The Village Church

“He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives.”

(Luke 4:18)

It’s not who I once was Or who you want me to be. It’s about the tenderness and love That the naked eye can see. Once everything gets taken away, And you’re in a place you don’t want to be, You realize your past life was a disgrace And pray to be set free. You don’t realize what you have Until it gets taken away.

Jorge Z., TX

From Threads—a publication of the

Crossroads Prison Art Project

Imago Dei

BY REV. ANDREW HAWKINS, PH.D., SENIOR PASTOR, THE VILLAGE CHURCH

The price for societal transgression can be high. Much is lost as prisoners walk through the gates of an institution that purports to be “home” for the foreseeable future – months, years, even decades.

Family. Friends. Employment. Homes. Money. Recreation. Walks in the forest. Sunshine on the beach. Freedom.

The verse above is selected from a poem written by a prisoner who is deeply aware of the losses. He knows, too late perhaps, the pain of those simple pleasures that have been stripped away. And he is just as aware of the role he played in the process.

You can take away almost everything from a man or woman who has crossed society’s limits. But there is one thing you can’t take away.

You can’t take away the Imago Dei— the Image of God.

The Image of God—the marks of humanity that set us apart from the rest of creation. The human faculties and capacities that give us the ability to have a relationship with God. The intellectual gifts that enable us to imagine beyond ourselves. The moral compass that fuels our conscience and teaches us right and wrong. The affections that generate love of neighbor and love of God. The aesthetic impulse that reveals true beauty and fuels creativity.

You can’t take away the Imago Dei, no matter the prison, no matter the level of incarceration.

And that’s why Unconfined Creativity: works from the Crossroads Prison Art Project, soon to display at the Tribby, is so important. Even in the darkest moments, God shows up. He shows up in the creativity of His children. The Imago Dei can be marred, distorted, stained – but never erased.

Jesus cares about the down and out, the dispossessed and discouraged. “He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives...” (Luke 4:18). We at The Village Church share His vision through our participation with the Crossroads Prison Ministries, and we are pleased to co-sponsor Unconfined Creativity: works from the Crossroads Prison Art Project with Shell Point. Don’t miss this opportunity to have your heart touched as you see how God has touched these precious hearts.

“You can’t take away the Imago Dei— the Image of God.”