This past weekend, August 17-20, I served as a table pastor at Kairos #13 at Ross Correctional Institute in Chilicothe, Ohio. I am trying to put into words what the experience was like, but I don’t know where to start. I guess I will begin with a description of Kairos…
Kairos is a short-course on Christianity like the “Walk to Emmaus” or Cursillo for the residents of correctional institutions.
The Mission of Kairos, is to bring Christ’s love and forgiveness to all incarcerated individuals, their families, and those who work with them, and to assist in the transition of becoming a productive citizen[i].
Kairos Prison Ministry is a ministry rather than a movement. Kairos is a ministry of the church ... a ministry of the apostles whom Jesus, the Christ, has called into community and sent forth into the environment of the correctional institution. Kairos has been called the best example of the early church in existence today[ii]. I chose to get involved with Kairos for 2 reasons: 1) I have felt the Holy Spirit encouraging me to get involved in prison ministry because of Mtt. 25:36, 2) the testimony of other volunteers (including my wife, Stephanie), and 3) Kairos seeks to help create a community of believers within the institution…
In a hymn about the Holy Spirit, Charles Wesley wrote, “O come and dwell in me, Spirit of power within, and bring the glorious liberty from sorrow, fear, and sin.”[iii] In John 8:36 Jesus says, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” That is Glorious Liberty. That is True freedom. Without the Holy Spirit dwelling in us individually and corporately, we are unable to escape our inclination to sin, but when we surrender to Christ Jesus as Lord we are free to be all that God created us to be. That is what Jesus is talking about in these verses from John 8. Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever” (vss. 34-35). The Good News is that because of God’s overwhelming love we do not have to continue as slaves to sin. Look at Isaiah 61:1-3 The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3 to provide for those who mourn in Zion-- to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, to display his glory. This is the text that Jesus quoted in His home town synagogue when He said, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.[iv]" This is Good News! And at RCI Kairos #13, I saw why. Every resident who comes to the retreat is given a prayer book called a Freedom Guide, which we used throughout the weekend so that they could learn to use it in their personal devotions, in Kairos reunion and Prayer & Share meetings, and in their small groups. As I was driving back to RCI this past Thursday (August 24, 2006) I was reflecting on the previous weekend and all I learned and witnessed. I was thinking about the Freedom Guide. I realized that Freedom Guide is good name for followers of Jesus Christ. On the final morning of the retreat I gave a devotion entitled “Sending Us Forth.” I reminded everyone of the grace, love, and power that we all experienced, and I challenged us all to continue in the journey of Christian faith. I gave a challenge to use the mountaintop experience of a Kairos weekend to propel them through the valleys that will come. I gave a challenge to live a life that points others to Jesus—I gave a challenge to be Freedom Guides. I want to share some of the experience of the Kairos Weekend with you now and issue you the same challenge to be Freedom Guides.
Over the course of a weekend I witnessed the transformative power of the presence of God. I experienced being used by God to convey His Good News—a message of unconditional love and true freedom. I was confronted by a sinful prejudice that I have been holding onto for way too long, and I learned an important lesson about the ministry to which Jesus Christ calls His Church.
· I witnessed the transformative power of the presence of God. For 8 weeks prior to the weekend, those of us who were going to be volunteering inside met on Friday evenings in order to prepare. We had a time of devotion, we were given security briefings by a couple of corrections officers from Ross, we previewed the talks some were going to give, and we prayed for and with each other. Being a rookie, I wasn’t sure what to expect, and the veterans did a decent job of answering most of my questions before I even thought to ask. Many people told me how incredible it is to bear witness to Spirit of God working in the lives of people in prison—people who have lost all hope, but it truly is an experience beyond description because we are talking about the very work of God! This is what it is all about, folks. Presenting the God’s story of freedom and reconciling love in such a way that people who have not even acknowledged their need of God find they are loved and that God’s story of True Freedom can be their story. Many of the men I met on Thursday evening were not the same by the closing service on Sunday afternoon. I met guys who wanted me to be frightened of them. I met men who made it obvious that were not going to “open up” they were just there for the great food & cookies. I sensed an air of distrust in just about every resident I met. Some of the guys came hoping to meet God and their hope was answered! But many came in at least wanting us to believe that they had no interest in God or religion. What the residents didn’t know was, people all over Ohio, the nation, and around the world were praying for RCI Kairos #13 and the presence of God was tangible. That chapel building at RCI became what the ancient Celts would have called a “thin” place meaning a place where the spiritual and physical are very close. Before the retreat began I prayed that God would use me to speak His love and acceptance to these men who feel so unloved and unaccepted. I prayed that I could get out of God’s way. My prayers were answered and…
· I experienced being used by God to convey His Good News—a message of unconditional love and true freedom. Friday morning I read the morning devotion. I was unaware that I would be doing any talking to the entire group before Thursday. I was given 2 devotions to read because our team of volunteers had become smaller just a few days before the retreat. As I stood and the devotion Friday morning and looked out at the residents the Spirit of God washed over me and I began to see those men as God sees them—precious. These guys were hurting, lost, angry, confused, and sad. I saw myself in them. I saw them in me. I was struck by the realization that while everyday I walk in freedom, they barely have any say at all about their day to day lives. They are there because of some bad choices they made, but they are still men created in the image of God just like me. Both times I got the opportunity to stand in front of the entire group to read devotions I felt God working through me—it was awesome! One of the men at my table received salvation and has submitted a request to be baptized by me! At one point on Saturday evening I turned to another one of the men at my table (the Family of Mark) and out of the blue asked him when he was going to start preaching—surprised, he looked at me and said earlier that day another volunteer had asked him the same thing. Before I asked him that, the thought hadn’t even entered my mind because he had been very quiet the whole time. Also, several men asked to meet with me one on one for counsel and prayer. I was overwhelmed by this because there were 6 other clergy persons there all of whom have way more experience than I. The residents could request to speak with any of us and many chose me. They asked some tough questions and shared some tough experiences and I listened and prayed and God gave me the answers and the love they needed! Wow! Most of the experience during that Kairos weekend was positive, but there was something negative and unexpected…
· I was confronted by a sinful prejudice that I have been holding onto for way too long. I became aware of it Thursday as we were all going around the room introducing ourselves. I have been aware of this prejudice for quite some time, but I had done such a good job of suppressing it and denying it that I forgot it was in me until it reared its ugly head that 1st evening. I do not hold any racial prejudice. I am guilty of a sinful attitude that is much more insidious and universal than racism—classism. Growing up in the suburbs I was shielded from the desperate poverty that is a reality for many Americans and even more people outside the United States. Some of the guys I met were functionally illiterate, some were missing teeth, most had much less education than I do and for a moment I was repulsed! Fortunately, the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to the sinful attitude & I immediately repented. I bowed my head & prayed silently. I confessed this sinful attitude and asked God to love these men through me in spite of myself until God could love them through me with me. God answered! When we got back to the church where we were sleeping I confessed my sinful attitude to one of my teammates and then to Stephanie on the telephone. God worked a miracle in my heart that weekend—He stretched to love more people than I was willing to love before. Which leads me to my final point…
· I learned an important lesson about the ministry to which Jesus Christ calls His Church. At the top of the 1st page of the Freedom Guide are the words “Listen-Listen—Love-Love.” That is the ministry of the Church! The lost and hurting people of the world are all around us and they are crying out for someone who will listen to them and someone who will love them with no strings attached. That is what we tried to be for those 42 residents at RCI Kairos #13. I thought I knew what God’s “Agape” Love was all about. Now I know I have a lot to learn. The team I served with, including everyone who helped by giving cookies, making posters, praying, and giving financial gifts taught me how far the love of God can stretch us when we let it and let me tell you, the more you let God love others through you, the more love you get experience yourself. It’s like the song by Michael W. Smith that says “Love, isn’t love until you give it away.” Love. Why do we try and make things so difficult? Jesus gave us the answer when He was asked about the greatest commandment: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.””[v] I learned “Listen-Listen—Love-Love” first hand when one of the residents from another table family was sharing the meaning of a poster they made in response to one of the talks. Every day, even at the closing, he wore a Kufi-the head covering worn by Muslim men. The poster had a cross, a crescent moon, a Star of David, one other religious symbol on it. He talked about many paths to one god and alarms started going off in my head. I stifled an urge to speak out against this heresy. I found myself feeling angry at the clergy person at his table for letting this heresy be proclaimed. Just then I realized that my face was betraying my feelings. Again I found myself disgusted by my own sinful attitude. I prayed and repented. I prayed for that young man—I pray for him all the time. At the next break I made myself go talk with him. No one judged him or told him he was wrong, which is what he expected. Everyone extended love to this man, and he is closer to the Kingdom of God because of it. While I disagree with him about the truth of God, I have no right to think of myself as better than he is because of my faith. I have studied in order to be ready to argue Muslims out of their faith. I learned at Kairos that it is better love people into the truth than to berate them for their inaccuracies. The Lord helped me to remove 2 huge planks from eyes last weekend in order to prepare me help others to remove the speck from their eyes.
The challenge for all of us is to “Listen-Listen—Love-Love.” As we live our lives God is calling us to be Freedom Guides for the people around us who are still imprisoned in sin. Amen.
[i] http://www.kairosprisonministry.org/
[ii] ibid.
[iii] Wesley, Charles. “O Come and Dwell in Me.” UM Hymnal #388
[iv] Luke 4:21
[v] Matthew 22:37-40
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Monday, August 14, 2006
High Sacramentality
I preached the final sermon on "Wesleyan Disctinctives" yesterday. My focus was on the Sacraments, specifically Holy Communion. The text is below...
High Sacramentality? 1Corinthians 11:23-34
The past few weeks, we’ve been talking about Wesleyan Distinctives—what makes us distinct as Wesleyans. The first week we talked about practical theology—the order of salvation, the second week we talked about ecumenism; the third week we talked about conjunctive theology—the Whole Gospel; and last week we talked about free will and predestination—Arminianism vs. Calvinism. Today, we will discuss High Sacramentality.
Did y’all know that the General Conference of the United Methodist Church, our highest level of denominational direction, has recently released a document encouraging UM congregations to begin celebrating the Lord’s Supper on a weekly basis? What do you think? No, really, what do you think?
The Sacraments of Baptism & Holy Communion are identified by John Wesley as means of grace. In his Sermon on the Means of Grace, JW defines the means of grace as “the outward symbols, words, and actions that God ordained to be the ordinary channels through which He might convey to us His prevenient, justifying and sanctifying grace.” In other words, along with the other means of grace, Holy Baptism & Communion are the normal ways through which the ever-present grace of God is made available and useable to us. A major factor in my choice to practice my faith in God through Jesus Christ as a UM comes from my experiences of the grace and presence of God through the Sacrament of Holy Communion. I deeply appreciate the UM high view of the Sacraments balanced with our zeal for evangelism and social justice. The conduct of worship and the administration of the sacraments create the Body of Christ, and we devote ourselves to being faithful members of it. Therefore, today we are going to talk about Sacraments.
What is a Sacrament? The Greek word used in the early church for sacrament is mysterion, usually translated mystery. It indicates that through the sacraments, God discloses things that are beyond human capacity to know through reason alone. In Latin the word used is sacramentum, which means a vow or promise. Therefore, when we celebrate the mystery of Holy Communion we are remembering Jesus’ promise that we are reconciled to God the Father through Christ, the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit. The sacraments were instituted by Christ and given to the church. Jesus Christ is himself the ultimate manifestation of a sacrament. In the coming of Jesus of Nazareth, God's nature and purpose were revealed and active through a human body. The Christian church is also sacramental. It was instituted to continue the work of Christ in redeeming the world. The church is Christ's body — the visible, material instrument through which Christ continues to be made known and the divine plan is fulfilled. Holy Baptism and Holy Communion have been chosen and designated by God as special means through which divine grace comes to us. Holy Baptism is the sacrament that initiates us into the body of Christ "through water and the Spirit". In baptism we receive our identity and mission as Christians. Holy Communion is the sacrament that sustains and nourishes us in our journey of salvation. In a sacrament, God uses tangible, material things as vehicles or instruments of grace. Wesley defines a sacrament, in accord with his Anglican tradition, as "an outward sign of inward grace, and a means whereby we receive the same
Specifically this morning I want to focus on Holy Communion—The Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist—and then we will share this special feast together. In the UM hymnal A Service of Word and Table the invitation to Holy Communion is; “Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another...” I don’t know why, but one Sunday about 12 years ago those words resonated with me. For some reason the ritual of The Lord’s Supper was meaningful to me for the 1st time in a lifetime of monthly communion rituals. Maybe it was the physical act of walking forward to receive it (the church I grew up in passed the elements through the pews), maybe it was taking the elements by intinction (I do love dunking things—donuts & French dip sandwiches), maybe it was the delicious Kings Hawaiian Bread instead of those gross little squares we used @ St. Luke CPC, or maybe it was because that was the 1st time I celebrated the Eucharist with a heart that was longing for God. Actually, it was probably all of the above, but the most important factor was the inclination of my heart. Practicing traditional church liturgy with a heart that earnestly longs for more of God is true, high sacramentality.
The story is told of a little girl whose parents had taken her forward to receive Holy Communion. Disappointed with the small piece of bread she was given to dip in the cup, the child cried loudly, "I want more! I want more!" (you could also talk about how boys always try to get seconds.) Like the little girl who was disappointed with what she received, United Methodist people are looking and hoping for something more in their Eucharistic experience. As we move toward a richer sacramental life, including weekly celebration of Holy Communion, we ask what spiritual benefits we receive from it. What do divine love and power do in and for us through our participation in the sacrament? The answers to this question involve forgiveness, nourishment, healing, transformation, ministry and mission, and eternal life. This morning I will highlight the nourishment available through Holy Communion.
We receive spiritual nourishment through Holy Communion. In his sermon, “The Duty of Constant Communion,” Wesley wrote that, "This is the food of our souls: This gives strength to perform our duty, and leads us on to perfection[iii]." God makes such sustenance available through the sacrament of Eucharist. In John 6:35, Jesus tells the crowd: "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." As we return to the Table again and again, we are strengthened repeatedly. We go out empowered to live as disciples, reconcilers, and witnesses. In the words of the prayer after Communion, "Grant that we may go into the world in the strength of your Spirit, to give ourselves for others[iv] . . .” As we encounter Christ in Holy Communion and are repeatedly touched by divine grace, we are progressively shaped into Christ's image. All of this work is not done in a moment, no matter how dramatic an experience we may enjoy. It is, instead, a lifelong process through which God intends to shape us into people motivated by love, empowered and impassioned to do Christ's work in the world. The identity and ministry that God bestows on us in our baptism are fulfilled as we continue to be transformed into disciples who can respond to God's love by loving God and others (Romans 12:1-2). The Christian life is a journey, one that is challenging and arduous. I am convinced that the life of faith is like a marathon, not a sprint. When I decided to run in the Flying Pig Marathon back in January, I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into, but I knew it would require a lot of nourishment and training. As the months progressed I became better equipped to run long distance. Running the actual 26.2 mile race was like a condensed version of life. The event itself was very exciting. There were thousands of people crowded onto the street at the starting line and for the first few miles many of us were together, then we hit a pretty long and steep hill and the crowd began thinning out. Along the way were people cheering us on, bands playing, and gator-aide/water stops. There were a couple spots where we got cookies and oranges, too, (one was a Presbyterian church, I think). I also had some GU with me in order to provide my body with the carbs it needed to keep going. After the initial excitement wore off, my running buddy, John, and I settled into a rhythm—you could almost say the journey became routine almost boring at points. Then, there was the pain. At about mile 18 my hip starting hurting and by mile 22 the pain was so excruciating I was ready to quit. It was about that time that I saw Hannah & Dave Granger. They were waiting for me and they ran along side for a mile or so—there was no way I was gonna let them see me quit! Dave told me I was almost to the finish line (very good news indeed) and he told me how the end of the course was laid out so I would know what to expect. The pain didn’t go away, but I got renewed energy from their encouragement and I even found some reserves to fuel a sprint for the final 50 yards. Crossing the finish line I experienced euphoria and an incredible sense of accomplishment. I had trained well, partaken of the proper nourishment, and thanks to my friends who had already been to where I was going I reached my goal—that is such a good picture of Christian living I will be using that story for a long time! Just like running a marathon takes a lot of fuel, to continue living faithfully and growing in holiness requires constant sustenance.The sacrament of Holy Communion is one way that we experience that sustenance. You know, there are several different ways that Christians have historically experienced communion. The Roman Catholic Church teaches “transubstantiation” which means that the bread and the wine actually and miraculously transform into the body and blood of Jesus. It’s kind of gross to think about eating actual flesh and blood, but what a statement it makes! We remember that a big part of what Jesus did for us was to sacrifice his actual blood and body. He suffered and died for us, and we feast on his divine substance. We are nourished by the divine. Then there’s a much more laid back approach that was forwarded by Ulrich Zwingli in the 16th century. He said that it was merely an act of remembrance. That’s it. The act of communion helps us to remember the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. In Zwingli’s view, it isn’t very spiritual or mystical, it is simply a manner in which we remember. We Wesleyan’s stand somewhere in the middle. We believe it is more than just a simple act of remembrance, but we also don’t teach that the bread and wine actually turn into flesh and blood. In this sacred and mysterious act we are nourished by the holy presence of Christ. We are also nourished by the presence of each other. We are not in this Christian life alone! The essence of Christianity is community, therefore we practice communion. We commune with the triune Godhead and we commune with one another. We share in this sacred journey and along the way we grab some nourishment at the Lord’s Table. We remember that our source is Jesus Christ and we remember his life and death in this holy act of communion. And we also remember that Christ is victorious. He crossed the finish line and now thanks to the giving of Holy Spirit at Pentecost God is running along side us encouraging us, guiding us up over the next hill and around the bend. Christ overcame slavery to sin and death for you and me. And every time you eat this bread and drink this wine, you are expected to remember the victory just as much as you are expected to remember the sacrifice. Christianity is a religion of hope. Always of hope. Let’s commune together now in hope. Amen.
[i] "Means of Grace," II.1
[ii] “This Holy Mystery: The Theology of the Sacraments.”
[iii] "The Duty of Constant Communion, I.3
[iv] UMH; page 11
Friday, August 04, 2006
Church: And Those Who Don’t Go…
I was talking with a friend of mine the other day and he asked me what it was like being a preacher. I confessed to him (and now all of you) that it is the weirdest job I could have imagined. I also told him I can’t imagine myself doing anything else. However, sometimes I do get frustrated. Frustrated that there are people who don’t come & worship with us. I am frustrated because I know there are people all around us who are lost and hurting. People who are lonely, poor, and defeated. I am frustrated because I know that people are turning to drugs, alcohol, sex, and consumerism to try and fill a void in their lives that they can’t even define. I am frustrated because I know what they are missing—I mean I know Who they missing. But because I am human, sometimes I don’t represent Jesus the way He deserves. God deserves our best. God, the creator of the universe, wants a relationship with us—every human being who will respond to the invitation to an abundant life in God’s reality. Donald Miller in his book Blue Like Jazz, says, “believing in God is as much like falling in love as it is like making a decision. Love is both something that happens to you and something you decide upon” (104). Let’s help each other present our faith this way instead of as a long list of do’s and don'ts. I think more people will be interested in what we have say if we do. Do I know exactly what this will look like as a community of believers? Not yet!
Rev.Kev
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)