Posts Tagged ‘healing|quest-magazine-2011-04’

Then two years ago I was matched with Alex, who is in prison in Texas. Alex is extremely verbal, very bright, and almost a poster child for how to raise a career criminal. It is possible to look up a prisoner’s conviction record, but I never felt it was relevant to do so. I wanted to be free to relate to a person, not an “offender.”

This was in 1993. At the time, I had a picture of Harriet Tubman on the wall behind my computer screen. Her courage and tenacity spoke to me as I was becoming visible in ways I had never dared before, inspired to free my own people.

How shall we mend you, sweet Soul?
What shall we use, and how is it
in the first place you’ve come to be torn?
Come sit. Come tell me.
We will find a way to mend you.

Well, this sermon does mention Jesus and his resurrection. There also will be mention of Pharaoh, Moses, and the parting of the Red Sea. I will speak of miracles and I will also invoke the supernatural — things so mysterious so as to be inexplicable. But bear with me, because my starting point is something theologically neutral: particle physics.

To keep ourselves halfway decently in tune, we must tinker all the time: here on our anger, there on our bitterness, lethargy, pettiness, or pride. Fully to love we must mute our fears; fully to serve, tone down our piping little egos. In order to produce anything like beautiful music, we must join in the band of our brothers and sisters, be an instrument of their peace, a humble instrument of justice and mercy, a dedicated instrument of truth.