His Spirit joins with ours to tell us—to
testify to us—that we are God’s
children. Picture yourself running to your Heavenly Father…who is reaching out
to give you a big hug. A warm embrace. You hug Him back whispering, "Abba,
Father." Sweet Papa. My precious Daddy!
I recently read the book The Return of
the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming by Henri J.M. Nouwen, a priest from
the Netherlands, who vividly describes both sons and their relationship to
their father in Jesus’ parable known as the Prodigal Son, depicted in the
painting by Rembrandt, The Return of the
Prodigal Son. Rembrandt painted his rendition of the story in about 1667.
Nouwen viewed the painting in Saint Petersburg, Russia at the Hermitage Museum
and wrote about his deep connection with the artwork in 1992. He clearly
conveys the feelings of the father, the wayward son who has returned home
willing to be a slave, and the older, loyal yet jealous son who has remained
with his father on the family farm. In the Prodigal Son story as told by Jesus
it is often interpreted that the father is God the Father, welcoming home his
son who he thought was lost, who is throwing a big celebration to rejoice at
his son’s return. He draws the older son into the story—reaching out to
encourage him to take part in the celebration. That’s how it is with God—He
reaches out to all His sons and daughters. You are mine—let’s rejoice and
celebrate. It is such an awesome story when you dig into the meaning behind
just the basic storyline and visualize the father embracing his sons. Can you
interpret it as both were lost and now are found? With which of the characters
in the story do you identify? The younger son, the older son, or perhaps the
father? As you look at the growth in your spiritual life can you see yourself
in each of these characters? At any rate, let’s celebrate. We were lost and now
we are found!
Prayer
~ Holy Spirit—we rejoice that we have returned to our Heavenly Father…and to
You. Please continue to guide and direct us that whatever we think, say and do
would be acceptable to You. Direct us moment by moment to make choices that
keep us on the straight and narrow path that would continually lead us to You.
Friday’s Feast at the Lord’s Table
The father in the Prodigal Son parable told
his servants to kill the fatted calf and prepare a feast—his lost son had
returned home. What a celebration that must have been! It is like the feast
that we anticipate we will one day have in Heaven. What is your favorite food?
Will God have that prepared for your homecoming feast? I’m sure He will! He
knows us and He loves us! How about instead of a fatted calf we’ll have some
buffalo steaks. Grilled to perfection.
Buffalo
Steaks
Rub with the herb and spice mixture below—or
use your favorite fresh chopped herbs, like rosemary and thyme. Pour about a
half teaspoon of olive oil over the steaks. Buffalo meat is not as marbled or
naturally oiled as beef steak. Let the meat come to room temperature for about
an hour. Preheat half of your grill to about 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Place
the steaks on the cool side of your grill and grill for about 7-8 minutes on
each side, depending on the thickness of the meat. When they’ve about reached
your desired doneness, remove from the grill and let sit covered for 10
minutes. They will continue to cook during that time. Serve with freshly ground
salt to taste. Enjoy!
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
Fresh ground pepper to taste
© 2015 by Mickey
M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise
noted.
Biblical
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