Jesus, many have said, didn’t come to usher in a new set of rules or a new set of morals. He came, John says in his Gospel, to “bring life and bring it in full.” So much of the world I see lacks life, lacks hope. But there are glimpses that we get – akin to what the Celts called “thin places” – that remind us of what hope looks and feels like. The end of The Shawshank Redemption is one of those glimpses. It is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen and I am drawn back to it at what feel like defining moments in life – or perhaps it is better to say that every time I see it becomes a defining moment. The movie builds to just this moment and this moment is one of the best statements of how Jesus wants us to live. Watch:

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