Danger seems to be lurking everywhere. Not the danger that will kill you immediately. More so, the type of danger that will kill you slowly…one choice at a time. I never thought it would be this hard. You see, I’m a purist. I believe in moral absolutes…or at least I did. There is nothing clear about working with guys on death row. Of course, there is no question that we are called to befriend and defend the condemned. The message of Jesus makes that abundantly clear. But what happens when the condemned asks you to participate in an execution? Of course, you are simply being asked to be love in the midst of a time of murder…but what happens when you start feeling like a part of the process? This morning, I will serve as a spiritual advisor at the execution of Scott Eizember. I’m not going to be killing anybody…but I will be at the scene of the crime. I will be standing there in prayer while the State of Oklahoma takes a life for no other reason but vengeance. Maybe I am being to hard on myself…but I guess that’s what a purist does. Yet, there is nothing pure about this process. It ensnares us all. We all become a little less human every time it happens. Even those of us who have dedicated our lives to ending the death penalty are not left out. We try to do good. We try to stop it…but…these executions are still taking place in all of our names. Even for someone like me…who will literally be the last person to talk to Scott…the burden of participation feels immense. Maybe the reason that I am feeling like this is so that I might share such feelings with others. For, the only way that this heinous practice of state killing is going to stop is if we all feel the burden of our participation. So, maybe the best thing about being in the chamber this morning is gaining the humility to know that no one is pure…not even someone willing to give their life for this cause. Truly all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. I’ve always been told that…but today I’m really feeling it. I guess I still believe in moral absolutes. But this morning…it is very clear that sometimes we have to be reminded that we haven’t arrived yet. There is danger lurking everywhere. We just have to navigate it the best we can…and hope that God forgives us when we fall short. Then again, faith is the assurance of things hoped for. So, let us put our hope in life…in a clear belief that we can’t always be perfect…but we can try. I have faith in the abolition of the death penalty. I just don’t have faith that it is going to end this morning.
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