Date: Monday, March 30th 
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.”
By: Emily Schmid Advocacy Programs Associate, PA Council of Churches
In recent years I have grown to enjoy the season of Lent more than the season of Advent. Anticipating a second coming of Christ in the face of evil in this world is a lot harder for me to do than to spend a season repenting and reflecting on all the different ways in which I fall short. I must admit that I am far more comfortable with the idea that we are all sinners than the idea that we are all saved. It is much easier for me to self-indulgently bury my head in the sand, throw up my hands in exasperation, and say, “well the world is just evil and there is nothing we can do about it.”
The things that snare me and trip me up are not bird catchers or the plague. They are the idea that “it is what it is” and “there’s nothing we can do about it.” I find it very easy to be complacent in the face of the evil in our world. In his documentary, True Justice, Bryan Stevenson draws a clear line between the practice of lynching in our country and the practice of the death penalty. Often times individuals were lynched not because of a crime they committed, but due to a social transgression. One of the biggest of these social transgressions was romantic involvement with a White woman. Lynching was committed in the name of my safety.
I hear things like that and quite frankly, I don’t think I deserve to be saved. I don’t feel like I deserve to take refuge. But my wallowing in my own guilt does not serve God and it does not serve Justice. One thing I have come to learn recently is that we are all simultaneously both Sinner and Saint. Prosecutor and defendant. Jury and Judge. Defendant and Prosecutor. May we discern a righteous and just path forward together.
Prayer: Lord deliver me from my complacency. In the face of overwhelming evil in this world, may I find refuge, solace, and a path forward in your grace.
Criminal Justice Fact: It is estimated that prisons could save up to $75 million dollars annually by eliminating solitary confinement.
Action: Consider volunteering the Pennsylvania Prison Society, a non-profit oversight body for PA’s prisons. Read about volunteer opportunities here:https://www.prisonsociety.org/become-a-volunteer Contact John Hargraeves at jhargreaves@prisonsociety.org
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