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The Prodigal Son - The Gospels · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Let us pray. It was meet that we should make
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  Speaker 1: merry and be glad. For this my brother was dead
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  Speaker 1: and is alive again, and was lost and is found.
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  Speaker 1: Luke 15.32 Lord, your grace and your forgiveness never ceases
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  Speaker 1: to amaze me. And no other story displays this more
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  Speaker 1: than the one that you shared about the prodigal son
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  Speaker 1: in Matthew 18.12-14. Through the reading of this text, I'm
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  Speaker 1: mesmerized by how even with the foolish decisions that were made,
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  Speaker 1: the Father never left His position of searching. May this
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  Speaker 1: bring comfort to my soul in knowing that no matter
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  Speaker 1: what mistakes I make, that You are always there searching
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  Speaker 1: for me. When I feel like I have blown and
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  Speaker 1: squandered my inheritance, I praise You because You have more
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  Speaker 1: in store for me as I come to you with
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  Speaker 1: a humble and broken heart. When others seek to keep
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  Speaker 1: me in the pigpen of life, I praise you that
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  Speaker 1: you will clothe me with honor. You'll restore power back
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  Speaker 1: to me through your ring of authority, and you will
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  Speaker 1: seat me at the table of greatness again. All that
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  Speaker 1: you have is mine. so I will make sure not
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  Speaker 1: to be jealous when I see others get restored back
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  Speaker 1: to their place of opulence and abundance. Because what is yours, Father,
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  Speaker 1: is also mine, because I too am a child of God.
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  Speaker 1: I was lost, but through your love, Jesus, but through
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  Speaker 1: your love, Jesus, I am found. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with us today. Continue your time
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  Speaker 1: with God by listening to today's Bible story. Brought to
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  Speaker 1: you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: The Prodigal Son In our last story, we learned about
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  Speaker 2: the true meaning of kindness from the story of the
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  Speaker 2: Good Samaritan. Jesus used this story to teach that goodness
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  Speaker 2: does not always come from the perfect people, rather those
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  Speaker 2: that we may least expect. Now Jesus is questioned by
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  Speaker 2: the Pharisees for eating with tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus confronts them with another story, a story that reveals
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  Speaker 2: the true heart of God.
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  Speaker 3: Inspired by the Gospels. Hello, this is Jack Graham with
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  Speaker 3: today's episode of The Bible in a Year. Thanks for
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  Speaker 3: joining us. In our last episode, we heard the parable,
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  Speaker 3: the story of the Good Samaritan, which Jesus used to
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  Speaker 3: teach a very important lesson about how we are to
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  Speaker 3: love people, what a neighbor looks like, and that our
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  Speaker 3: neighbor is anyone who has a need. It was a
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  Speaker 3: great challenge for us to share the love of Christ
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  Speaker 3: with every person that we meet. Today, we'll hear another
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  Speaker 3: powerful story from Jesus that shows the merciful heart of
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  Speaker 3: God and his willingness and desire to forgive and share
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  Speaker 3: his love with all who seek him. It's the story
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  Speaker 3: of a loving father and two sons who are both lost,
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  Speaker 3: but in very different ways. Let's listen now to this
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  Speaker 3: powerful story from Jesus.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus was sitting at a table enjoying a meal with
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  Speaker 2: many of his new friends. They were not the type
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  Speaker 2: of people one would expect a religious man to dine with.
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  Speaker 2: Tax collectors, dirty fishermen, and prostitutes sat at the table
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  Speaker 2: sharing bread with the Son of God. It was a
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  Speaker 2: sight that disgusted the Pharisees. They reviled him and scoffed
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  Speaker 2: at his willingness to fraternize with the undesirables of the city.' Look,'
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  Speaker 2: they pointed and spat,' this man eats with sinners. What
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  Speaker 2: type of man of God is this?' A small crowd
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  Speaker 2: was watching as the Pharisees mocked Jesus openly. They were
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  Speaker 2: waiting for Jesus' response. Jesus wiped the crumbs off his hands,
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  Speaker 2: took a sip of water, and stood to his feet.
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  Speaker 2: He walked closer to the Pharisees, showing them that their
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  Speaker 2: religious elitism had no effect on him. Jesus paced the courtyard,
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  Speaker 2: projecting his voice for all to hear as he told
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  Speaker 2: another story. There was once a wealthy man who had
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  Speaker 2: two sons. The older son worked the field silently and
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  Speaker 2: with diligence. However, the younger son was unruly and independent.
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  Speaker 2: One morning before the rooster crowed and the sun rose,
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  Speaker 2: the younger brother stumbled into his father's house after a
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  Speaker 2: night of parties. He was a shameful sight and held
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  Speaker 2: no sense of respect for his father. He slept in
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  Speaker 2: until midday and rolled out of his bed while his
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  Speaker 2: brother tilled the fields. Grumpy and entitled, the younger brother
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  Speaker 2: went to his father. With his chest puffed up and
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  Speaker 2: his nose high in the air, he demanded his father
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  Speaker 2: give him his inheritance. I do not want to wait
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  Speaker 2: until you die, the son complained. Give me my half
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  Speaker 2: of the inheritance now, so that I might do what
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  Speaker 2: I wish. The father did as the younger son requested,
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  Speaker 2: and divided his wealth. With a broken heart, he gave
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  Speaker 2: his son property and gold, and watched him walk away
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  Speaker 2: without so much as a thank you. The younger son
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  Speaker 2: gathered everything and took his wealth into the far country.
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  Speaker 2: He slithered around the cities, drowning himself in wine, women,
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  Speaker 2: and reckless substances. What he did not spend on prostitutes
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  Speaker 2: and revelry, he gambled. Weeks had passed, and his unearned
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  Speaker 2: wealth was eventually dried up. He owed a great deal
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  Speaker 2: of money to bad people, and had contracted sickness from
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  Speaker 2: his promiscuous habits. Soon a great famine fell across the land,
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  Speaker 2: and everyone was in great need. The friends he had
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  Speaker 2: made and his wealth were nowhere to be seen, and
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  Speaker 2: the young son descended into total poverty. The younger son
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  Speaker 2: scoured the countryside, looking for any work that would fill
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  Speaker 2: his belly and his new addictions. The only job he
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  Speaker 2: could find was tending to a farmer's pigs. Days had passed,
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  Speaker 2: and the son still had very little money to pay
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  Speaker 2: for food. What little money he made, he gave to
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  Speaker 2: pay off his gambling debts. His stomach rumbled as he
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  Speaker 2: watched the pigs feast on slop and garbage. The smell
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  Speaker 2: of rotten onions and fermented figs filled the air. Dung,
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  Speaker 2: dirty rainwater, and pig saliva dripped into the feeding trough,
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  Speaker 2: but the son could not take his eyes off it.
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  Speaker 2: He was starving, desperate, and ashamed. The young man walked
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  Speaker 2: beside the pigs, fell to his knees, and began to
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  Speaker 2: eat the brown slop with the pigs. The rancid smell
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  Speaker 2: was almost unbearable. His mouth was filled with dung, rotten vegetables,
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  Speaker 2: and spoiled meat. As the young man brought his face
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  Speaker 2: to his hand, filled with garbage... He considered the state
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  Speaker 2: of his life. Even my father's hired servants get fresh bread,
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  Speaker 2: yet I am here in hunger, he thought to himself.
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  Speaker 2: If I go to him and beg for his forgiveness,
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  Speaker 2: maybe he will make me a slave. At least then
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  Speaker 2: I will have a warm bed and fresh bread. So
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  Speaker 2: the younger son traveled to the countryside back to his father.
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  Speaker 2: His head was held low and his feet dragged in
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  Speaker 2: the dust. A few tears streamed down the son's eyes.
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  Speaker 2: He could picture the angry look of his father. Surely
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  Speaker 2: he would be too ashamed of me to take me back,
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  Speaker 2: the son thought to himself. Yet the younger son kept walking,
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  Speaker 2: his options were limited, and his belly was empty. It
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  Speaker 2: was late afternoon, and the son had turned the father's
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  Speaker 2: fields a bright gold. He sat above his terrace, admiring
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  Speaker 2: the way the breeze made the grain dance. He watched
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  Speaker 2: his elder son tending to the works. Then a small
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  Speaker 2: speck appeared in the distance. The father peered closely towards
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  Speaker 2: the hills to see a figure hobbling towards the property.
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  Speaker 2: As the figure drew closer, the father could see that
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  Speaker 2: it was his younger son.
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  Speaker 3: He had returned.
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  Speaker 2: The father tied up his robes and ran out of
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  Speaker 2: his home. He ran with fire and vigor. The son
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  Speaker 2: could see his father in the distance, running towards him.
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  Speaker 2: Afraid that his father would attack him, the young son
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  Speaker 2: braced himself. But instead of a strike to the jaw,
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  Speaker 2: he received a warm embrace. The father cried on his
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  Speaker 2: son's shoulders. Laughs came from his belly as tears streamed
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  Speaker 2: down his bearded face. You have come home, the father
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  Speaker 2: shouted with glee. My son, you have returned to me.
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  Speaker 2: The son fell to his knees. He was so ashamed
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  Speaker 2: he could not stand to look at his father. My father,
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  Speaker 2: please forgive me, the younger son said. I am not
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  Speaker 2: worthy to be called your son. His face fell into
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  Speaker 2: the dust as he wept. The father knelt down into
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  Speaker 2: the dust with him and picked him up by the shoulders.
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  Speaker 2: He called for his servants and said, Get me my
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  Speaker 2: best robe and put it on my son. Put a
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  Speaker 2: ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. Then
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  Speaker 2: kill the fattest calf we have, for tonight we will
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  Speaker 2: hold a feast in his honor. The servants left immediately.
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  Speaker 2: The son was stunned and confused. The father smiled from
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  Speaker 2: cheek to cheek and said, My son, you were once lost,
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  Speaker 2: but now you are found. This is why we celebrate.
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  Speaker 2: So the younger son was washed and given fine clothes.
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  Speaker 2: There was a great feast and party held in his honor.
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  Speaker 2: The younger son was humbled and laughed silently as he
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  Speaker 2: watched his family dance and sing, although not everyone was
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  Speaker 2: happy to see him return. The older brother came in
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  Speaker 2: from the field to see his father dancing and rejoicing.
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  Speaker 2: He saw that the fattest calf had been cooked and
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  Speaker 2: the finest robe placed on his brother's shoulders. The older
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  Speaker 2: son stood in anger. He felt underappreciated and angry. He
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  Speaker 2: stormed off to be alone in the fields. The sun
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  Speaker 2: was setting and the older brother could hear the music
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  Speaker 2: in the distance. He hated his brother. He hated that
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  Speaker 2: he stole half his father's wealth while he toiled in
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  Speaker 2: the fields, yet his brother received the celebration. The wind
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  Speaker 2: blew gently and a few tears fell down the older
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  Speaker 2: brother's face. His father could see him sitting and sat
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  Speaker 2: beside him. What upsets you, my son?
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  Speaker 1: He asked.
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  Speaker 2: The older son shook his head and gave a sorrowful laugh.
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  Speaker 2: He did his best to hold back tears as he spoke.
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  Speaker 2: For years I have served you and worked hard for
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  Speaker 2: your favor. I never disobeyed you, and you have never
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  Speaker 2: given me so much as a goat for me and
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  Speaker 2: my friends to celebrate. Yet when your son comes home
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  Speaker 2: after squandering your wealth with prostitutes, you kill the fattest
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  Speaker 2: calf and adorn him with rings and robes. The father
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  Speaker 2: was silent for a moment and sighed. He put his
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  Speaker 2: arm around his oldest son. Son, you are always with me.
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  Speaker 2: Everything I have is yours. You may take of whatever
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  Speaker 2: is mine and enjoy it. But your brother was once dead,
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  Speaker 2: but now is alive. He was lost, and now he
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  Speaker 2: is found. This is worth celebrating. After saying these things,
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  Speaker 2: Jesus sat back down with his friends, and the Pharisees
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  Speaker 2: left in a fury. Jesus revealed a special part of
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  Speaker 2: God's heart that day, that no child is too far
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  Speaker 2: gone to experience his love and favor. No matter how
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  Speaker 2: far one goes, the father will run to embrace his
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  Speaker 2: lost child. As a shepherd will leave 99 of his
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  Speaker 2: sheep to go after one lost one, so Jesus will
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  Speaker 2: go to any length to find the ones he loves.
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  Speaker 3: As we begin today's reading, let's give a little background.
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  Speaker 3: Once again, the Pharisees are grumbling and complaining about the
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  Speaker 3: kind of people that Jesus is hanging out with. They
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  Speaker 3: expected him to shun all the undesirables, tax collectors, sinners, outcasts,
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  Speaker 3: fringe people, just as they did. Consorting with sinners, they believe,
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  Speaker 3: was beneath the man of God. So if Jesus was
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  Speaker 3: really a righteous man, they concluded, he would not associate
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  Speaker 3: with bad people. As always, Jesus knew their thoughts, and
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  Speaker 3: so he told them more stories, parables, to illustrate what
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  Speaker 3: it means to be lost and found. He spoke of
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  Speaker 3: a shepherd who left his flock to find one lone
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  Speaker 3: sheep that had gone astray, and the joy of finding
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  Speaker 3: a lost coin, even when it was just one of many.
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  Speaker 3: He was setting up the grand finale, a story about
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  Speaker 3: a father and his two sons. It's a story that
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  Speaker 3: many have heard. It's the story of the prodigal sons.
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  Speaker 3: We call it the story of the prodigal son, but
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  Speaker 3: if you pay close attention, it's really not about the
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  Speaker 3: son so much as it is about the loving father
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  Speaker 3: who never gives up in waiting for, longing for his
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  Speaker 3: children to come home. We hear that this father had
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  Speaker 3: two sons, one who was obedient to all the rules
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  Speaker 3: and expectations, but another who wanted to live for himself.
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  Speaker 3: The older son, the elder brother, worked hard, waiting for
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  Speaker 3: one day to receive an inheritance that he felt was
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  Speaker 3: owed to him. But the younger son, he did not
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  Speaker 3: have patience. He wanted it all now. He, in effect, said, Dad,
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  Speaker 3: I don't care if you live or die. Give me
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  Speaker 3: what's coming to me now. And he asked for his cut,
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  Speaker 3: and then he left town. Imagine the heartbreak of his father,
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  Speaker 3: totally rejected and abandoned by his son. But he would
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  Speaker 3: not force him to stay, and as the son demanded,
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  Speaker 3: he gave him his share of the estate. Of course,
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  Speaker 3: this was a terrible decision for this young man. It
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  Speaker 3: looked like a lot of fun at first to go
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  Speaker 3: and live it up in a place called the far country.
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  Speaker 3: But his way of life, all the partying, all the drinking,
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  Speaker 3: all the womanizing, it finally caught up with him, and
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  Speaker 3: he went to the bottom. You know, sin is like that.
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  Speaker 3: It can seem pleasurable at first. In fact, the Bible
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  Speaker 3: says there is pleasure in sin for a season. But
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  Speaker 3: you know, sin will take you farther than you want
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  Speaker 3: to go and keep you longer than you want to
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  Speaker 3: stay and cost you far more than you want to pay.
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  Speaker 3: We think if there are no rules, then we can
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  Speaker 3: really live it up. But when there are no rules,
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  Speaker 3: when we throw our lives away, there is such loss.
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  Speaker 3: And that's what this young man experienced. He found out
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  Speaker 3: for himself what an uncontrolled life is really like. It
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  Speaker 3: was truly prodigal. But though he turned away from his father,
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  Speaker 3: in his heart of hearts, when he came to the
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  Speaker 3: end of himself, he knew that there was one hope
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  Speaker 3: and only one hope, and that was to return to
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  Speaker 3: the father, to go back home, to humble himself. He
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  Speaker 3: came to himself, and he owned his own sin, and
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  Speaker 3: he's repentant in heart, and he wants to go home.
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  Speaker 3: When I read this story, I'm reminded of the grace
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  Speaker 3: in the heart of God to receive us when we
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  Speaker 3: truly confess our sins and seek God's love, grace, mercy,
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  Speaker 3: and forgiveness. Did you notice in this story as the
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  Speaker 3: son began his way back home to his father that
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  Speaker 3: his father wasn't surprised? He had not given up or
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  Speaker 3: shut out his son permanently. No, apparently this man was
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  Speaker 3: looking for his child. For it says in Luke 15
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  Speaker 3: and verse 20, But while he was still a long
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  Speaker 3: way off, his father saw him and felt compassion and
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  Speaker 3: ran and embraced him and kissed him. What a beautiful story.
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  Speaker 3: While he was still a long way off. It reminds
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  Speaker 3: me of the scripture that says that while we were
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  Speaker 3: yet sinners, Christ died for us. You see, God loves
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  Speaker 3: you very much and he's waiting for you to come
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  Speaker 3: to him. It's so inspirational to see that the father
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  Speaker 3: didn't wait and watch for his son to come to him.
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  Speaker 3: He ran to his son. In this culture, this was
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  Speaker 3: not the action of a dignified man. But this loving
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  Speaker 3: father could care less about appearances. He was rushing to
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  Speaker 3: restore his son. He was running to show forgiveness. The
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  Speaker 3: young man confessed his sin, his unworthiness, but he didn't
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  Speaker 3: have to say anything more. The father clothed him with
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  Speaker 3: his robe and made him part of the family again.
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  Speaker 3: This story could have ended with a very happy reunion
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  Speaker 3: for everyone. But as we noted, there were two sons
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  Speaker 3: in this household. And with all the rejoicing and feasting
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  Speaker 3: for the prodigal son who came back, the older son
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  Speaker 3: is now bitter. He had no interest in welcoming his
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  Speaker 3: brother back into the family. Instead, he was pouting and
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  Speaker 3: pitying himself, complaining. After all he'd done for his father,
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  Speaker 3: how could he receive this young son back? Where was
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  Speaker 3: his reward? As the Pharisees listened to this story, I'm
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  Speaker 3: sure they were nodding their heads in agreement with the
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  Speaker 3: son's anger. They too had done everything right. Why should
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  Speaker 3: they welcome terrible sinners into the family of God? The
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  Speaker 3: sad reality is this son, the elder brother, just like
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  Speaker 3: the Pharisees, was just as lost as the younger son.
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  Speaker 3: The younger son was lost way far away from the house,
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  Speaker 3: but this young man was lost inside the house. Both
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  Speaker 3: had the father all along. Both had an opportunity for
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  Speaker 3: a relationship, but they both missed the joy and the
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  Speaker 3: abundance that the father could give them. In telling this story,
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  Speaker 3: Jesus was demonstrating how much God is always loving us
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  Speaker 3: as a caring, compassionate father. He rejoices with those who
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  Speaker 3: return to him and repent of their sins and receive
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  Speaker 3: his grace. And he's reminding all of us that it's
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  Speaker 3: never too late for a new beginning. It's not too
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  Speaker 3: late for a new beginning for you today. And if
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  Speaker 3: you find yourself far from God, this is the time
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  Speaker 3: to come home to him. Jesus loves you. He died
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  Speaker 3: for you. He rose again. And he will give you
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  Speaker 3: a home and a hope in heaven if you will
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  Speaker 3: trust in him. Let's pray. Dear God, we thank you
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  Speaker 3: for your love and grace. We know that you are
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  Speaker 3: a father who cares for your children. And so we
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  Speaker 3: come to you we trust in you. And we believe
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  Speaker 3: that when we return from our sins, that you will
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  Speaker 3: welcome us into your family through our faith in Jesus Christ.
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  Speaker 3: And that no matter how far we have walked away,
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  Speaker 3: that it's never too late to start over. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. You can download the
• 18:59
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• 19:02
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  Speaker 3: joining you again the next time.
• 19:26
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