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In 1921 Lewis Lawes became the warden at New York's infamous Sing Sing Penitentiary. No prison in the country was tougher with more incidents of violence recorded during the period, but when Warden Lawes retired some twenty years later, Sing Sing had become a humanitarian institution. Those who studied prison reform in the period gave the credit for the institution's turn around to Lawes, but when he was asked about the transformation he had a different story. He once stated, "I owe it all to my wonderful wife, Catherine, who is buried inside the prison walls."

Catherine Lawes was a young mother with three small children when her husband became the warden. Everyone warned her from the very first day that she should never set foot inside the prison. But that didn't stop Catherine. When the first prison basketball game was held, she walked into the gym with her three children and sat down in the crowd with the inmates. Her attitude was simple but very profound: "My husband and I are going to take care of these men and I believe they will take care of me. I have nothing to fear or to worry about." Catherine wanted to know the prisoners and their case histories. She discovered that one convicted murderer was blind, so one day she paid him a visit. Holding his hand in hers, she asked, "Do you read Braille?" "What's Braille?" he asked. His response prompted her to learn Braille and teach the prisoner how to read in this manner. Later, Catherine discovered a deaf mute in the prison. She went to school to learn how to sign so she could communicate with the man.

Catherine Lawes was to many in Sing Sing Prison between 1921 and 1937 the Body of Christ. She did everything for all people and never feared for her safety. She was a true disciple who never counted the cost, but rather was always present to encourage, support, and bring light to situations shrouded in darkness. One day Catherine was killed in an auto accident. The next morning Lewis Lawes did not come to work and the acting warden took his place. Almost immediately all in the prison knew something was terribly wrong. The following day Catherine's body was resting in a casket in her home, about a mile from the prison's main gate. As the acting warden was taking his morning walk, he was shocked to see a large crowd of the toughest, hardest-looking criminals gathered like a herd of animals at the main gate. He came closer and noted tears of sadness and grief; he knew how much they loved Catherine. He turned, faced the inmates, and said, "All right, men, you can go and pay your respects. Just be sure and check in tonight!" The acting warden opened the gate and a parade of criminals walked without escort the mile distance to the warden's house. They filed by one-by-one and offered their condolences to the warden and his family. And everyone of them checked back in. Every one!

Catherine Lawes was one woman who changed the lives of many hardcore criminals and allowed them to see the face of God in a truly powerful way by the manner of her life and the support she gave. She created a new environment where men convicted of the most vicious and heinous crimes could, even for a moment, change their views and make a break from their sordid past. For the inmates of Sing Sing she was a savior who brought light to those in darkness and through her actions created a new world with all sorts of possibilities and opportunities.

The life and work of Catherine Lawes illustrate the central message of today's lesson, namely that God will create a new life in us if we are open and ready to receive the manifold gifts of God. In the third and final section of the book of Isaiah, chapters 56-65, the prophet writes to the Hebrews after their return to Jerusalem. The disgrace and shame of the Babylonian Exile has ended and now the prophet declares a new day for the people. God says through Isaiah, "For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth. The former things shall not be remembered or come to mind" (65:17). God will bring joy to Jerusalem. No more will there be the sound of weeping in the streets or the cry of distress. No more will an infant live but a few days or another not live out the fullness of one's lifetime. The people will again live in prosperity as before. They will build houses, plant vineyards, and enjoy the work of their hands. No longer will people labor in vain or hear children in calamity. No, there is a new day, one of changed lives, where the wolf and the lamb shall feed together and the lion and the ox shall eat straw.

Isaiah's description of the new Israel can and must be the understanding that we have in considering how God holds us close, always ready to mold us and change us into the likeness of God in which we are created. We must believe that God stands ready to change us and create a new life for each person. Salvation history is the story of the up and down relationship God experienced with the Hebrews. They turned away from God on numerous occasions, but each time they returned, confident that God was present and waiting for their return. The multiple failures of God's chosen people to live according to the law did not stop them from doing what they could to make amends and get back on the right road. There is a need in our lives to know and experience failure so as to appreciate the second or third chance we might receive. This idea is illustrated by the lives of two men, both famous for their accomplishments and the gifts they gave to society.

Jonas Salk, whose discovery of the polio vaccine transformed the world of medicine and wiped out a terribly crippling disease, was once asked how this one great accomplishment could be related to his 200 other failures. Salk responded, "I never had 200 failures in my life, for my family never thought in terms of failure. We spoke in terms of experiences. It was such an attitude that made my 201st experience a discovery. But it could not have been done without the 200 previous experiences."

Winston Churchill, the famous British statesman, also was not intimidated by errors. When he made one, he simply thought the situation through again. Once he was asked, "Sir Winston, what in your school experience best prepared you to lead Britain out of its darkest hour?" Churchill thought for a moment and then replied, "It was the two years I spent at the same level in high school." "Did you fail?" he was asked. "No," the statesman replied, "I had two opportunities to get it right."

God gave the Hebrews a second, a third, a hundredth chance to get it right, and God will do the same for us. As Christians who seek to follow Jesus, who like the Father was always ready to assist those in need and get their lives back on track, we must do what we can to make the lives of others better. We must do our share to create a new heaven and a new earth for our brothers and sisters, especially those who in small or great ways are in special need. Parents provide a special environment in their home where children can rejoice, be safe, and grow in wisdom, grace, and knowledge. It may not be an idyllic setting -- none really is. But it must be a supportive place where love reigns. At work we must support our colleagues, both our peers and those who work below and above us. Each has a special and important role, and we must do what we can to create an environment that supports and fortifies our gifts. Daily life provides many special opportunities to assist others and thus transforms lives, both one-on-one aid and more collectively through systemic change. Like Catherine Lawes, we must be willing to use the gifts we have to bring out the best in others. In essence we must encourage others to be the best they can be in every aspect of their lives. A true anecdote about the famous nineteenth-century poet and artist Dante Gabriel Rosetti illustrates perfectly the challenge that lies before all of us.

One day as Rosetti was sitting on a park bench reading a newspaper, an older gentleman approached and asked if the master would look at some paintings he had recently completed and evaluate their quality. Rosetti stopped what he was doing and looked the art over from every dimension. Although he wanted to be kind and gentle, he had to be honest as well and, thus, he told the older man that the paintings were not that good and were of very little value. The man thanked Rosetti for his time, but before he departed he asked if the master would take a few minutes more and review some sketches made by a younger man. Rosetti reviewed the art with great delight. He told the older man that the artist possessed great talent, that he should receive significant training, and that the potential for greatness was truly present. "Were these done by your son?" the artist asked. "No," said the man, "they were completed by me forty years ago. I wish someone then would had said what you did today. It would have changed my life, but I gave up and never pursued art as my vocation."

Catherine Lawes touched the lives of people, the likes of whom the majority of us will never encounter, because of circumstance, situation, and desire. She made an overt effort to reach out to those whom others had discarded, cast aside as irredeemable. God could easily have cast aside the Hebrews due to their persistent lack of faithfulness, yet time after time God reached out and new life was given to the community of Israel. For the Hebrews, God, through the words of Isaiah, proclaimed a new heaven and a new earth. As Catherine Lawes brought light to those in darkness and God provided new life and support to the Hebrews, so must we be confident that God stands ready to assist us. Basking in the knowledge and experience of God's love and support for us, we, in turn, must do what we can to bring a new day to those troubled in mind and spirit. Let us be grateful of God's call, the certainty of God's love and support, and may we answer the call and challenge to bring the light to others and to support them as God supports us!