This past week, I once again had the privilege of being part of Kanuga’s Winterlight program for young people. I have been blessed to participate in this post-Christmas, ring-in-the–New-Year gathering for decades, and this year marked a special milestone: the 50th Winterlight gathering.
In the Bible, Jubilee is a holy practice of freedom and restoration rooted in Leviticus 25. Every fiftieth year, debts were forgiven, people enslaved by poverty were freed, land was returned, and the whole community—and even the land itself—was given rest. Jubilee was God’s way of preventing brokenness, inequality, and shame from becoming permanent, reminding Israel that everything ultimately belongs to God. It was not merely an economic reset, but a spiritual one. In the prophets and in the New Testament—especially when Jesus proclaims “the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4)—Jubilee becomes a sign of God’s kingdom breaking into real life, where release leads to renewal, renewal opens the way for joy, and freedom is shared in community.
With this as the backdrop, the youth spent three days leaning into what it means to be ‘Jubilee people’. Day One focused on release—naming the things they were carrying and needed to let go of. We spent time talking about forgiving others and ourselves, reflecting on the truth that Jubilee begins when we release what we are holding on to.
Day Two shifted toward renewal. Reflecting on Psalm 51, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me,” the young people—recognizing that renewal looks different for everyone—explored what they hoped might be restored in their own lives.
From release and renewal comes rejoicing, as Philippians reminds us: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” After the deep work of letting go and naming what they longed to see renewed, the final Jubilee response was joy!
All of us experience challenging times along the way. Jubilee teaches us that even as we honor their weight, we are not defined by them. We can release what binds us, make room for renewal, and in the end, rejoice.
As the new year begins, this Jubilee journey with these remarkable young people has invited me into my own reflection. What do I need to release? What might it mean for God to renew a right spirit within me? And finally—what will rejoicing look like?
BP
In a post script, I ask your prayers for Angel Boley and her entire family and the Episcopal camp family as we all grieve the tragic death of 4 year old “John John”.