Stationed!

Things have been extremely hectic as my time at the Seminary winds down (and to think I thought life would be a bit calmer once I had completed the BTh phase - eish!), and I find myself making the usual lame excuses for not posting on my blog as regularly as I would like. However, a number of my on-line friends have been asking me what's happening with my stationing for 2012, and now that Conference has come and gone, the embargo has been lifted and I am now free to disclose where I am being sent next year.

God and the Methodist Church have been gracious to post me at Camperdown, which is a smallish town (village?) about 20km south-east of Pietermaritzburg. The location is convenient from the point of view of accessibility to James' school next year, as well as UKZN (although the whole PhD application process has not gone well - more about that in a later post), yet is still far enough away from Pietermaritzburg to give one a sense of being "out in the country".

I have had the privilege of worshipping with the community on a couple of occasions, and thus far my reception has been most welcoming.

There are, of course, some challenges - the main one being that the Circuit's financial position is rather tight at the moment, which means that (initially at least) I will not be receiving a full stipend.  My ministry will be of a "tent-making" nature until such time as the Circuit is able to fully support me financially.  Yet at the same time I sense a great opportunity, not only to lift my own trust in God to a new level, but also to be an example to people who are also trusting God to do something new and exciting in this church community.

Some have questioned my decision, though, and I suppose that it is understandable in a way.  Yet I am at peace with the arrangements in place.  After all, how can I with a clear conscience call upon people to put their faith in God by reaching a little deeper into their pockets if I am not willing to do the same?  If we are truly to be imitators of Christ, then we need to follow His example.  And Jesus' example is this: At no point during His earthly ministry does He call upon anyone to do anything that He has not done first.

As ministers of the Gospel, we would do well to emulate our Lord - after all, it is a known fact that people listen to our sermons with their eyes.  They want to see that this stuff we preach is real.  And so I relish the challenge that lies in the months ahead ... putting the Seminary learnings into practice, and praying fervently that I don't mess up too badly!

Drinking and driving

I got this on an e-mail from a friend in the US.  Although I cannot speak from experience (that pineapple beer in Std 8 aside), I thought that it was priceless nonetheless.

I would just like to share an experience with you all, and it has to do with drinking and driving. As you know some of us have had brushes with the authorities on our way home from the odd soiree over the years.

Well, I for one have done something about it: Last night I was out for a few drinks with some mates and had way too many of the good old bubbly. Knowing full well I was wasted, I did something I've never done before. I took a bus home.

I arrived home safely and without incident which was a real surprise, since I had never driven a bus before............

I'm getting old!!!

Here is a pic of James pulling Belinda's car out of the garage.  Seems just the other day when I held this tiny baby in my arms...

Scriptural reflections on prison ministry (5)

Passage: Jeremiah 29: 11-13
" 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.' "

How does this passage relate to prison ministry?
It is interesting to note Verse 11a, “[f]or I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD …”, since a visiting pastor to the prison, who presented a course on anger management, made the statement that “none of us are here by accident … to be in this particular place at this particular time, participating in this particular session, is God-ordained”. It can certainly be validly argued that, for the prisoners who attended the anger management session, if they took on board the insights imparted, and turned them into lessons to be learned and applied to their own lives, this could certainly be seen as “[a plan] to prosper you and not to harm you; [a plan] to give you hope and a future” (Verse 11b).

It was readily acknowledged that uncontrolled anger was undoubtedly a contributing factor to many of the prisoners committing the crimes that they did, resulting in their incarceration, and being empowered to deal with such anger would give them hope for the future since the likelihood of this anger driving them to re-offend would be greatly diminished.

What relevance does this passage have for ministry?
The passage has particular relevance for ministry, since the message that it contains is one of hope. A problem that many people face as they journey through life is the apparent lack of meaning of it all, a sense that one drifts through life going through the same daily routines for 70 or so years, after which life ends. The fact that God has a plan for our lives gives us hope and direction, and a sense that our time here on earth is not futile but has purpose.

A primary aspect of ministry is to proclaim this message of hope; to help people to understand that their lives do have meaning and purpose. God hasn’t just “lit the wick” and then allowed the candles of our lives to burn on their own until, eventually, it burns itself out. Our job as ministers is to accompany our congregations on a journey to discover God’s plan and purpose for our lives.

How does this passage define serving for Christ?
Jesus’ earthly life and ministry was no mere accident of history – he was sent by God with a specific mission, anointed by the Holy Spirit, and its express purpose was to “preach good news to the poor, … proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, [and] to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor (sic)” (Luke 4: 18b-19, NIV). He then set about fulfilling his purpose. Towards the end of his earthly ministry, after he had risen from the dead and was about to ascend into heaven, he gave a mission and purpose for their ministry, being to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28: 19-20a, NIV).

What this teaches us about serving Christ is that, just as he was sent by God with a purpose, so he has called us with a specific purpose in mind as well. Our obligation as Christians, therefore, is to seek the specific purpose to which Jesus has called us, and carry out that purpose with faithfulness and integrity.

Scriptural reflections on prison ministry (4)

Passage: Philippians 3: 12-16 (NIV)
"Not that I (Paul) have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

How does this passage relate to prison ministry?
Referring to the previous verses, whereby Paul claims no accolades from anything he has done in his own strength but gives all glory to Jesus for what he has become, this passage calls upon us to be humble. None of us can claim to be perfect, but we can strive for perfection in Christ. Paul however does not claim to have reached this point yet.

When it comes to ministering to prisoners, one faces a temptation to become smug in believing that because we may not have committed the kind of acts that has resulted in the prisoners’ incarceration, we are somehow better than them, or at least, “less sinful”. This passage reminds us that none of us can claim to have made it. Irrespective of where we may be on the journey relative to others, we need to be conscious that we are all on a common journey, striving towards the goal that Jesus has set for us. Our attitude should therefore not be as one who has arrived and is therefore pointing the other to the destination, but as one journeying alongside the other in order to reach the destination together.

What relevance does this passage have for ministry?
I was given the nickname “Captain Tupperware” during my Phase One year in 2009 because of a declaration that I made in a sermon one day that a “piece of Tupperware” (referring to my clerical collar) does not make me something special in a “holier than thou” sense. The collar serves merely as a badge of office, in the same manner as the black cap with the “M” embroidered on it identifies the person handing me the cheeseburger and Coke as a McDonald’s employee.

Staying with this analogy, when one goes to a McDonald’s, it is not the employee wearing the black cap that is of importance – the reason one is there is because of the food and beverage. The person serving, as well as the person being served, both have an equal need to eat and drink. Likewise, in a ministry context, the important aspect is to be able to draw closer to Christ, which both minister and congregation need in equal measure. The members of the congregation are there for the message, with he minister’s role being merely to deliver that message.

If one were to apply this to prison ministry, we need to remind ourselves, according to Romans 3: 23, that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. The need for love, compassion, and forgiveness is one shared by prisoner and minister alike

How does this passage define serving for Christ?
The main message that comes out of this passage is one of the need for humility. While it is desirable for us to strive towards Christian perfection, this does not give us the right to become arrogant about it. Paul clearly states that he has not yet arrived, and that in fact his spiritual journey up to this point is not because of his own achievements but because of what Christ has done in him.

This brings a mind a story related to me by a pastor some years back. He was at a preaching engagement out of town, and as he entered the lift lobby of the hotel one evening, a man staggered out of one of the lifts, obviously under the influence of alcohol. The pastor’s first thought was, “How disgusting to be that drunk in public”. He then felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit on his heart, as though he was hearing Jesus say to him, “The only difference between that drunken man and you, is Me”. Convicted of his judgemental attitude, the pastor asked God for forgiveness and began to pray for the man.

Paul is clear that the only difference between the “old Saul”, who persecuted Christians, and the “new Paul”, who is an apostle for Christ, is Christ Himself. “Pressing on toward the goal to win the prize” therefore reflects a sincere desire to draw ever-closer to Christ. Our motivation should be to do likewise, journeying alongside others as we become one in Jesus.

Scriptural reflections on prison ministry (3)

Passage: Colossians 3: 12-14
"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

How does this passage relate to prison ministry?
The passage is saying that we have received forgiveness from God, who loves us and has shown “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” to us, and therefore we are called to exhibit the same character traits towards others.

In the case of prison ministry, this passage is of relevance in that the one thing that is sorely needed by prisoners is forgiveness, both from God (forthcoming) and from others (usually not forthcoming). While the person in prison may well have been convicted of criminal acts, their incarceration is part of the debt that they are repaying to society, and given that the aim of such incarceration is rehabilitation, part of this rehabilitation process is the sense that a prisoner can find forgiveness.

Part of our role as ministers in prison ministry is threefold: (1) to proclaim the message of God’s forgiveness; (2) to show the characteristics of compassion, kindness, etc. portrayed in Verse 13 when visiting those in prison; and (3) to help those outside prison – particularly those who have been wronged by those in prison – to come to a place where they too can exhibit these characteristics towards those in prison.

What relevance does this passage have for ministry?
Forgiveness is at the very core of the Christian message, starting with God’s outpouring of love by forgiving our every wrongdoing – even though we are undeserving of such love and forgiveness.

From a heart of forgiveness comes an outpouring of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, and it is such characteristics that attract people to hear the Christian message, respond to it, and demonstrate these characteristics to others.

A minister's primary responsibility is to proclaim this message of forgiveness and compassion, demonstrating it firstly through one's own life and witness. If God is prepared to forgive any and all wrongdoing, as Christians we should surely be prepared to act likewise? While one recognises that such absolute forgiveness is often a difficult and traumatic process – especially when a person has suffered greatly at the hands of another – it is a journey that we need to embark on if we are to obtain release from the bondage of unforgiveness and thereby walk in the fullness of God’s grace.

How does this passage define serving for Christ?
In the same way that the ministry of Jesus is one of reconciliation between God and humankind, we are called to practice the same ministry of reconciliation among ourselves. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we ask God to forgive us as we forgive others. True serving thus comes not only from being able to receive the forgiveness of God, but also from being able to extend that forgiveness to others.

Scriptural reflections on prison ministry (2)

Passage: Titus 1: 7-8 (NIV)
"Since an overseer manages God’s household, [they] must be blameless — not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, [an overseer] must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined."

How does this passage relate to prison ministry?
People in prison have been fed the message that they are no good, have wronged society, and are deserving of their punishment, and in many ways the Church has been feeding them the same message. Our task as ministers is to show them the correct way, but it is far more important that we live out what we are saying. It is inappropriate for us to come along with a message that is condemnatory, when in many cases we are guilty of the same wrongdoing. The only difference is perhaps that we haven’t been caught!

I therefore believe that the relevance of this passage to prison ministry is not so much in terms of the criteria that are to be applied to the prisoners, but to us as ministers. We are to attempt, as far as possible, to live up to these requirements, while at the same time be real and genuine in cases where we too fall short. In this way, one can create a sense that both minister and prisoner are on a common journey together, both trying to become more Christ-like.

What relevance does this passage have for ministry?
There is an old saying that congregants listen to our sermons with their eyes, rather than their ears, and this creates a sense that people want to see that what we preach is a reality in our own lives as well. Our role as ministers is to be open, welcoming, and pastoral. We are also supposed to be able to “take a deep breath” and not react emotionally, but to be a source of stability and wise counsel.

As is the case with ministry within prisons, as ministers in general we need to recognise that we too are on a journey towards becoming more Christ-like – we certainly don’t have all the answers! However, in my limited experience in ministry, people appreciate it when we are willing to be a bit vulnerable in showing that we have not yet arrived, and are thus more willing to take our hands as we share the journey together.

How does this passage define serving for Christ?
This passage emphasises that serving Christ carries a responsibility – one in which the individual needs to be accountable with their own bearing. Serving Christ is born from a response to Christ’s hospitality and steadfastness – qualities which, as imitators of Christ, we need to emulate, especially as leaders in the Church.