by Rev. Wilson Pruitt
Ours is a hyperbolic age where every meal is expected to be the best and every inconvenience is the worst. A world where my 4 year old has a BFF because his older brother has a BFF, and that second F, for both kids, lasts about 4 days max. The critic James Wood once mockingly reviewed a book, saying that it “exhausts negative hyperbole.” The past few weeks have exhausted negative hyperbole for many people. We are out of it. Plans and pensions and expectations have been changed at the root. Businesses, restaurants, all of institutional sports, schools across the country and the world: shut down. Many places in the world have pared down to the essentials and taken the time to discover what is essential: what do we need?
Lent is a season of getting down to the root of a matter. Fasting is a practice of discerning what we need and leaning on God. Many people have now had social-distancing mandated fasts.
A population that we have as a society shamefully socially distanced is our brothers and sisters, our mothers and fathers, our children in jail or prison. As we look at the hospitals, road crews, grocery stores, pharmacies still open, this may be an incredible to look and see that we do not need those isolated cells. In fact, by keep imprisoned populations so tightly together, should an outbreak of the coronavirus take place behind bars, it will be catastrophic. Some farsighted folks around the world have started releasing some folks in jail, but that is not enough.
Paul writes in the Letter to the Ephesians
Ephesians 5:8 For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light-
Ephesians 5:9 for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.
Ephesians 5:10 Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
Ephesians 5:11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
We don’t need to live as a people in darkness. We don’t need to keep people locked up. We can see the light this season of lent that reconciliation is possible, that hope is possible, that grace is possible for all. As our governments try to respond to the crisis, let us not forget the shackled neighbors that Isaiah calls us to break free.