Scripture
“The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.” Isaiah 61:1-2 (NRSV)
A Word of Hope
Today we remember Mathew Shepherd, a 21 year old American student who was tortured and left for dead near Laramie, Wyoming on the night of October 6, 1998. Mathew died six days later. On October 2009, the United States Congress passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (commonly the "Matthew Shepard Act" or "Shepard/Byrd Act" for short), and on October 28, 2009, President Barack Obama signed the legislation into law.
I met Judy Shepard, the mother of Matthew Shepard at the White House LGBT Conference on safe schools at the University of Arlington, on March of 2012. I remember standing near her wondering what was appropriate to say. I wanted to thank her for her advocacy work with LGBTQ Youth and for working hard to push for the hate crime act. But when it was my turn to shake her hand I was speechless. I simply said "thank you." I remember thinking about how as a parent she carried that grief of losing her son and yet she was going to conferences talking about it. That day she said to a group of advocates, city officials and young people "Be brave! Our work is never done as long as there is fear. You must come out. You must come out constantly and tell your story to give others hope." She addressed allies asking them to speak up and stand up for those who were marginalized.
Judy might have never imagined that as a parent she would be traveling the country talking about her son’s life and death. Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber once said in an interview that she preached and spoke "from a scar and not from a wound. A scar she said is sturdy and can be healing for other people."
I believe God continues to work in our lives every day. Mathew's death brought awareness and although it took a while before congress finally passed the Mathew Sheppard Act, his mother did not stop advocating. I believe that is what Isaiah meant when he said that God had anointed us to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, and to proclaim liberty to the captives.
I believe God continues to mold us, helping us through challenges in our lives. If we would compare scars we would see some are bigger and deeper than others. Yet scars they are- with a story behind them to tell. May we have the courage to share and bring hope to others to truly proclaim the good news. May we remember that God started something in our lives and it is through our scars and not from our wounds that we can help others heal.
Prayer God, may you comfort those who mourn and bring peace where hate has left a path of destruction. May we speak life and share hope with those who might not know of your grace and mercy.
Amen.