“Finally, he came to his senses and said, ‘My father’s workers have plenty to eat, and here I am, starving to death!’”
Luke 15:17
I wonder who (or what) turned things around for the biblical “Prodigal Son.” How did he get from salivating over pig slop to “coming to his senses” and heading home? There is, of course, no way we can really know, but I have at least one thought, drawn from personal experience.
It was a warm summer’s night in 1984 and I had joined a group from my church for an outreach activity in Sunset Park in Brooklyn, New York. At the time, Sunset Park was notorious for drug trafficking and violent gang activity. But I wasn’t afraid. I was young and a recent convert to Christ—full of zeal if short on knowledge. It also helped to be working alongside a parachurch organization (Abounding Grace Ministries) that had rolled into the park earlier that evening under police protection and was now blasting Christian music through loudspeakers on the back of a three-ton truck.
Armed with a few tracts, I set out to see if I might catch a fish or two in this neglected corner of God’s universe. In short order, I came across two men sitting on a bench. I felt I should stop and talk with them, and I did. What I remember now, more than any words I might have spoken, is the feeling I had. I felt great love for them, and I trust that love showed through. They were about my age, maybe a few years older. And while one of them hardly listened to me at all, preferring to turn his back, the other was engaged and attentive. I still remember the look in his warm, moist eyes. When our conversation wrapped up, he spoke to me in a solemn manner. “Thank you for taking the time to talk with me,” he said. “You don’t know what a difference you have made in my life tonight.”
I have no way of knowing, but I’ve always had the impression that the man I spoke to that evening in Sunset Park was a prodigal son. He struck me as intelligent and well-educated, and though his clothing and appearance were disheveled, his demeanor spoke of nobler origins. I don’t think he was American. He spoke perfect English, but there was a slight accent in his voice. I did not learn his name, or his country of origin, and I don’t know what “sins” he may have been caught up in. I just know that he seemed terribly lost and without a clue as to how he might find his way out of the mess he was in. Can it be that God used me that night as a change agent in his life?
More generally speaking, I have often thought over the years that God will use all kinds of people and situations to be agents of change in people’s lives. Sometimes, he’ll even use a movie! To name just a few… The Passion of the Christ, The Cross and the Switchblade, Chariots of Fire and yes, Messenger Films productions, too! I like this quote from Cecil B. DeMille, the producer/director of The Ten Commandments, who said near the end of his life, “My ministry has been making religious movies and getting more people to read the Bible than anyone else ever has.” Well done, CB. I suppose that is why, during your lifetime, you were called Hollywood’s Sunday School teacher! I hope we can compare notes on the other side.
Another “change agent” that comes to mind is Étienne de Grellet, a Quaker missionary of the 19th Century. He had been born in France, but the French Revolution cast him adrift as a citizen of the world. During his lifetime, he brought the Good News to untold thousands in schools, hospitals, and prisons near and far. He also spoke out boldly against slavery. “I shall pass this way but once,” he wrote. “Any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”
Can I encourage us all to take a deeper look at the people we may meet today? Can we stop to consider whether any of them are prodigals far from home? Might we further consider if God would have us be a catalyst, a change agent, in their lives, helping them come to their senses and starting the journey home? Why not introduce yourself? You may not pass this way again. Engage in a little small talk. You may not pass this way again. Show some kindness. You may not pass this way again. Let your love and light shine forth in such a way that they will glorify your Father in heaven. You may not pass this way again.
In 2008, I wrote and directed a movie called The Bill Collector. Among the crew was a young man named Evan Atwood who seemed to never stray far from my side. It soon dawned on me that Evan was pursuing the age-old tradition of gaining a mentor. I tried to encourage him then; I hope I did. At least a little. Now, sixteen years later, Evan is closing in on the goal of creating his own film, The Forgotten Father, a contemporary re-telling of the Prodigal Son story with a twist: the son has lost his memory and forgotten who his father is.
Evan writes, “I’ve desired from a young age to share God’s heart with people who don’t know Him, or don’t know Him well. The Forgotten Father is for young people—college age—many of whom today are asking, what identity will fulfill me? Jesus has the answer to that question. He has the only answer to that question. Like the answer he had for the woman at the well, if these young adults choose to drink, they will never thirst again.”
Will you show Evan some love as he seeks to be a change agent for those who have not yet come to their senses? Who have lost their way in a far country and—worst of all—lost hope? James 5:20 states that “whoever brings back a sinner from their wandering will save their soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”
Have a look at the concept teaser: https://vimeo.com/940812158
And you can contact Evan directly at evan@fatherfilm.org
¡Un abrazo fuerte!
