“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” – Matthew 25:35-40
By Ryan Scott | Ministry Intern serving at Valley & Mountain in Seattle, WA
This last Sunday, Valley and Mountain had the privilege of welcoming Doug Walker from the General Board of Church and Society as a guest preacher. Doug trains people all over the country on how to become healing communities for people dealing with incarceration and the criminal justice system. He led a workshop here in Seattle attended by over 40 faith leaders where we shared our experiences in dealing with this issue within our congregations. I think it’s safe to say that many of us hadn’t even recognized this as a “church issue” before we heard Doug speak it into being for us.
[pull_quote_right]Are you 18-25 and considering a call to ministry? Click here for info about our summer program.[/pull_quote_right]Our churches often have a very dualistic view when it comes to the incarcerated. There is a common narrative in our society that people in prison are the bad guys and people who go to church are the good guys. In reality, that’s not the case at all.
One in every four imprisoned people in the world is imprisoned in the United States. One in thirty five Americans are either in prison, on parole, or on probation. A vast majority of these people are in prison for non-violent offences like drug charges. The US government recognizes addiction as a mental illness, yet we send people with this illness to prison where they often relapse.
It’s a sad reality that most Americans, including us church folk, comfortably ignore. If we really believe in the power of spiritual resurrection, and that the invitation to the table is truly open, then wouldn’t it be our responsibility to welcome the imprisoned too? Is it enough to just leave a space for them at the table without inviting them to sit next to us? It’s a challenging task, I’m well aware.
[pull_quote_left]Can we find the space in our hearts to see the human being behind the bars? Is that person not a child of God?[/pull_quote_left]Can we find the space in our hearts to see the human being behind the bars? Is that person not a child of God? Do they not breathe the same air and have the same humanity that we have? Do they not deserve to be shown love? It is our responsibility as followers of Jesus to make space for these people, to give them a safe place to grow and heal.
We all need to address these questions as a church. We need to confront the challenges that we have in dealing with the “outsider.” This is an issue that we can’t just ignore. We need to start having the conversations, to find out why it is so hard for us to recognize that the outsider and the imprisoned are just as worthy of resurrection and of God’s love as the most devout member of the church choir.
It’s certainly convenient to lock people away and pretend the problem isn’t there. It’s easy to throw a person behind bars and forget about them. It’s easy to split people into categories of good and bad. What’s not so easy is being prepared to see the face of Jesus behind the bars.
Ryan is from Springfield, OR where he was a paraprofessional specializing in after school/community programming and 9th grade academic support/intervention with Springfield Public Schools and the Willamalane Park and Recreation District. Ryan was also the Youth Director for Trinity United Methodist Church in Eugene. Ryan’s passion for faith and youth was sparked by serving in Boy Scouts of America as a camp chaplain and scoutmaster where he was constantly exposed to the issues youth care about. This led to further exploration of a call to vocational ministry in the UMC. Ryan now serves at Valley and Mountain Fellowship, a spiritual community in the diverse South Seattle neighborhood of Hillman City as an apprentice minister.
