There is a line in the Sara Groves song Add to the Beauty that says, “Redemption comes in strange places…”  This has been true in my life.  I’ve experienced some of the most poignant moments of grace in unlikely places, most recently in a county jail. 

I recently visited a friend in jail.   When I go to visit him the guards are rude.  They treat the visitors as if we are criminals, ordering us around and getting frustrated when we don’t go through the motions right.   About a month ago I had a minor run in with one of the sheriffs when I made a suggestion.  This put him out and he quickly put me in my place, cutting me down with his words.  His response took me aback and I found myself cowering inside, embarrassed and hurt.  I don’t expect to find grace in jail.

I did expect to find grace at a recent community event.

This morning I was watching some of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s speeches.  One video was an interview in which he talked about being prepared for his house being bombed.  He said he had had a religious experience and had given his life over to the struggle.  He said that since that religious experience he was able to move forward knowing he had a "cosmic companion." 

It seems that for many called to do something great, there is a moment when the call becomes greater than the fear.  This video seems to describe that moment for MLK.  Of all the speeches I watched today, this was my favorite:  A Knock at Midnight

This week was our city prayer meeting.  A group of us from different sectors gather monthly to seek the peace and prosperity of our city together.  This month we were praying for the lonely in our community.  We split into small groups and the pastor in my group started it off.  "Lord", he prayed, "I'm lonely today."  That was as far as he got.  He hung his head, unable to continue.  We sat in silence for a moment and then I reached out and began praying for my brother.  It was as if his sincerity broke open our prayers.  From there we prayed for others who may be lonely:  single parents, seniors, prisoners, the hospitalized, , those far from home...it just kept going.  As we prayed for each one, the Holy Spirit led our prayers, reminding us of others. 

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So my sister has the apron on, little cousin is begging to go to the park.  Some family aren't coming because they are upset and others are sitting in traffic on their way as I type.  Dad just yelled out, "Let the football games begin" and Mom is trying to squeeze one more place at the table.  Grandma has only insulted me once so far with an attempted compliment and our British friend is photographing every dish...   Just another holiday here at the Brooks' home.

In a couple of hours we'll be all settled in.  The prayers will be said and the food will be shared.  And then someone will bust out the first of Aunt Katherine's brownies and the stories will begin.   My grandmother has seven brothers and sisters.  They were raised in Hong Kong.  I have spent many Thanksgivings eating brownies and listening to their adventures.  This year there will only be two of them at the table- my grandmother and her sister in law are the ones left of that generation.  Considering the dwindling group, the stories become more precious. 

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This week my neighbor, Karina, borrowed some money so she could pay a physical therapist.  This summer she fell into an unmarked, open trench where our city had been doing street construction and broke her arm.  It still doesn’t straighten out despite her surgery so she’s seeing a physical therapist. 

Karina doesn’t have insurance so her community has rallied around her.  Some neighbor ladies watched her kids during her recovery and appointments.  Her husband has stepped it up at home.  A friend of a friend prays with her.  A doctor comp-ed his fee.  I help her fill out all the paperwork.  Another friend gave his law expertise toward the claim with the city.  

Don’t get me wrong- I’m all for insurance.  It’s just that my dependence on insurance is all part of the lie telling me I don’t need others.

After I watched the beautiful, young bride walk down the aisle an old Steven Curtis Chapman song came to my mind: “Remember your chains, remember the prison that once held you before the love of God broke through…” When I saw her glowing in her white gown, I was reminded of the girl all dressed in black whose heart was as hard as her eyeliner was thick when we met nine years ago.  Remembering her past and journey to freedom in Christ made her beauty shine even brighter.

 

The song came to mind again the next day as aI visited a friend in prison. He allowed himself a moment to dream about his release.  He admonished me to enjoy the freedom I have and spoke of what he will do to embrace life when he gets out.

Sometimes you just want to be with people who know and love you; people you don’t have to explain yourself to, who accept you for who you are. That’s how I was feeling Sunday morning. That’s why I was so glad to be in church.

It had been a rough week for many of us. One brother had been out on the corner with some day laborers working through power struggles there. One sister patiently works all week with autistic children. Our pastors’ family and I had been visiting with a family whose son passed away tragically. A few of the women jumped in and put on a bridal shower for a young neighbor woman whose mom is out of the picture. Some of us had rallied to support the families of six men deported. I was coming into church feeling a bit beat up and bruised by the attempts we’d made all week to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God. It turns out that there is quite a bit of opposition to justice and mercy in our world and we were feeling it this week.

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Many people have different reasons for wanting to maintain the status quo. Oftentimes it takes a lot of energy and effort to make change. Maybe you benefit economically from the way things are. There is the risk of things actually being worse instead of better if I rock the boat. There are lots of reasons to maintain the status quo.

When it comes to immigration reform I often hear Christians quote Romans 13 as a reason that we should keep things the way they are. The chapter starts out, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” The argument tends to go that God has established the rulers, they make the rules and therefore we should submit to them.

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There is something to be said for longevity. There are certain direct, honest things you can say to people when you have history with them. You earn an influence and voice in people's life sometimes just by sticking around. There is an understanding of situations, relationship dynamics, and context that comes over time. It is helpful in seeing the way forward and navigating partnerships.

I've worked in my neighborhood now for eight years. That's the longest I've ever done anything besides go to school. I wouldn't call it longevity but it is long enough that I am starting to see how community works at deeper levels over time. Wayne Gordon, a respected Christian community developer http://www.lawndalechurch.org/ says that you have to be in a place for at least fifteen years to really see fruit. I am somewhere in the middle between a rookie and a veteran and I'm beginning to think he is right.

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