November 27, 2023 -- Matthew 10:16-20 -- Chaplains

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“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Matthew 10:16-20 ESV

Dear family in our Lord Jesus Christ today is the start of my reading week. I am launching in with the first book “Inside the Fence”. An experienced chaplain is giving an account of life as a chaplain, warnings and lessons for the instruction, warning and edification of others who serve. It is a complicated field, prison chaplaincy. I’ll let Schilder’s work speak for itself.

“Chaplain, God has laid it on my heart that I have to come into your
institution this Sunday to preach so that souls will not go to hell.”
Every chaplain, who has been around for a while, has had this kind
of phone call from the self-appointed “ministers of God.” After
rejecting the impulse to thank the caller for implying the chaplain is
not doing his job, the chaplain has to patiently explain to the ignorant
the policies and procedures that the prison has to follow before
permitting outside resources to assist with ministry to the inmates.
When some understand they will not be getting into the institution on
a moment’s notice, they will write the governor or central office or the
warden to complain. By the same token, many are never heard from
again. The chaplain as mediator has to show these people the same
respect and courtesy as though they were talking to the leader of their
own denomination.
David M. Schilder Inside the Fence. New York: Alba House; 1999, p 47

As a Chaplain with Redemption Prison Ministry, I too have had fiery men and women who asked to join me so they could preach souls out of hell. A couple of questions. Once they’ve been in the prison, preached, and leave, who will pick up the pieces with the administration? Who will nurse and care for any tender child born out of such preaching—especially since such visits proposed are usually a one off? Who will help inmates who live as Christians, who have been wise, and now seem discredited by a single firebrand? 

God has, by His Spirit, opened a door for Christian men and women to go into our institutions in Canada and declare the Good News about Jesus Christ. There must be wisdom. There must be an ability to know the protocols of the institution and the restrictions imposed on all faith groups and respectful of the multifaith circumstances of prison life know how to articulate a clear respect for all faiths, while still, with integrity, holding on to one’s own believe. Thanks be to God I do not have to be anxious, but trusting the promises of Scripture go in and serve with the confidence that the Spirit of God will give the right words for each situation. And, as I serve, that our Faithful God, will provide opportunities for follow up and spiritual care to those who response.

Please keep your chaplains in prayer. It is a very difficult time to be a Christian Chaplain. There are various political forces and institutional policies which are quite pragmatic so that it is a very challenging time to be a chaplain. Pray for incarcerated Christian men and women who themselves often have challenges living as Christians in what can be a radically secular environment.

Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name. Thank You for the access Christian Chaplains have in our prison systems—provincial and federal. Keep open the doors of opportunity so that men and women can declare the mystery of Christ, making it clear to those who, prompted by Your Spirit, are seeking Him. Thank You, Glorious Father, for the men and women who are incarcerated and who declare Jesus Christ to those around them. Help them to walk in wisdom. Mighty God, for all of us, incarcerated or not, help us to live for You. Amen.

https://youtu.be/TpELMk4-3n8?si=7BlYKXuqx39lAIyA “O Lord, My Rock and My Redeemer”

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