I grew up in Mobile, Alabama, which sits on the western side of Mobile Bay, a large and historic body of water. Five rivers empty themselves into the bay making it alive and rich, teeming with life. On the eastern side of the bay are the quaint towns of Daphne, Fairhope and Point Clear. A natural event takes place near these towns periodically that is so unique that it is the stuff of legend and mystery. It is called a “Jubilee.” When this event takes place crab, shrimp and all manner of fish, the favorite being flounder, literally beach themselves. If one happens to be there when it takes place you can actually walk down the beach and pick up the sea life that have beached themselves. People have been know to fill large tubs full with shrimp or crab or fish. Crazy, huh? But, why is it called a “Jubilee?” The term come from the Bible, recorded in our book of Leviticus, where God directed Moses at Mount Sinai to instruct the Israelites about their worship and calendar. They were instructed when they entered the promised land that every 7th year was to be a sabbatical year where they and the land were to rest. Many institutions, primarily Universities and Colleges, today practice a “sabbatical” leave for their tenured professors. According to the Mosaic instruction after seven sets of these seven year periods there would be a unique year called a “Jubilee,” the fiftieth year. During this year not only was there to be rest and worship, but additionally three things were to take place; all debts were to be canceled, all slaves were to be set free and all land sold to another was to be returned to the original owner. It was a dramatic prescription for society and polity. It was about restoration. What does that mean to us? Although it is rather instructive in various arenas let me apply it to how we relate to others. The three elements of “Jubilee” speak to the three needs all of us have; the need for forgiveness, the need for restoring of all that we have lost and the need for freedom from bondage. You and I have the power to help other people experience this. Every person we deal with in the course of our profession or life in general, people who are wounded and hurting and lacking, are looking for hope. It is possible to “reboot” our lives and help others do the same. You have no idea what others have gone through. And others have no idea what you have gone through. We cannot change the world and correct all evil and lack, but we can do what we can do in our world to extend hope and love to others even if they are unlovely. After all, “Jubilee” is receiving something you do not deserve, receiving something you cannot provide for yourself and receiving something you cannot earn. Have you received this? If so, pass it on.