Greetings to the Koonung Heights Community,
I found the presentation from Joel from Prison Fellowship after worship last Sunday interesting and challenging. We sometimes use the language of freedom and captivity in church, but mostly we mean it as a “spiritual” sentiment rather than a literal “I have been released from captivity”. But there is a surprising amount of literal imprisonment in the Bible and Christian history. From slavery in Egypt, to Joseph and Jeremiah in the pit, to John the Baptist executed from prison, from Jesus himself, arrested and Bunyan, Wycliffe, Bonhoeffer, King, Wurmbrand.

We do not glorify being arrested and imprisoned, but it has been a choice many Christians have made. Not for violence or dishonesty or corruption – but for the opposite. As a witness and testimony for truth and justice.

In July 1846, Henry David Thoreau was thrown into a Massachusetts jail for refusing to pay his poll tax as a protest against slavery and the Mexican American War. According to historical lore, his close friend and mentor, Ralph Waldo Emerson, came to visit him and the conversation went as follows:

Emerson:” Henry, why are you here?”
Thoreau: “Waldo why are you not here?”

Sunday’s bible readings have the story of Jacob wrestling all night with an angel/the Lord and at dawn being sent on his way with a limp and new name and identity. People coming out of prison will need all the support and encouragement they can get to be able to successfully create this new identity. Can Koonung Heights Uniting be part of that?
All the best, Ray.