The Prodigal Son Window

       The youngest son had asked for his inheritance and left home. He squandered the family wealth in wild living. But he came to his senses. He returned home, hoping that his father would receive him as a slave. Instead, his father ran to him and ordered his servants to put the best robe on him and to kill the fattened calf for a banquet to celebrate his return. The older son was angered that his younger brother was so joyously welcomed and graciously forgiven and actually refused to participate in the feast. This window attempts to depict all these aspects of this parable.

        We don't deserve our God's goodness or forgiveness. However, we have been clothed with the robe of Christ's righteousness at our baptism which covers all of our sins. Our sins, no matter how great or how many, are forgiven. And we have been invited to a feast, the Lord's Supper, the feast for sinners where we receive our Father's forgiveness and where we celebrate that we were lost but now are found, that we were dead but now are alive. The top medallion represents the Trinity as there are three interlocking circles surrounded by a circle representing eternity.

       The left medallion represents the keys. Jesus said to His disciples: "I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 16:19). The keys represent that the church is called to forgive the sins of those who repent (thus unlocking the door to heaven). This symbol is especially appropriate in this window for the repentant prodigal son was forgiven by his loving father. The right medallion is the chi rho the first two Greek letters of the word Christ. Christ means anointed one or chosen one and Jesus was anointed by His Father to bear our sins and be our Savior.