A few days ago we watched a sermon by Henri Nouwen with Sina and Arie. I’ve had an appreciation for Nouwen ever since a mentor gave me a copy of Return of the Prodigal Son, a reflection on Rembrandt’s famous painting. (It’s a great book if you ever come across it; still one of my favorites to this day.) I knew a bit about Nouwen, but what I didn’t know (or never took notice of before now): he’s Dutch!
I thought the sermon we watched was quite profound. It was incredibly simple, and yet I think it spoke directly to his audience (Americans, he was speaking at the Crystal Cathedral).
The gist of his message:
We should not take our identity from…
-what we do
-what we have
-what others say about us
…but rather our identity is found in Christ, as beloved children of the Father.
i love henri nouwen! i read “return of the prodigal son” while i was in south africa and of course thoroughly enjoyed it. made me think a lot, especially in working with young people who lived on the streets. have you read “compassion” by nouwen? also great.
nope, but i’ll keep an eye out for it.
I like this story as well It is a great story I like the novel of Henri Nouven as well I hope you are all doing well I am still praying for your safety.