Date: Saturday, March 7
Scripture: Luke 4:18-19
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
by Ben White, Pastor at Circle of Hope
Before Jesus began his ministry he experienced two rites of passage. At Jesus’ baptism God said, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” In his wilderness temptation Jesus demonstrated his beloved-ness by trusting his Father in extreme circumstance. Luke 4:18 is the inauguration of the movement Jesus was sent to incite. Jesus came to bring freedom. He had been prepared for a specific sort of good news – a good news that was especially good for the poor and the oppressed. He declared this in “the power of the Spirit.”
Today, dehumanizing encounters with police, and incarceration are another sort of rite of passage. In the power of the spirit of racism, predominantly poor, black, and brown communities can be tempted to expect mistreatment by the criminal justice system. The policies, laws, and officials that perform these rites upon guilty and innocent alike are the anti-beloved-ness. Could they be hell-bent on saying “You are my un-beloved sons, with you we will never be pleased”?
We are deeply in need for Jesus’ movement to realize his good news for the poor — actualize his liberty for the captives. Even those young people who make it through these systems without being swallowed by them have all received a message of emotional and spiritual captivity. We must counter that lie with real alternatives. To undo the dehumanizing inevitability of our criminal justice system we must commit to beloved-ness; but not in its sentimentality. Real freedom requires reconciliation and reparation. Once we see this, let us not pretend we are blind.
Prayer: God of justice and liberation, loose us from whatever bonds are tying us down, and equip and empower us to share your good news with all who need it. Amen.
Criminal Justice Fact: Over 50% of people housed in solitary confinement are NOT believed to be there because they pose a safety risk.
Action: Write a letter to your state representatives asking them to sign on to HB 497 and SB 832 to limit the practice of solitary confinement in PA. View our handout with tips for contacting your legislators here: https://pachurchesadvocacy.org/wpcontent/uploads/2016/04/advocacy_contact_tips-1.pdf
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