Are we ready to accept them?
Are we ready to accept them?
There's a great deal of talk about accepting discharged prisoners back into our society, a great deal of publicity about the "Yellow Ribbon" project - that we don't look at these folks with tinted glasses or colored minds. I guess there really are people and corporations who would be ready to give them a chance, and I really do salute them for extending that graciousness and in giving those who needs a second chance one, but I wonder how ready would our churches be to take them in? Sometimes compared to these big corporation and the secular world out there, we who should exemplify the love of Christ seemed to be more petty in extending our genuine love. What makes me say that?
I've heard some talks about how churches are cautious and on guard when they know that some discharged prisoners mingle in the midst of their fellowship - "Watch the offering bag - make sure they don't help themselves to the money in it!!". I've also heard that some churches give a big "NO" when they were asked by the Prison Ministry if they are willing to receive discharged prisoners into their fellowship. And I believe there are more I have not heard ...
Through a presentation done by one of my classmate who took on Prison Ministry as his Field Education (FE) Internship, he highlighted that the fellowship in the prison ministry is really vibrant and that he could feel the powerful presence of the Spirit while he was worshipping with the inmates during their weekly chapel. He testified to how some of these inmates were really fervent and zealous for the Lord, but yet the sad reality seeps in when they are discharged from prison - when they are out in the real, cruel world - a world who chose to look at them with colored eyes ... a world who chose not to give them a second chance ... a world who chose to pronounce a second condemnation on them after having served their term - and the hurts caused these believers in the Lord to fall away, back to their old lifestyle and habits.
The same God who loves us, loves them too. The same God who rescues us from sins and condemnation rescued them too. The same God who reaches out to us in love and patiently respond to us each time we fail Him again and again, shows the same love to them too. Yet the same God who love them would not condemn them a second time like a lot of us would be prone to do - for the law has already dealt with them and they had already been punished for whatever act they committed in their folly. Why then, are we so quick to make judgments on them, or to guard against them? Have we forgotten we all received the same mercy and grace, and we are in no "nobler" position than them to judge them in any way.
Perhaps in many ways, we are more fortunate than them - we have good families that we can count on as support ... we have good friends we can rely on and who would pull us away from danger ... we have good education opportunities that stirs our intellect when we need to make decisions ... we have good jobs that gives us stability that we do not need to fret about the next meal ... we have good social network that we can tap on to pray and intercede for us whenever we need, and more ... - but does having all these available resources put us "one up" above them? What gives us the right to be Pharisaic towards them? Does making a mistake mean eternal condemnation? Then I guess none of us would have deserved the mercy of God at all. Why are we so eager to have God look on us with mercy, yet we are so unwilling and stingy to extend the same mercy to others?
Perhaps accepting a discharged prisoner into the fellowship requires courage and love, perhaps paradigm shift, perhaps patience and the willingness to communicate at their level, etc - but aren't they people that worth our efforts too? What difference are we with the Pharisees if we, like them, choose to mingle with the people of our class, or those of more upperty class? The society seems a lot more embracing than the churches - which is really a shame. The world seems more gracious at large than those who call themselves Christians - what a mockery!
As I write these words, I'm asking myself the same questions too - how ready would I be to befriend and accept discharged prisoners? I pray that I would be able to show genuine love - the love of the same God who died for both them and me. My FE for next semester is with the Prison Ministry - that's what I chose, and that's what Rev PK encouraged me as well. It is a ministry where I believe would teach me a great deal and humble me greatly, and hopefully make me more humane and compassionate than before. May the love of God totally envelope me as He prepares me to meet with these folks ...
There's a great deal of talk about accepting discharged prisoners back into our society, a great deal of publicity about the "Yellow Ribbon" project - that we don't look at these folks with tinted glasses or colored minds. I guess there really are people and corporations who would be ready to give them a chance, and I really do salute them for extending that graciousness and in giving those who needs a second chance one, but I wonder how ready would our churches be to take them in? Sometimes compared to these big corporation and the secular world out there, we who should exemplify the love of Christ seemed to be more petty in extending our genuine love. What makes me say that?
I've heard some talks about how churches are cautious and on guard when they know that some discharged prisoners mingle in the midst of their fellowship - "Watch the offering bag - make sure they don't help themselves to the money in it!!". I've also heard that some churches give a big "NO" when they were asked by the Prison Ministry if they are willing to receive discharged prisoners into their fellowship. And I believe there are more I have not heard ...
Through a presentation done by one of my classmate who took on Prison Ministry as his Field Education (FE) Internship, he highlighted that the fellowship in the prison ministry is really vibrant and that he could feel the powerful presence of the Spirit while he was worshipping with the inmates during their weekly chapel. He testified to how some of these inmates were really fervent and zealous for the Lord, but yet the sad reality seeps in when they are discharged from prison - when they are out in the real, cruel world - a world who chose to look at them with colored eyes ... a world who chose not to give them a second chance ... a world who chose to pronounce a second condemnation on them after having served their term - and the hurts caused these believers in the Lord to fall away, back to their old lifestyle and habits.
The same God who loves us, loves them too. The same God who rescues us from sins and condemnation rescued them too. The same God who reaches out to us in love and patiently respond to us each time we fail Him again and again, shows the same love to them too. Yet the same God who love them would not condemn them a second time like a lot of us would be prone to do - for the law has already dealt with them and they had already been punished for whatever act they committed in their folly. Why then, are we so quick to make judgments on them, or to guard against them? Have we forgotten we all received the same mercy and grace, and we are in no "nobler" position than them to judge them in any way.
Perhaps in many ways, we are more fortunate than them - we have good families that we can count on as support ... we have good friends we can rely on and who would pull us away from danger ... we have good education opportunities that stirs our intellect when we need to make decisions ... we have good jobs that gives us stability that we do not need to fret about the next meal ... we have good social network that we can tap on to pray and intercede for us whenever we need, and more ... - but does having all these available resources put us "one up" above them? What gives us the right to be Pharisaic towards them? Does making a mistake mean eternal condemnation? Then I guess none of us would have deserved the mercy of God at all. Why are we so eager to have God look on us with mercy, yet we are so unwilling and stingy to extend the same mercy to others?
Perhaps accepting a discharged prisoner into the fellowship requires courage and love, perhaps paradigm shift, perhaps patience and the willingness to communicate at their level, etc - but aren't they people that worth our efforts too? What difference are we with the Pharisees if we, like them, choose to mingle with the people of our class, or those of more upperty class? The society seems a lot more embracing than the churches - which is really a shame. The world seems more gracious at large than those who call themselves Christians - what a mockery!
As I write these words, I'm asking myself the same questions too - how ready would I be to befriend and accept discharged prisoners? I pray that I would be able to show genuine love - the love of the same God who died for both them and me. My FE for next semester is with the Prison Ministry - that's what I chose, and that's what Rev PK encouraged me as well. It is a ministry where I believe would teach me a great deal and humble me greatly, and hopefully make me more humane and compassionate than before. May the love of God totally envelope me as He prepares me to meet with these folks ...
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