| Notes: | PLEASE USE THIS BRIEF CREDIT INFORMATION FOR FREE, NON-COMMERCIAL CONGREGATIONAL PRINTING: Cara B. Hochhalter, A Parable - Where to Sit. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=59048
FOR OTHER USES: Full credit information can be found below in the Copyright Source field.
COMMENTARY BY THE ARTIST:
A Parable - Where to Sit
Luke 14:1, 7-14
"It was a custom in Jesus’ time to sit on cushions when having a meal (although, in my image they look more like beanbags). It was also important where people sat; those of more prestige sitting in a place of honor in the center. Jesus suggests that one should not assume the place of honor at a banquet because he or she might be embarrassed if asked to move. Rather, he suggests a more humble position to begin with, and then it might be pleasant to be asked to move up. This parable pushes us to examine our own egos when interacting in the world. Do we subconsciously assume that we are “better than” others? Are we okay with taking a more humble attitude? This kind of humility does not mean we let others take advantage of us but that we can be confident in seeing ourselves as part of a larger whole..." The Rev. Cara B. Hochhalter is a United Church of Christ (UCC) minister. She received her Masters of Divinity from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, where she studied the intersections of art, theology and justice. She served the Charlemont Federated Church in Massachusetts for ten years and now lives in Hyde Park, New York.
“Over the last thirty years, through my work as a Christian Educator, a seminary student and UCC minister, I have created images that interpret the powerful stories around the life of Jesus. These stories hold universal truths not limited to Christianity but relevant for all our lives and times. I find that art provides a very special means to break into these texts.”
The images in her book, A Challenging Peace in the Life and Stories of Jesus were created through the simple print-making process of carving out a block, applying ink and pulling a print. Cara says, “The interaction of light and dark is important in each image as we cannot have one without the other. The dark defines the light, and vice versa. I find this to be theological as we look to the whole—the light and the dark, the joy and the despair, the peace and the conflict—all under an umbrella of Divine Love that yearns for wholeness.”
Using her book, Cara also offers three online discussion groups: Jesus and Justice, Parables and Peace-making, and The Paradox of Humility in the Stories of Jesus.
To contact Cara B. Hochhalter for information about her art, to purchase signed prints of the images, or her book, A Challenging Peace in the Life and Stories of Jesus, please email: hochhalter.cara@gmail.com |
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