. Grace asks us to hold space for the journey, even when we do not understand it.
More than that, this is an invitation to look honestly at your own story. What are you searching for? What longing is driving your decisions right now? God is not surprised by the question. He created you with a hunger that only He can satisfy, and He is patient enough to meet you right where you are. You are not too far gone. You are not too complicated. You are simply on a journey, and the Father already knows the way home.
"Every story has a backstory." — Rev. Brandon Fisher
Reflection
What unspoken longing or unmet need might be quietly driving the decisions you are making right now?
Prayer
Lord, thank You for meeting me in the middle of my journey instead of waiting for me to arrive somewhere first. Give me grace for my own story and for the stories I don't fully know in the people around me. Help me stay honest about what I am still discovering about myself. Amen.
DAY 2 - RICH AND EMPTY
Luke 15:20 · NRSVUE
"So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him."
The younger son had everything he thought he needed. Money, freedom, and a wide-open future. But the far country that looked so promising from a distance turned out to be empty up close. The world made a big promise and delivered very little.
That is still happening today. We chase the next promotion, the next relationship, the next experience, convinced that this one will finally be enough. And for a moment, it feels like it might be. But the satisfaction fades, and the hunger returns, often stronger than before.
This is not a coincidence. There is a longing inside every person that was placed there by God Himself. It is not a flaw. It is a feature. You were designed for something the world simply cannot provide. No amount of money, status, or applause can reach the place inside you that only God can touch.
The good news is that recognizing this is not a defeat. It is actually the beginning of something better. When the younger son realized the world had nothing left to offer him, that was the moment his real journey home began. Your emptiness is not the end of your story. It might just be the turning point.
"The world can never give you the purpose that God gave you." — Rev. Brandon Fisher
Reflection
In what area of your life have you been expecting the world to satisfy a longing that only God can truly meet?
Prayer
Father, forgive me for looking to things that were never going to fill what only You can fill. Draw me back to what actually satisfies. Remind me that You are not finished with my story. Amen.
DAY 3 - OWN YOUR STORY
Luke 15:17 · NRSVUE
"But when he came to his senses he said, 'How many of my father's hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger!'"
One of the most powerful moments in the parable comes quietly. The younger son, sitting in a pigpen far from home, finally came to himself. He stopped blaming his circumstances and started telling himself the truth. He had made choices that led him here. And that honest reckoning changed everything.
It is easy to see ourselves as victims of our situations. Sometimes life does deal us a hard hand, and that pain is real. But there are also moments when we have to be honest enough to admit that we walked into something with our eyes open. Owning that is not about shame. It is about freedom.
When you take responsibility for your choices, you take back the power to make different ones. You are no longer stuck waiting for someone else to fix what you helped create. That shift in perspective is not a small thing. It is the moment the younger son decided to get up and go home.
God is not asking you to have it all figured out before you come to Him. He is simply asking you to take one honest step in the right direction. You are closer to a turning point than you may realize. One decision really can change the entire direction of your life.
"I want to give somebody permission today to just own your stuff." — Rev. Brandon Fisher
Reflection
Is there a situation in your life where taking honest ownership of your choices could actually set you free rather than hold you back?
Prayer
God, give me the courage to stop making excuses and start taking responsibility for the parts of my story that are mine to own. Meet me in that honesty. Amen.
DAY 4 - ONE DECISION AWAY
Luke 15:21 · NRSVUE
"Then the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'"
The younger son did not need a complete life overhaul before he could go home. He needed one decision. He got up. That was it. One choice set everything else in motion, and by the time he was still a long way off, his Father was already running toward Him.
We often convince ourselves that change requires perfect conditions. We tell ourselves we will get serious about faith when life settles down, or we will make things right when we feel more ready. But the younger son did not wait until he was cleaned up. He went home dirty, rehearsing an apology, with no guarantee of how he would be received.
And the Father ran. He did not wait at the door with a list of requirements. He ran. That is the kind of God we serve. He is not standing at a distance, arms crossed, waiting for you to earn your way back. He is already looking down the road for you.
Wherever you are today, you are not as far from home as you think. The road back does not require perfection. It requires a decision. And that decision is available to you right now, in this moment, exactly as you are.
"You are just one decision away from the best part of your life." — Rev. Brandon Fisher
Reflection
What is one decision you have been putting off that, if made today, could redirect the entire course of your life?
Prayer
Lord, I don't need everything figured out before I take a step toward You. Give me the courage to decide today, and trust You with what comes after. Amen.
DAY 5 - NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Luke 15:22 · NRSVUE
"But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly, bring out a robe, the best one, and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.'"
At the end of his long journey, the younger son discovered something that all his wandering could not teach him from a distance. Home was better than anything the far country had to offer. Not because it was perfect, but because it was where he truly belonged.
There is something powerful about returning to the Father. Not out of obligation or guilt, but out of the genuine realization that nothing else compares. The world offers experiences, but the Father offers belonging. The world offers temporary satisfaction, but the Father offers lasting purpose. The world offers a road that looks exciting at the start but leads somewhere you never intended to go.
The Father's house is not just a destination. It is a relationship. It is the place where you are fully known and fully loved, where your mistakes do not define you and your future is not limited by your past. That is the grace at the center of this story, and it is available to you today.
You do not have to keep wandering. You do not have to keep searching in places that have already proven they cannot satisfy. The Father is watching for you. The road home is open. And the best part of your life is not behind you. It is waiting on the other side of one good decision.
"There's no place like home. Nobody's gonna treat you like God's children." — Rev. Brandon Fisher
Reflection
What would it look like for you to fully come home to the Father, not just in belief, but in the way you live your daily life?
Prayer
Father, thank You for a home that does not require me to arrive somewhere first. Thank You for a family who receives me now, mid-journey, exactly as I am. Keep me close this week. Amen.
A Prayer for the Week Ahead
Lord,
This week showed us that discovery does not have a finish line, and neither does Your grace toward us.
Send us back into our ordinary weeks with the same permission we heard this Homecoming Sunday, to keep asking, to keep owning, to keep deciding.
We are still Your children, still on the road, still welcome at Your table every time we turn back toward home.
Amen.
The Conversation Continues
Wednesday night small groups pick up right where this week leaves off.
Join us Sunday at 10:00 AM — 3549 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto.
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