The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1959-08-21

8: : J
unoer guard. The
God who gave s
these laws is the B.
God who Sc Is 81
prisoners free.
Then IN the New b.
Testament where azs -
Jesus Is preach D.. Foreman
ing to his own village friends and
relatives. he takes . text from
Isaiah describing his own work
duke 4:16; Isaiah SID; one OF
the first things God gave him to do
was to proclaim liberty to the
captives-
Elevea njtliea Exi:ss
Furthermore, some books of the
Bible were written by men who had
been In Jail or were actually in a
jail when writing. The prayer
which is the subject of this week s
study comes from the Hebrew
exiles, for it represents not simply
one mans prayer but may be
thought of as the desire Of many
a heart. Exile. we have to remem-
Der. is a form Of captivity without
chains. Living in exile is like bear
in a modern ZOO he sits in no cage.
but rs free to roam around on the
rocks. He does not have bars
around him. but there is something
just az effective. a deep moat all
around his rocky island, too wide
and too steep for him to cross. So
the exile Daniel or Nehemiah or
Joseph, for instance) may be free
enough to build house or to plant
a garden: but all around him is the
invisible pit, the impossibility Of
ever going home again
Today. it Is estimated, there are
In the world more than eleven mil
lion refugees, "stat"less' people,
who have left their native hand BE-
cause they had to, driven by tho
cruelties AZ var Or the colder
crueaties q peace. vietnannese,
Arabs, Jews, north-Koreans, Chi
neaa, Hn9Arians, East Germans,
Indians the list b far longer
than that. Millions Of These exiles
are Christians; they know what
ti1e prayer Of capttves means
Whist Ca They Del
Many Of these modern exiles i've
under conditions that make mod
ern Jail look like the Hilton Hotel
For every Hungarian (for *
ample) who manages TO reach the
United States and new start m
life there are thousands who live
In barracks, supported BY the
World Council Of Churches, or the
United Nations, at poverty level
II it were not for these great or
CARNATIONS millions would have
starved and many thousands who
have been resettled would stin be
in ragged tents or barracks with
out hope or help. The exiles are BY
no means from the down-and- oues
back home. Most Of them are pro-
fessional people, farmers. skilled
workmen, persons who could make
an independent living II they had
q chance. The writer knows OF one
Hungarian family who At the mo
n,ent OF writing would Be very
happy TO come to the United
States. but are barred ont because
though the father is an unusually
educated and able man-no one
here has been found who win spon-
sor them. They have a number o.
children. and unless some person
or group guarantees their support
and education Ia case the parents
die. the q. 8. YIN not admit them.
111is b Only orc case among many.
pvtsseees nesr -
Most people who road dsss CO..
s,nn are free and self supporting
| Concentration camps, detention
barracks, the life Of exiles, seem
far away. Bat many people VINO
read this can do something about
the frendless prisoners OF the
world. It may be that your church
has never undertaken to sponsor
refugee, or to take part in sending
help Through Church World Serv-
Ice or otherwise) to the mfortu-
nate victims OF wars and/or hae
governments in the refugee camps
Of the world II 50, you might b
the person to spark-plug a reA
Christian effort along this line
But there may Be prisoners still
nearer. There Is jail Or a peniten
tiary somewhere not far from you
(naseA - sstRines copyrighted p
~ Division ~ CAristaan EdueatssH
NatSsnnl CeaAeil - the Churches .
ChYist in IL o. 8. A. 1eaeosed b!
CsanRni4y Press ee1vtea.)