“No metal, no keys, no phones,
Bring your passports, your bible
We are coming to make Christ known”
We enter into the office, they check our belongings and pat us down
My heart starts to speed up, fear starts to set in:
This is risky, these are prisoners, they could have a mental breakdown
There’s nothing separating us from these men,
They file in with smiles and sit across from us on the bench
I am greeted with a kiss on the cheek again and again.
I look them in the eyes, wondering what they have done,
Are they dangerous? Do I keep my distance?
But then I remember, the battle has already been won.
My fear starts to disappear, as I realize they are just human too
Young men who long to be looked at for more than their crime
To be seen as Sons of the King; the One who brings the true breakthrough
Walls broken down, barriers destroyed, love conquers all
Truth starts pouring out of us as vessels of Christ,
This is what it looks like to risk for love, to answer the call.
I take a step back and realize I am no better or worse,
We sing, laugh, hope, and share stories.
All of us from birth, set under the same death curse
To bring the news of a hope that is living,
To sit with them where they are at in communion
The love of the Lord is what we are giving
Their eyes full of hope, full of longing to be set free,
Not free from their cells, but free from the shackles on their hearts,
Lord continue to open their eyes so they can truly see:
See the freedom that only you can bring,
That you came to die and bring life even for them,
Lift up their souls, their voices loud to sing:
Sing of your goodness, your mercy, and your love.
That when released from jail, they would not just be physically free,
But free in their spirits because of the things of above.
