The wife and I have been in a season where we have instituted Lectio Divina as our early morning spiritual discipline. This is an approach to reading the Scriptures that is less analytical/exegetical and more about chewing on the Word and allowing it to speak to us given the moment and season of our lives. A little less Logos, a little more Rhema.
This week’s passages centered on the book of John, chapter 7. In verse 1, we learn that pretty early in Jesus’ ministry, the Jewish leaders were already looking for a way to kill him. Despite how difficult it is for a modern day American to identify with that (well, most of us), I try to let that sink in for a bit. In verse 5, it states that even Jesus’ own brothers did not believe in him. We can probably cut them some slack since believing your brother is the Messiah can take some convincing but either way, He was rejected by his own family.
Of course, my mind drifts to the men participating in Alpha. In a real sense, Jesus’ plight is their plight. Modern day authorities- whether in law enforcement, judiciary, corporations, ecclesiastical — they all look down on prisoners as dangerous, untrustworthy, unemployable. In addition, many have embarrassed their families of origin and have thus been effectively discarded by their own flesh and blood.
Week two of the Alpha Course is titled, “Who is Jesus?”. Jesus is a God who knows what it’s like to be a prisoner. He identifies with the men in my group.
One of the first ways to assess how Alpha is going is to see how many people come back as the weeks go by. Week 2 saw nine out of the ten men return, although given the lack of options in their situation, perhaps we shouldn’t be patting ourselves on the back quite yet…
Nicky Gumbel, the vicar at Holy Trinity Brompton, gives a 45-minute presentation addressing this week’s title question. It is filled with all kinds narratives from his personal experience as an upper-class Englishman who went from law school atheist to overseeing one of the most fruitful congregations in the developed world today. Needless to say, Nicky’s background could not be more orthogonal to our target audience, so I’m a bit antsy the entire time wondering if i’m losing these guys. The last fifteen minutes seem like an eternity and I’m tempted several times to just cut the video short. But each time I glance around the room, I see a group of men really engaged and tracking with the talk. Note to self- when the grace of God is all over something, don’t get in the way and change it. Be patient and let it run its course. He’s got this.
A lively discussion ensues. One of the things you focus on as an Alpha facilitator is doing your best to make sure everyone has a chance to speak and that one or a few people don’t end up dominating the discussion. While a couple guys are certainly more quiet than others, we don’t have the awkward situation of one guy loving the sound of his own voice. I don’t have to periodically chime in with my, “Why don’t we hear from someone other than Mr. Loquacious”…
A recurring theme that is routinely aired out by these men — especially those who have some experience in the church — is how a lot of folks talk a lot about following the way of Jesus but don’t actually produce the real thing at gametime. We (co-leader and I) acknowledge this and implore them not to focus so much on the pretenders, but to model ourselves after the few who do practice the real thing and have grace for the ones that don’t. Shortly after, one of the fellows who is a practicing Muslim looks at me and the co-leader and says to the group, “Folks like you two are the real deal- how many people out there would spend their Friday nights up in here with a bunch of convicts”.
I suppose that’s a cynical, hardened person’s way of saying thank you. I can’t tell you how much I valued that moment- neither I nor my co-leader do this for their adulation, but it was so great to feel appreciated. It reminded me of something a veteran of the prison ministry told me during one of our training sessions: I asked him, “I’m a newbie- tell me something that someone in my shoes wouldn’t expect when doing this kind of work”. He says to me, “You’ll be surprised at how appreciative some of these guys are that you’re taking the time to meet with them on a weekly basis. Some will actually feel protective of you, since a lot of these guys are forgotten and neglected by those on the outside”.
We’ve clearly built a modicum of trust after just two short meetings together. When we ask the men for prayer requests so we can pray for them during the week, half the room willingly responds to us. I have rarely felt such a desire to pray for people- even members of my own family. As I leave the facility that evening, I realize that a genuine care and affection is developing within me. These men have quickly started to occupy a lot of space both in my head and heart. The words that Jesus spoke in Matthew 25:36 never felt so true- indeed when we stretch ourselves for the least of these, we will see the face of God.
One more time: Come Holy Spirit.
Originally published at http://johnkiminnyc.wordpress.com on October 1, 2016.
