Monday, September 6, 2010

I write today having reflected on a letter of a friend who has been hurt by the church.

DREAMS
Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams for when dreams go life is a barren field frozen with snow.
Langston Hughes

"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." Henry David Thoreau

"I have wept in the night For the shortness of sight That to somebody’s need made me blind; But I never have yet Felt a tinge of regret For being a little too kind."(Anonymous)

Christianity is about a God who lovingly gives himself to us, who delights in giving gifts (Luke 11:9-13), and invites us to give ourselves back to him and to others. ‘God so loved, that he gave…’ (John 3:16). Jesus, the Son of God, says Paul, ‘loved me and gave himself for me’ (Galatians 3:20). The Spirit of God similarly loves, and gives gifts (1 Corinthians 12-14).


These ’spiritual gifts’ or ‘charisms’ (charismata from charis, grace) are given for the common good; to each for the good of all (1 Corinthians 12:7). The same Spirit who enabled Jesus to bring good news to the poor, release to captives, healing for the sick, and freedom to the oppressed (Luke 4:18,19) is given to us to do in our world what He did in his.

We as clergy MUST focus on one of these gifts: generosity (Romans 12:8). Generosity of TIME, of SELF, of PRESENCE.

Being there, holding hands, and lifting up spirits are important, to be sure, but a ‘ministry of presence’ must bring more than a mere pat on the back or a well-meaning prayer. A ministry of presence embraces the presence of Christ by meeting the emotional, spiritual, and physical needs of the helpless and hurting. The power of MY presence in suffering finds its source in Christ’s enduring presence in our own lives. It is an awesome responsibility to stand in the stead of Christ offering whole-person, Christian care.

It is a privilege to be present in the name of Christ. A ministry of presence is a ministry with the gospel as its matrix. A ministry of presence helps transform victims into survivors, a necessary step on the road to recovery and renewal. While it is a privilege to be with people and listen to their story, empathy without action is not ministry. A ministry of presence does more than listen. A ministry of presence replaces moments of misery with moments of mercy. Moments of mercy are delivered by those privileged to stand in the stead of Christ at the crossroads of tragedy and triumph. The privilege of presence includes service in tangible ways.