Sermon Quote from Sunday June 1, 2025

from “The Plight of the Jailer” by Rev. Tonya Barnette

The plight of the jailer (and all oppressors, especially the cogs in the wheel of larger systems) was that he was both oppressor/tool of the system AND oppressed by the same system. We should remember that those who oppress now are also part of the system and need to be freed from those chains. It may be dangerous to touch their hands gently and offer kindness before they are made ready by some event that opens their eyes. We can, though, hold them in our hearts as human beings - flawed, as we are and trapped in systemic oppression, as we all are.