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A Child of Jesus

Today my copy of Christianity Today for July-August arrived, electronically! Profound! Because the article attracting my attention is: The Church Outside Serving the Church Inside. A second metaphor: the title picture shows two hands facing each other through a blurred window.

The article is about the church serving the incarcerated. Receiving it electronically! About an institution so reliant on electronics! The blurred window—indicative of the world’s blurred vision of the Church Inside! Profound!

The article appeared on my screen just as we gave thanks for a great priest and friend, Reverend Ron. This colleague and friend had served a number of years in prison ministry. He had been invited to be a volunteer chaplain in prison ministry and he imparted so much to me! I admired him greatly. He had the ability to clear the “blurred” window of the Church Inside!

The Apostle Paul lived in ministry while locked up in prison cells. Through his letters, he teaches us about life within.

Those letters have survived and stand alongside letters written more recently by the likes of Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandella, and (not to lose track of 2nd Century Christian leader) Ignatius. I am sure there are many others who will come to mind.

Some of my learnings from serving the church outside with the church inside include:

  • A reminder of the honesty in people.

  • Some understanding of the longing to be understood.

  • The desire for love in the fullness of love.

  • Loneliness—men and women kept far from home.

  • A sense of helplessness from both the incarcerated and the representative of the outside church.

  • The gift of sharing in giving and receiving in the Sacrament and in peoples’ story.

  • The value of keeping the story. I still feel like a ‘story-keeper.’

The article reminds us that we, like Paul the outsider and insider, provide emotional support, spiritual engagement, and concrete and material aid.

In writing this article, I give thanks for Reverend Ron and his sharing of his gift from the Church Outside with the Church Inside; AND bringing the Church Inside to the Church Outside.

I encourage you to venture beyond the blurred glass of the visitation booth. Discover the Church on the Inside—a place where it means to leave fear, hatred, and even pity behind. A place to embrace others like you—a child of Jesus.

Blessing for this week,
Archdeacon Brian+