Finding the meaning

The Prodigal Son Journal © 2010 Chuck Hofman / Genesis+Art Studio

FROM OUR JOURNAL PAGES:
The Prodigal Son Journal 48 x 108 Charcoal, gauche, mixed media  2010
Created for The Jerry Evenrud Prodigal Son Collection 
Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota 

Journal reflections from 9 September, 2009. As I began this year long journey with the Prodigal Son I hope to walk in his shoes of loneliness, despair and joy upon his turning back. I will draw from my own life experiences, my feelings and senses, as a father, brother and son. There are markers in my life where creating distance from God through my actions or inaction has left me in despair and darkness. Grace in the light of Christ erases my darkness and awakens me to a new beginning. It reminds me of the story about the person who chased the setting sun for fear of darkness, wisdom turned them around to run through the dark in hope, to greet the rising sun. 

The Prodigal Father

The Prodigal Father © 2012 Genesis+Art Studio

The Prodigal Father 

30 x 108 Acrylic 

The Jerry Evenrud Prodigal Son Collection 

Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota


FROM OUR JOURNAL PAGES:
As I turned the story of the Prodigal Son over and over in my head, I began to look at this parable through the eyes of all the family members. I tried to see the perspective as a father, an oldest child and a wayward son, fusing these thoughts with feelings from my own life experiences. I also looked at the definition of prodigal; wasteful on a lavish scale, being one of the meanings for the word. The title of the story tends to direct my focus on the wasteful younger son. But I was drawn to see a parable of a prodigal father; after all, the father knowingly wastes a portion of his wealth giving it to his son. The father must have recognized that his son lacked a sense of direction and was destined to a path that would lead him far from himself and the wisdom he shared. Or perhaps it was the father’s prodigal love that didn’t refuse the request for the early inheritance. The father could have kept his wayward son at home by denying his demand, but releases him into the storms of the world waiting on the road until he sees him again. By our world standards the father seemingly has wasted his time and his resources. The father, who lets the son depart, does not let go of the relationship between them. He waits with his pain and loss, constantly lifting his gaze on the distant landscape until he catches sight of his returning son. It tells me of a heart that was with his son throughout his journey and remained steadfast in his love. Keeping his son in his heart, the father is able to open his arms, exposing his heart and lavishing him with abundant love. Something extraordinarily unexpected happens at the intersection of their embrace.