There Is No One Beyond Saving

by Eric Elkin

“One of the criminals hanging next to Jesus insulted him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”

— Luke 23:39

Albert Woodfox summed up his teenage years in one simple sentence. “I was a petty criminal who terrorized my neighborhood.” At an early age, Albert abandoned education to pursue a career in robbery and scams. While classmates studied math, Albert stole flowers from gravesites. He then sold the stolen flowers to grieving family members at nearby funerals.

The law finally caught up to Albert when he was eighteen years old. He was arrested for robbery and sentenced to fifty years in prison. On the way out of the courthouse, though, he overpowered two sheriff’s deputies and escaped. In the blink of an eye, Albert was free and on his way to New York City.

Freedom did not last long. Within days of arriving in Harlem, he was once again arrested for attempted robbery and extradited back to New Orleans. His brief trip to Manhattan was not without benefits. A chance encounter with members of the Black Panther Party helped him forge a new outlook on life.

In 1971, Albert was placed into the Angola State Prison, the largest maximum-security prison in the United States. Empowered by his new Black Panther identity, he re-discovered education and became consumed with learning. He mentored younger prisoners and became an advocate for justice. During this time of personal growth, though, he was charged with murdering a guard. A charge many considered based more on his party affiliation than evidence.

“There is a part of me that is gone. I had to sacrifice that part in order to survive.”

— Albert Woodfox

Albert Woodfox is known because he spent forty-three years in solitary confinement. One of the longest stints in United Stated history. What is remarkable about this fete is not its length, but how Albert survived.

In an interview for New Yorker Magazine, Woodfox described his survival techniques. “We wanted the security people to think that they were dealing with superhumans. It was also a coping strategy. ‘Before I let them take something from me, I deny it from myself.” In an attempt to save himself, he needed to let things die.

I happened to find Albert’s story while researching a sermon. It struck me how he connected with the two criminals on either side of Jesus. Like the one criminal, Albert knows he’s guilty. At the same time, he calls out to be saved from a crime he did not commit. All attempts to save himself do not work.

An alert listener in a traditional congregation might find themselves confused by this Sunday’s gospel. Why, while planning Christmas programs, are we hearing a story from the cross?

Thanksgiving and Christmas are not always cheerful events. Many people find this time of year depressing, lonely and filled with anxiety. At any given time, we can find ourselves in bondage to our own sins or those placed upon us. Our attempts to free ourselves produce limited results.

Perhaps this year, when we listen to the Christmas story, we will take notice of Jesus’s name. Mary and Joseph are told to name him Jesus because he will save his people. The cross, while an ugly story interrupting the peace of Christmas, reminds us of the depth Jesus will go to save us. Albert reminds us there is no one beyond saving.

Click to read Luke 23: 32-43