Grace and Truth

Grace and truth, effort or earning, works or faith, justice or mercy, these are the conundrums of my life. I know that Jesus came into this world full of grace and truth and ever since, we who follow his example have desired to be people of grace and truth. I can never seem to find the right balance nor live in the right place of tension between the two. The newspapers tell us that the elders of Willow Creek Church in Illinois know all too well that one can easily extend too much grace, demand too much truth, trust people too much, love people too little, and fail miserably at justice for all. There is no doubt in my mind that I would rather extend grace than mete out justice. I would rather love and forgive than hate and punish, but there is a part of me that realizes that when I forgive Sir John A. MacDonald for his part in “The Indian Act,” I am hurting those who were hurt by the ethnic cleansing brought about by the Indian Act. Some of my current friends are people whose culture and their very lives have been damaged by the Indian Act. How do I seek justice for all? How does God extend grace and justice to all? Could God ever forgive those who have hurt or killed huge populations of people? If God forgave Hitler, could the Jews ever forgive God?

Perhaps “the answers to these questions are more questions such as these.”[1] Perhaps we need to give up our obsession with getting what we deserve and take what we are given. Perhaps the answers are found in songs, poetry, stories, and parables. J.R.R. Tolkien once interpreted the actions of one of his characters in the following way.

“One tiny Hobbit against all the evil the world could muster. A sane being would have given up, but Samwise burned with a magnificent madness, a glowing obsession to surmount every obstacle, to find Frodo, destroy the Ring, and cleanse Middle Earth of its festering malignancy. He knew he would try again. Fail, perhaps. And try once more. A thousand, thousand times if need be, but he would not give up the quest.” – J.R.R. Tolkien

“Come, Mr. Frodo!' he cried. 'I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you and it as well. So up you get! Come on, Mr. Frodo dear! Sam will give you a ride. Just tell him where to go, and he'll go” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

Might all of us choose to be one tiny Hobbit, one cog in the massive mechanisms of the universe? What difference might we make by pursuing the one thing to which we are called? Do we desire to be a Hobbit or a powerful Lord of the Eldar? Each has their place and their work to be done. Can we be satisfied if God has made us the Hobbit type?

"Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay by small acts of kindness and love." - J.R.R. Tolkien

I wish I had more answers and less questions. It seems that as I age, the questions multiply but the answers only subtract. I am learning more, but as I learn more, I find that I know less, because I have found more questions to ask. The stories begin to answer the questions. The parables hold the key, if only I could understand them better. The poetry of life contains the entire universe. May Jesus lead us ever closer to knowing him and his mission in the world.

---

[1] “Socrates” song written by Mac McAnaly on the album Live and Learn, 1992.

Stop and Think

Part of my morning routine is to read my Bible. This morning I read Job 4, Psalm 20, and 2 Corinthians 5. There is a natural progression to the words I found this morning.

“Stop and think! Do the innocent die?
    When have the upright been destroyed?”

- The words of Eliphaz to Job (Job 4:7, NLT)

“Will you discredit my justice
    and condemn me just to prove you are right?
Are you as strong as God?
    Can you thunder with a voice like his?
All right, put on your glory and splendor,
    your honor and majesty.
Give vent to your anger.
    Let it overflow against the proud.
Humiliate the proud with a glance;
    walk on the wicked where they stand.
Bury them in the dust.
    Imprison them in the world of the dead.
Then even I would praise you,
    for your own strength would save you.”

- The words of God to Job, Eliphaz, and all who will listen (Job 40:8-14, NLT)

“For the king trusts in the Lord.
    The unfailing love of the Most High will keep him from stumbling.

You will capture all your enemies.
    Your strong right hand will seize all who hate you.
You will throw them in a flaming furnace
    when you appear.
The Lord will consume them in his anger;
    fire will devour them.”

- The words of God to all who would trust in Him (Psalm 20:7-9 NLT)

“I know that you can do anything,
    and no one can stop you.

 You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’
    It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about,
    things far too wonderful for me.”

- The words of Job to God (Job 42:2, 3, NLT)

“So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.”

- The words of God to all (2 Corinthians 5:6-10, NLT)

“So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”

- The words of God to all who would follow Him (2 Corinthians 5:20, 21)

In Job 4, Eliphaz is saying that Job is missing a point because “God never allows the innocent to die or the upright to be destroyed.” God’s words to Job and Eliphaz, in Job 40, make it clear that God is a God of justice. God will always be on the side of the innocent and upright; but this does not mean that the innocent and upright will not suffer or die. In Psalm 20, God makes it clear that, one day, all will be made right and the enemies of the innocent and the enemies of the upright will be judged. In Job 42, Job recognizes that his understanding is limited and that no one can know the complete mind of God. God’s mysteries, still hidden from humans, are like the mysteries of the depths of the ocean and the far reaches of the universe.

The New Testament passages remind us that even when the innocent die, they are only trading their earthly bodies for eternal bodies. We can trust that all will receive justice and those who have trusted in the sinless Son of God will be made right in Him. That is good news worthy of telling a hurting and broken world. Praise be to God.

Advocacy

In the eighth chapter of the Gospel of John, we read of a woman caught in sin. The religious authorities bring her to Jesus to judge her. He does challenge her, but first he acts as her advocate. Hugh Halter in The Tangible Kingdom (p.45), has this to say about the passage:

''The powerful revelation is that the God of the universe - the only one who should have genuinely been offended, who could have postured himself as judge and executioner - literally lowers himself to her level and becomes her only friend, protector, and advocate. Yes, he does challenge her lifestyle and asks her to stop, but not until he has postured himself as an advocate. This is key. He addresses her head only after he has her heart.”

In the passage, Jesus stoops down and writes something in the sand, literally stooping to her level. Here we see modelled for us the posture we are to take with others. Here is the posture we take with First Nations groups that have been treated deplorably by ourselves or our family; here is the posture we take with those who are discriminated against because of their sexual orientation. The first posture is advocacy and care for them. Only then can we point them to Jesus for him to challenge them, remembering all the while that Jesus is also challenging us in how he wants us to live our lives.

Restorying Canada

The University of Ottawa, Institute of Canadian and Aboriginal Studies, put on what they called a conference and public event in May of this year entitled Restorying Canada: Reconsidering Religion and Public Memory in 2017. They invited several participants to present papers and/or speak at the event. The focus of the conference was religion and memory, with an emphasis on Canada’s Indigenous People. Topics included such subjects as Indigenous Schooling, Indigenous History, Restorying Islam and Judaism in Canada, and Canadian Atheists and Religious Nones. Margaret Atwood (CC OOnt FRSC), a respected Canadian author with many awards, was one of the invited speakers. As a humanist who writes about women oppressed by patriarchy and/or fundamentalist religion, one might expect her to be exceedingly negative toward religion in Canada. However, here is an excerpt from her speech entitled, “The Future of Religion in Canada: Utopia or Dystopia?”

"I sometimes hear the view that the world's ills are due to religions. Some people have that view. I do not agree with that view because atheist regimes have done a good job of oppressing and murdering people too. It is true that Christianity has got some dark moments. And it's had some dark moments in Canada. Dark moments of various kinds. But I don't think you can put that down to a religion. I think you can put that down to human beings behaving the way they unfortunately sometimes do - whatever religion or non-religion they may happen to have."

- Margaret Atwood, “Restorying Canada,” May 2017.

Now, Atwood is still a humanist and so we understand those words within that context, and it is refreshing to hear this statement from her. Contrary to some of her humanist and atheist contemporaries, she does not blame religion for all of the world’s ills and recognizes that human beings of all philosophical and theological varieties have a propensity for evil. Is that not what the Bible clearly says: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). These are important words for all people to hear. We are all quite capable of “behaving the way humans unfortunately do.”

Yes, Christians and the Christian religion must take responsibility for the residential school system that was so devastating to the Indigenous People of that time. Humanity in general must also take responsibility for the system. This is what makes government and religious apologies a necessary but difficult thing to do. The actual perpetrators of the system may or may not be available for the apologies; those who allowed the devastation to occur may or may not be available for the apology. Yet, the apology needs to be made to begin the reconciliation process.

I am encouraged by these humble words of Ms. Atwood. I pray that I may be humble as I consider my place in the big issues of public apologies.

Wisdom of God

Seamus O’Regan is an MP for St. John's South, Mount Pearl. On St. Patrick’s Day of this year he made some statements about refugees in Canada. Now, whatever I may think of Seamus O’Regan, and I would not agree with everything he says, here, I think he makes a good point. He reminded us that in and around the year 1847, “One-hundred thousand destitute Irish immigrants, 'leaving a devastating famine behind them, fleeing terror and persecution,' arrived at a time when the Dominion of Canada numbered just 1.5 million, O’Regan noted.”

 “Some 38,000 Irish passed through Toronto in 1847. Toronto then, was a city of only 20,000 people.

 [We do well to remember] that in 1847, there were enough, just enough Canadians who rose above the frank, blatant, decades-long discrimination of the day, and gave those immigrants a chance to become Canadians themselves.”^[1] It is hard for us to comprehend this, but in 1847, the Irish were viewed much like Muslims in our day. People were suspicious and scared of them and did not want them in their country.

By the world’s standards, it is foolishness to welcome 100,000 people into a country of 1.5 million people. It is foolishness to welcome 38,000 people into a city of 20,000 people. But, by God’s economy and God's wisdom, we are to welcome the stranger, the alien, the homeless. Deuteronomy 10:17-19 says,

“For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.”

When we read the Bible with God’s wisdom, when we read it as story that reveals God, rather than a rule book, we develop a relationship with the God of the Bible. It is not easy to read our Bibles like this. It is much easier to try to turn our Bible’s into rule books; but God calls us to something greater. We need constantly to read the Bible seeking to understand the heart of God. We need daily to ask God to be our wisdom as we read his word.

Daily, we need to pray,

“Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;

I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;

Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;

Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one."

---

[1] http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/03/16/seamus-oregan-irish-immigrants-st-patricks-day_n_15410882.html

How Long?

Psalm 74:10, 11 says,

“How long, O God, will you allow our enemies to insult you?
    Will you let them dishonor your name forever?
Why do you hold back your strong right hand?
    Unleash your powerful fist and destroy them.”

Chris Rice asks the musical question, “How long until You defend Your name and set the record right?” and “How far will You allow the human race to run and hide?”

These are important questions. For, as God allows humans to dishonor and mock his name, he must either be patient, powerless, or non-existent. If we believe in a God who created the entire universe, then we must understand that he is powerful and patient. Yet, we can expect that one day he will show himself completely and unleash his power and justice upon the earth. Let us all seek to be on the side of right and justice so that we might not fear the power of God.

Naïve

(Words and Music by Chris Rice; Clumsy Fly Music)

(Listen while you read)

How long until You defend Your name and set the record right?
How far will You allow the human race to run and hide? Yeah
And how much can You tolerate our weaknesses
Before You step into our sky blue and say, "That's quite enough"

Am I naive to want a remedy for every bitter heart?
Can I believe You hold an exclamation point for every question mark? Yeah
And can I leave the timing of this universe to bigger hands?
And may I be so bold to ask You to please hurry?

I hear that a God who's good would never let the evil run so long
But I say it's because You're good You're giving us more time
'Cause I believe that You love to show us mercy
But when will You step into our sky blue and say
"That's quite enough, and your time is up," Yeah

Am I naive to want a remedy for every bitter heart?
Can I believe You hold an exclamation point for every question mark? Yeah
And can I leave the timing of this universe to bigger hands?
And may I be so bold to ask You to please hurry?

Bridge of Spies

Most everyone wants to do good things in this life. We want to feed hungry children, sit with someone during their last hours of life, help someone become employable, or release hostages from torture. Some would want to do these things without public recognition, while others would want the fame and acclaim for wonderful things achieved. One of the most popular movie themes is the premise of the man or woman who is “in over their head” and likely to die in some situation but manages to escape destruction and rescue others at the same time. This premise appeals to our sense of doing good beyond our normal capacities. One such movie is Bridge of Spies (2015)[1], written by Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, and Joel Coen, and directed by Steven Spielberg. (The rest of this blog contains spoilers. You may want to watch the movie and then come back to the blog.)

It tells the story of James B. Donovan, an American insurance attorney, who was known as a negotiator for spy exchanges. Around 1962 he successfully negotiated the release of Francis Gary Powers, an American spy-plane pilot, and Frederic Pryor, an American student in Berlin, in exchange for Rudolf Abel, a convicted Soviet spy. After his success, Donovan was asked by American President John F. Kennedy to negotiate the release of 1,113 prisoners following the unsuccessful Bay of Pigs Invasion. He secured the release of 9,703 men, women, and children: in over his head and achieving more than was normally possible.

Most of us will not have the opportunity to do the things that Donovan did. We may never be asked by anyone to do some outstanding act of bravery or intelligence. These sorts of things often come unexpectedly to those who do not ask for them; but, what could I do to help others? What could you do? There are people who need our help. There are children who need someone to pack them a lunch for school because their parents do not send them with a lunch. There are those who are trapped in dangerous parts of the world who need a sponsor for their status as refugees. There are still others who, for various reasons, could use our help.

What am I waiting for; what are you waiting for; a call from the Prime Minister? The opportunities are all around us. They may never make a movie about us; but we can still be a powerful influence for good.

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[1] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3682448/

Wouldn't That Be Somethin'?

 In 1998, Wayne Watson published a song called “Wouldn’t That Be Somethin’?” One portion of this song has captured my imagination for 18 years. The premise of the song is that the author is imagining what it would have been like to be a friend of Jesus when he was walking upon the earth. He says, “wouldn’t that be something?” The line that always catches my attention every time is, “I wanna be the kind of friend that Jesus would call.” Here it is in the broader context of the song:

I wanna be the kind of friend that Jesus would call
Yeah, you know if He had a telephone
At the end of the day
Just to talk about nothin', nothin'

Yeah, I wanna be the kind of friend He'd wanna be around
You know without a word, without a sound
Wouldn't that be somethin', somethin', yeah

The “kind of friend that Jesus would call” is a concept that inspires many thoughts: “What kind of friend am I?” “What kind of friend would Jesus call?” “Who are the friends of Jesus?” “Did Jesus actually enjoy hanging out with his friends?” “Did he find some of his friends dull?” “Did he wish to get away from some who wanted to hang out with him?” “How did he handle his celebrity status?”

Jesus truly was a celebrity. Celebrities in the first century were often the religious or political leaders of the day. Jesus was seen as both a religious and political leader and so a great many people traveled large distances just to see him or to touch his clothing. Some climbed into trees just to catch a glimpse of him. Jesus experienced the temptation of celebrity-ism. He was tempted to think of himself as special and more important than others. Certainly, he was special and important and so he had to guard his attitude toward others.

In one sense, because Jesus regarded all men and women with an equal love, we would all be the kind of person that Jesus would call, “if he had a telephone.” Yet, Watson is also speaking of striving to be the kind of person that Jesus would want to call and want to hang out with and want to sit with to “talk about nothin'.” What kind of person would that be?

I would suggest that it would be someone who had the same interests as Jesus. Jesus’ interests were all about his Father’s work. No, I don’t mean the carpentry business of his earthly father, but rather, the Kingdom of God interests of God the Father. As such, Jesus’ interests were the same as the Father’s interests: justice, life, beauty, joy, mystery, love, care for others, healing of pain, healing of wrongs . . . . Truly, that is the kind of person I desire to be, even as I fail miserably at caring about such things and gravitate toward my own self-interest or perhaps to the interests of my immediate family.

Which brings us to the next point, Jesus, as one who strove to be humble and recognize the temptations of being seen as a celebrity, would also encourage me to be humble and recognize my inability to be pure and righteous and self-less. He would be patient with my desire to “be somebody” and with my desire to have my own needs met. He would still want to be my friend even as he saw the ugly side of me.

At the end of one of Jesus’ long days of work, what would he need from those friends who sat around with him? Perhaps it would be that he would want to “talk about nothin’” or not talk at all. Perhaps he would need to be encouraged, blessed, worshiped, and honoured. Perhaps he would need his feet washed in silence. Could I do that? Could you? “Wouldn't that be somethin', somethin', yeah!”

Wouldn't That Be Somethin'?

(Listen while you read)

I had this dream and You were in it
There was this party and You were there
Simple evening with just a few close friends
People were pressing for Your attention

You were patient, everybody could see
But all the time You were lookin' round the room for me
But hey, after all, it's my dream

I wanna be the kind of friend that Jesus would call
Yeah, you know if He had a telephone
At the end of the day
Just to talk about nothin', nothin'

Yeah, I wanna be the kind of friend He'd wanna be around
You know without a word, without a sound
Wouldn't that be somethin', somethin', yeah

Is that so hard to imagine
The Lord Jesus as a friend like that
Spending time in the pleasure of your company
True companion like no other

You never had a friend like this
If you're havin' a little trouble believing
Come on, put yourself in my dream

I wanna be the kind of friend that Jesus would call
Yeah, you know if He had a telephone
At the end of the day
Just to talk about nothin', nothin'

Yeah, I wanna be the kind of friend He'd wanna be around
You know without a word, without a sound
Wouldn't that be somethin', somethin', yeah

Words and music by Wayne Watson. Copyright 1998 Material Music (Admin. by WORD MUSIC) / Word Music (A div. of WORD MUSIC) / ASCAP

Thirsting for Justice

The title of my blog has always been a reminder to me that there is a type of thirst that I am to continue to have. Matthew 5:6 says, “God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.” I can think of times when my physical body was depleted of water and my thirst was strong. I remember how good water tasted when I was finally able to quench this thirst. Until I quenched it, my mind could think of little else. “Thirst for justice” is about having that same kind of desire for a world of justice. It is a desire to see all wrongs made right. It is easy when I feel that I have been treated unjustly; then, my thirst for justice is immediately strong. What God desires for me is that I learn to have a powerful thirst for justice for others as well. It starts with a thirst for the kind of justice God desires. It starts with a thirst for God.

Psalm 42 speaks of thirsting for God like a deer thirsts for streams of water. Like that deer, we may sometimes despair of ever finding water for our thirst. We may think back on happier times when God was very present, quenching our thirst for justice and our thirst for God’s presence in our lives. We have all known times when both God and God’s justice seemed far away. Psalm 42 reminds us that we can once again put our hope in God for He is the one who will quench our thirst - our thirst for God - and our thirst for justice.

Psalm 42 (NLT)

As the deer longs for streams of water,
    so I long for you, O God.
² I thirst for God, the living God.
    When can I go and stand before him?
³ Day and night I have only tears for food,
    while my enemies continually taunt me, saying,
    “Where is this God of yours?”

⁴ My heart is breaking
    as I remember how it used to be:
I walked among the crowds of worshipers,
    leading a great procession to the house of God,
singing for joy and giving thanks
    amid the sound of a great celebration!

⁵ Why am I discouraged?
    Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
    I will praise him again—
    my Savior and ⁶ my God!

Now I am deeply discouraged,
    but I will remember you—
even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan,
    from the land of Mount Mizar.
⁷ I hear the tumult of the raging seas
    as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.
⁸ But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me,
    and through each night I sing his songs,
    praying to God who gives me life.

⁹ “O God my rock,” I cry,
    “Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I wander around in grief,
    oppressed by my enemies?”
¹⁰ Their taunts break my bones.
    They scoff, “Where is this God of yours?”

¹¹ Why am I discouraged?
    Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
    I will praise him again—
    my Savior and my God!

DC Talk: Colored People

It only takes a few days in the city of Washington, DC to realize that race relationships between blacks and whites are complicated. Relationships are complicated by history, by economic standing, by political perspective, by fear, by apathy, by pride, by . . . . One day, all will be made right and colour will be seen as “a thing of beauty” in the “the passion of an Artist's heart.” "Ignorance has wronged some races And vengeance is the Lord's If we aspire to share this space Repentance is the cure."

Colored People
(Performed by DC Talk – Listen Here)

1, 1, 1, 1
2, 2, 2, 2
3, 3, 3, 3
4, 4, 4, 4

Pardon me, your epidermis is showing, sir
I couldn't help but note your shade of melanin
I tip my hat to the colorful arrangement
'Cause I see the beauty in the tones of our skin
We've gotta come together
And thank the Maker of us all

We're colored people, and we live in a tainted place
We're colored people, and they call us the human race
We've got a history so full of mistakes
'Cause we are colored people who depend on a Holy Grace

1, 1, 1, 1
2, 2, 2, 2
3, 3, 3, 3
4, 4, 4, 4

A piece of canvas is only the beginning for
It takes on character with every loving stroke
This thing of beauty is the passion of an Artist's heart
By God's design, we are a skin kaleidoscope

We've gotta come together
Aren't we all human after all?
We're colored people, and we live in a tainted place
We're colored people, and they call us the human race
We've got a history so full of mistakes
'Cause we are colored people who depend on a holy grace

Ignorance has wronged some races
And vengeance is the Lord's
If we aspire to share this space
Repentance is the cure

1, 1, 1, 1
2, 2, 2, 2
3, 3, 3, 3
4, 4, 4, 4

Well, just a day in the shoes of a color blind man
Should make it easy for you to see
That these diverse tones do more than cover our bones
As a part of our anatomy

We're colored people, and we live in a tainted place
We're colored people, and they call us the human race
We've got a history so full of mistakes
'Cause we are colored people who depend on a holy grace

We're colored people, and they call us the human race
Oh, colored people
We're colored people, and we all gotta share this space
Yeah we've got to come together somehow

We're colored people, and we live in a tainted world
Red, yellow, black and white
We're colored people, every man, woman, boy, and girl
Colored people, colored people, colored people, colored people, yeah

Songwriters: Kevin Mc Keehan; George Cocchini; Published by UP IN THE MIX MUSIC

Great Speeches

While vacationing in Washington, DC this week I have been struck by the power of a great speech. Abraham Lincoln, perhaps America’s favourite President, was considered a great orator and two of his most famous speeches are inscribed on the walls of the Lincoln Memorial: The Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural Address. (While here, we have witnessed somber remembrances of the 150th anniversary of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.) The words on those walls have much to do with the freedom of enslaved people in the history of their nation and there has been more than 150 years of progress since the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1st, 1863 by that same 16th President of the United States of America. Yet, change has come slowly.

Martin Luther King Jr., 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, gave one of the greatest speeches of all time on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28th, 1963. In it he pointed out that the Emancipation Proclamation “came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.” Yet, King also pointed out the great need for further progress, for he said:

One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.

More than 50 years after Martin Luther King Jr.’s passionate speech, we find that much has changed but there is still much that needs to change. In a powerful sermon preached at Shiloh Baptist Church in Washington DC on Sunday, April 12th, Dr. Harold Dean Trulear spoke of the distance yet to go. He pointed to the disproportionate number of young black men in prison. Although blacks make up only 13% of the US population, they represent 37% of prison populations in that country. African-American males are six times more likely to be incarcerated than white males and 2.5 times more likely than Hispanic males.1

Reverend Trulear, speaking to a mostly black congregation, began with the biblical text of 1 Samuel 30:1-8 and spoke of the need to rescue their families from captivity. He punctuated the message with a call to “Go get your stuff!”2 His words inspired the people to "not be ashamed of those who are in prison but rather to visit them and welcome them back into society when they return." The “altar call” invited those who had family members in prison to come forward for prayer; and a large crowd went forward.

As a white Canadian sitting in the Shiloh Baptist Church building that morning I knew that Canada has its own disproportions in prisons. Canada’s population is made up of approximately 4% aboriginal peoples; yet, 23% of our prison population is aboriginal.3 What sort of speech do we need that will begin to change these numbers in our own country? How might we dream of a better future? How can Canadians and Americans alike work to create a just world where all can say, “Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty I’m free at last?”

1 U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prisoners in 2011, 8 tbl.8 (Dec. 2012); and http://sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/rd_ICCPR%20Race%20and%20Justice%20Shadow%20Report.pdf
2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3L41NjK5gY
3 http://ca.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idCABRE92615X20130307