“be free!”

Sunday February 27th, Isaiah 49: 8 This is what the LORD says: “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances, 9 to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’ For those living in the darkness of captivity this is indeed good news. Not only is God promising to return them from captivity, but God is also promising to overturn the oligarchical social structure that had brought about the downfall of Israel in the first place, and now is beginning to affect our own nation, and return the land inheritance to the people. We have seen recently the peaceful demonstrations in the Mideast in response to oligarchy and dictatorship. These are turn the other cheek and walk the extra mile demonstrations (Walter Wink’s third way http://www.cres.org/star/_wink.htm) used to overthrow oppressive regimes and help create brothers where there were formerly enemies. All too often in the history of humanity, the change of social orders has simply meant the flipping of those on the bottom into becoming those on the top who still play the same game. Jesus calls us to come out of the darkness of needing to be on top, needing to control and/or being on the bottom and secretly cherishing our victim role, and to live and love as sisters and brothers. It is then, and only then we, as well as our sisters and brothers can truly “be free!”