Date: Fri, March 13th 
Scripture: Isaiah 61:1
“The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners.”
By Rev. Rick Bauer, Associate Rector, St. James Episcopal Church, Lancaster, PA
The voice of a prophet is a voice of defiance. To stare into the twisted countenance of injustice, empathically embracing the weight of a world crying out, calls for an almost reckless courage rarely found in our midst these days. Most of us protectively settle for the conditions that we see before us with a faint echo in the back of our minds repeating in relief: “thank God it’s not me.” The stock market is doing well, we’re armed to the teeth, and the fierce spirit of our individualism tells us that we all ought to be able to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps in this life. Our dominant, collective, complacent voice declares: “Some people make bad choices, and there’s a reason for everything.” It welcomes the question: Is there something in our DNA as modern Americans that biases us toward a blindness to the suffering of others? Are we so well-off that we inevitably collude to hold back God’s vision for justice and peace in the world in order to rest in the way that things are?
Perhaps a prophet would dare to remind us that we simply cannot find satisfaction in any status quo, because to proclaim the cruciform shape of reality necessarily entails our leaning in toward a narrative of total transformation. In light of God’s own story, the bonds of oppression, broken heartedness, and captivity should peel away from the collective soul of humankind in the tide of a Trinitarian force making all things new. But, if God’s people are responsible in any way for aiding in that Divine enterprise, then perhaps we of good faith shoulder significant blame for the brokenness in our midst. Maybe we have ignored the call to look around us and to be uncomfortable. Maybe we can only bring the good news after we have committed ourselves to accounting for the roles that we play in the suffering of others. May we be so moved.
Prayer: Almighty God, Guide the people of this land, and of all nations, in the ways of justice and peace; that we may honor one another and serve the common good. Amen.
Criminal Justice Fact: 1/3 to 1/2 of all incarcerated people in segregated housing have some form of mental illness, which can exacerbate the negative psychological affects of isolation.
Action: Familiarize yourself with local organizations working towards criminal justice reform in your area. See if you can volunteer or donate to help their mission.
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