Living in the Spirit

November 1, 2021

Scripture Reading:

Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9

But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,
and no torment will ever touch them.
In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died,
and their departure was thought to be a disaster,
and their going from us to be their destruction;
but they are at peace.
For though in the sight of others they were punished,
their hope is full of immortality.
Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good,
because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;
like gold in the furnace he tried them,
and like a sacrificial burnt-offering he accepted them.
In the time of their visitation they will shine forth,
and will run like sparks through the stubble.
They will govern nations and rule over peoples,
Those who trust in him will understand truth,
and the faithful will abide with him in love,
because grace and mercy are upon his holy ones,
and he watches over his elect.

Oklahoma has jumped back into the desire to execute prisons with great enthusiasm. A new governor and his newly appointed Attorney General are anxious to correct the state’s requirement to do this job. I wish they had the same enthusiasm for solving our homeless problem or that we are in the top ten worst states in the nation for public education and health care. Oklahoma placed a moratorium on execution in 2015 after a second botched attempt at executing persons sentenced to the death penalty. Last week we used the same protocols to execute a man and got the same results. Witnesses reported that while he was strapped on a gurney like Jesus on the cross, he vomited all over himself twice and convulsed two dozen times immediately after being given the sedative that was the first step in the process. The second shot paralysis him. And finally, they administered the lethal drug that killed him.  

Prayer: May John Marion Grant rest in peace, and may God have mercy on all responsible for his execution, including me whose taxes helped pay for it.  Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.