"Release" | Reflection by Christy Stang, Seminarian

We are in a season of so much tension, fear, and violence in the world, and I don’t know about you, but I hold that in my body. In the tension of my shoulders, the clenching of my stomach, the tightness in my jaw. I have to remind myself to relax and release the tension, because it does not come naturally to me. The word “release” comes up in Scripture most often in the context of releasing someone from imprisonment, for example in Matthew 27 when the crowds ask for Barabbas to be released instead of Jesus. Tension can feel like imprisonment. Stress, anxiety, and fear can bar us from feeling like ourselves, from feeling connected to our communities, and from feeling connected to God.

Although all of the current events in the world may make it feel like we are imprisoned in the darkness of the world, through Jesus, God invites us into release. The process of turning to Jesus and releasing the spiritual tension we may hold in our bodies and souls is continuous. Never a one-and-done moment of checking off a box. And it is by God’s grace that we are able to move into that place of release--releasing tension of the world, tension within ourselves, and allowing ourselves to accept God’s invitation into a place of liberation rather than spiritual imprisonment. As we’re continuing in Holy Week, how is Jesus inviting you into release?

Words in the Wilderness - Walk through the season of Lent with Trinity, one word at a time. Every day (except on Sundays) we will post a photo and a brief refection written by someone in our Trinity community. https://www.trinitynewhaven.org/words-in-the-wilderness