Have you heard the news about the man in Florida who was recently exonerated after 35 years of wrongful incarceration? James Bain was only 19 years old when he arrived in prison. After DNA testing proved he couldn’t have committed the crime that resulted in his life sentence, Bain became a free man at the age of 54. The Associate Press has reported that as Bain walked out of the courthouse earlier today, “he spoke of his deep faith and says he does not harbor any anger.”
I think that’s remarkable, and something worthy of pondering during the season of Advent. This coming Sunday, many Christians will sing the words “O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel . . .” We are a people who have been set free. So what would we have to say about that if reporters interviewed us on the front steps of the church after receiving Holy Communion? Would we exhibit the same kind of peace and joy that James Bain has shown on CNN? Why not?
