As I am recovering from being sick, I literally know what it feels like to lose your voice. Talk to me in person, and I either croak or whisper. Sometimes it feels like the majority of churches can only whisper in regards to the demonic persistence of incarceration, racial targeting, and mistreatment in prisons. Our times demand a shout, and we too often hear but a croak.
I know how hard it can be for some churches to address racialized mass incarceration, particularly when congregants are at a distance to the reality that is so close to other sisters and brothers in Christ. But I think there's something that can help, a throat medicine if you will. A few months ago, the Justice Not Jails project finished this brand-new treatment: a set of ten scripture reflections as resource materials for preaching called "Preaching Jubilee to the Captives."
Scripture reflections are not the only way for our congregations to address this crisis. Heaven forbid a church would discuss this in worship and find itself satisfied to say mission accomplished. But maybe your church hasn't found its voice yet. Maybe there is a need to raise up the way the Divine invites us to love our profiled and mistreated neighbor. Maybe there is someone in your congregation, or your family, who faces this burden on a daily basis. They... we... need to hear good news. We need to find our voice and shout it!
I pray that many congregations find their voice this year. I pray that this can be a year where big changes can happen in our jail systems. I believe that if we walk in the Way through our active compassion and solidarity, the Spirit will be manifest in us. And with our collective voices demanding that we recognize the dignity and worth of Black lives in our society, this will be a very happy New Year indeed.
Hoping to speak a good word soon,
Timothy Murphy
Executive Director