and there have been beautiful ones who have bravely thrown their own safe lives to the wind and smuggled, hidden, guided, served, met people and got them to safe pastures

things done in covert under the eyes of the oppressor

people whose lives make me realise the true high calling of loving another at the cost of all else.

Jesus who loved us while we were strangers in the mocking crowd

and he didn’t sneak into the enemies camp and smuggle us out

he marched right in and busted down the door with his perfect life that death could not contain

he turned the clock on death inside out

he broke the chains, turned on the lights, tore open the bars

and then he invited us all 

because when you follow him you find you have left the prison behind

the lock and key are broken, the victory is won, the only thing that remains is the response to the invitation

it doesn’t mean the journey will be easy or the going always clearly charted – there will be leaps of faith, and laying down and turning the other cheek, there will be mourning and tribulation – but all in freedom

the debt is paid

the chains are gone

the love is free

and I am chasing after this freedom fighter because my very life is held in his hands

and may we all know it loud in our hearts that we don’t need the key, we needn’t fashion our own way out because the locks, all our locks, are broken