Justice, Mercy, Hope

 “All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, duty, mercy, hope” Winston Churchill
 
I was recently issued with a parking ticket by the Forestry Commission. Or rather I wasn’t! I parked illegally in a car park which they had recently taken over and, unbeknown to me they had introduced a new parking charge. It seems that at some point in the day I was issued with a ticket which subsequently got lost before I returned to my vehicle. I was therefore surprised when a few months later I received a letter from them with a notification of the fine due. “Unjust”, I thought. Unfair! Lord have Mercy!
 
Mercy, justice and hope are key themes in scripture which it is hard to ignore. However, even as a Prison Chaplain I often find myself wondering if I have a good perspective on these – a godly, or biblical perspective.

When I think of the parable of the Good Samaritan in Lk 10, I find myself thinking that the ‘good’ Samaritan was considered a neighbour because he showed kindness. Jesus clearly uses the word “Mercy”.

When I think of the coming messiah, the suffering servant prophesied in Isaiah, I think about the new life that he will bring, about salvation and life. Isaiah clearly talks about the one who will ‘bring justice to the nations’ (Isa 42:3).

And what about that crucial moment in salvation history, the death and resurrection of Jesus? Do I think in terms of a loving Father’s sacrifice and love, or in terms of a just God who ‘will not falter until he establishes justice on the earth’ (Isa 42:4)? 

But perhaps such polarised thinking is not helpful. Perhaps justice, mercy, hope, forgiveness, kindness, suffering, humility and hope are all inter-related terms. Perhaps they are terms which give us an indication as to the means by which we experience God’s passion for justice, a justice that is beyond simply punishment and retribution, a justice that lovingly brings about change. Considering the crucifixion in ‘The Crucified God’, Jorgen Moltmann points out that Jesus “humbles himself and takes upon himself the eternal death of the godless and the godforsaken, so that all the godless and the godforsaken can experience communion with him”. We, who once were godless experience communion, or possibly even community with God through the ultimate act of self-sacrifice, the ultimate act of mercy, the ultimate act of justice. These are not exclusive, they are expressions of the kindness of God, He is willing to travel through the cross without faltering to offer us new resurrection life that is eternally changed.
 
And where we have this sort of justice, we have hope. Martin Luther King said: “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”  I love the fact that the first Christians were recognisable as people of hope. Peter, in his first letter, encourages those living as exiles in what is now Turkey to: “…revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 1 Pet 3:15. Hope was such a characteristic of the early believers’ lives that the sense we get from Peter’s letter is that people would stop and ask them about it. “Why are you, of all people, so hopeful?” I wonder what it was about their way of life, their conversations, their worship, their values, that provoked people to ask them about hope?
 
As we all know, hope saves lives. Since 2014 we have seen a substantial recorded increase in the number of people taking their own lives in prison. The figures initially jumped by 69%, continued to rise in 2015, and then we have heard again recently that 2016 has seen a further 29% rise. But day by day I see Chaplains bringing messages of hope that save lives, going the extra mile, making every contact count in ways that offer hope to the hopeless. My hope, my prayer is that as one people, characterised as those who have experienced this life changing justice ourselves, we daily offer mercy and hope in the prisons we serve. Let us continue to be those who demonstrate God’s real justice; a justice that does not ignore the wrong, but deals with it in a way that changes lives … eternally.
 
I appealed to the Forestry Commission for mercy, but really without much hope! I knew that I was wrong, ignorance did not lessen that fact, however I appealed to them for mercy and with a refreshing sense of justice they agreed to halve my fine. God has said through the prophet Isaiah that ‘he will not falter or be discouraged until he establishes justice on the earth’. If we are to experience this, then we must surely cry out with all of our being, as we will this Prisons Week - ‘Lord have Mercy’, and expect that with a passion for justice, He will.
 
Bless you all, and really do take care

Making God smile

I seem to be stuck in Hebrews at the moment! I find myself preaching from the book of Hebrews, leading bible studies based on the faith the letter inspires, and even ministering as a Chaplain to those affected by the Hebrew dietary rules. Even this year’s Prisons Week material is to have a Hebrews scripture as its inspiration. There are so many great messages therein, and until God lets me move on, I guess I’ll stay stuck in the lessons to the Hebrew people.

Hebrews 11 is a great example of the essence of our faith. It is filled with the stories of faithful women and men who follow God’s leading, many times not living to see their works bear fruit. The perseverance we see in them is astounding, and hugely challenging. These are people who experienced the pleasure of God; who knew the comfort of the smiling face of God. These are the people who knew how to please God, for “without faith it is impossible to please God.” . How would we we have responded, faced with the situations they faced. Would we have been more “I’m a Chaplain, Get Me Out of Here” than “What Would Jesus Do”?  

But God has called us to have faith just as those in Hebrews 11

Their faith wasn’t limited to one particular instance or event, but it was woven through everything they did. Everything we do in life and ministry needs to be inspired by our faith in the Faithful One, whether that be breaking bad news to prisoners, leading Sunday services, writing policies to oversee volunteer engagement, attending Equalities or Safer Custody meetings, or (as Chaplains we still get to do this) prayer. James noted in his letter said that if we don’t pray with the faith that God will answer our prayers we are unstable in all our ways. “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. Those who doubt should not think they will receive anything from the Lord, they are double minded and unstable in all  they do". (James 1: 6 – 8). As I said earlier – challenging.

Our Christian disciplines can easily become routine and no longer be part of our faith in God as they once were.  It is tempting to let our reading of scripture, our praying, our going into prison be just another thing to check off our list of Christian things to do. Instead, we should do them with faith, knowing that a loving and powerful God will move in and through us as we by faith follow his leading. Knowing that our faith brings a smile to the face of God.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11: 6.

People are People

“Change happens when we treat people as people with whom we build relationships.”
(Archbishop Justin Welby speaking at HMP Brixton April 2015) (link to full speech here)

This must be my favourite quote of the moment, and certainly one that encourages me that what we do, day by day as Prison Chaplains has the power and ability to change lives. When we see people in inductions I am sure that you, like me have had the response “sorry Guv’ I’m not religious”, to which I always return “but you are human, aren’t you? So we’ll look after you.” When we treat people as people barriers fall down and the possibility for change rises up.

This month, I also met with a like-minded person in Ed Walker, founder and CEO of “Hope in Action”, a Christian charity based in Peterborough who have homes for the homeless (including people who have left prison) in 4 towns in the East / East Midlands. They are a real example of a “Project of Hope” and so I asked Ed to write me a few words to crystalise his vision and plans for “Hope into Action” I hope that you enjoy, and are inspired as I was.
 

"Five years ago, before the first house was even opened, I walked into HMP Peterborough and met a guy who had lost everything and needed a home.  Just as he needed a home, so I needed him….because I was opening a home and needed someone to live in it.
 

Five years on - he is still with us, working for us and has been promoted to become one of our key leaders, helping drive the organisation forward. That first home was supported by a local church and now we have 30 churches supporting 30 homes – each home has 2 or 3 tenants. So now, in a time of unprecedented budget cuts with charities going bust, we have over 60 people sleeping in and supported by church run homes.

Most of these people need not only a home but also a fresh set of relationships in order to break their cycle of crime, or homelessness. We believe that underlying so much homelessness, is a relational poverty. People need real friends, role models and guidance. Analyse your life without relationships and you will soon realise how important they are to your sense of well-being.  [Ever thought about the first thing God said was not good (Gen 2:18)? Bob]

That is our model – we give people a home and friendship and a support group from a local church. We have a particular heart for meeting people in prisons, then at the gate and then taking them to a home. We help them transition back into society. For them to stay in a home they need to engage with our mentors from the church whom we train in advance. Churches do all this in partnership with our professional support workers who cover the technical aspects such as tenancies, benefits, helping with employment agencies etc…..in this way the church can concentrate on what it does best: love, care, friendship, prayer, mentoring.

We will house anyone who is vulnerable, homeless and in need of a home. Often referrals come from drug agencies, homeless organisations or even the local church –we have a special form for former prisoners.

Often that first hour, day, week and month are critical. Even as they are walking out of the gate they may be ‘scoring some drugs’, so meeting them, taking them to their home, taking them to their first probation appointment is vital. We often find that their first benefit payment can take a few weeks to come through and so helping them into those first few weeks, providing them with food, is key. We love it when we see churches, working alongside our professionals to do this and then building lasting relationships with our tenants as they integrate into society and jobs.

Countless studies have stipulated that having somewhere to live, strong social capital and something to do is vital to the success of someone’s recovery. We believe the church is critically poised to provide a sense of love and security to those that need it most. We also see that, as state funded services shrink, now is the time for churches to hear that call and ‘provide the poor wanderer with shelter’ (Isaiah 58) and love. If you would like to get involved then please do get in touch!"

Ed Walker, CEO “Hope into Action” Ed.Walker@hopeintoaction.org.uk
http://hopeintoaction.org.uk/

Diamonds in the rough

Two interesting weeks nationally in statements and speeches coming from the Prime Minister’s office concerning Prisons have managed to prompt me into writing my first blog for 6 months. For those who watch these things, there are many resonances with the work that we do as Chaplains, especially in terms of the language of redemption used and the desire to see justice that offers a hope for those who are seeking to change.
 
Firstly we have David Lamy’s review, announced at the end of January into the over-representation of black people in our prisons. This is a really welcome development, and one which many of you will know that Joe Aldred at CTE and myself have been calling for since our symposium interrogating this social blasphemy in Prisons Week 2014 (Full article here). I have written to Mr Lamy’s office offering our assistance into the review, which has significant impact on many from Free Church traditions, as well as our support in the initiative.
 
… and secondly, David Cameron’s visit to HMP Onley and his speech on Prison reform indicating the biggest shake-up of the prison service since the great reformers of the Victorian era. Whilst part of me shudders at this, knowing the huge changes we have all experienced in the last 4 years of cuts, a large part of me hopes that the desire to readjust the focus of the mission of the prison service from the first to the second statement (have a look at the back of your ID card all of you who are HMPS), from simply 'keeping in custody' to 'leading useful and law-abiding lives', does suggest a degree of hope.
 
I think that my favourite gospel section is in Jn 10 through to Jn 17. Jesus starts in Jn 10 with a mission statement ‘I have come that you may have life’, and leads us on to an action plan ‘that you all may be one … so that the world may know that we are one and that you have sent me’. In the middle of all this is Jn 14:1-6 where, aware that the disciples were anxious because He has repeatedly told them of his death, comforts them saying:  “Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me.” He encourages them to have firm belief in Him because He is the way, the truth, and the life. In a time where we are facing great turmoil, our hearts may justifiably become troubled, making it even more important that these words ring around our life in practical ways. If Jesus is the way, and the truth and the life, then this must mean much more than a claim to exclusivity in religion, it must be a way in which we can understand his call to discipleship in a tumultuous world.

I Am The Way : Jesus offers unfettered access to life in His father’s house. To accept His person and His teachings means that one has accepted him as the way; our Google Maps, our OS route-finder, our Sat Nav to the father’s heart. And just as the GPS satellite knows our current location on earth and helps us to locate our intended destinations, so Jesus our physical and spiritual guide knows exactly our current physical, emotional and spiritual location. And with this knowledge, he will lead us in The Way home. I always find it interesting to see that archaeologically the earliest references to Christians are as ‘people of the way’. People who follow the one who is the way.

I Am the Truth : Jesus Christ stands as the living expression of God’s integrity. He cannot do other than keep his promises. He will never leave us, he will never forsake us … he remains the great Initiator and the great Amen. He does not tell the truth only - He is the truth personally.

I Am The Life : Through Jesus Christ we share in the life of the trinity as a fulfilment of his mission declared in Jn 10:10, and in his action plan in Jn 17. As Chaplains we have hope that life can and will change for the better for those in prison … that they will indeed have improved life chances. And we know that these life chances are found freely available to all those who follow the one who himself is The Life.
 
… and so we persevere …

So let us above all other things devote ourselves in these uncertain days to prayerfully reflect on the one who leads us through Lent to the sacrifice of the Passion, and joy of the resurrection. Maybe it is time to re-consider the ways in which we have come to know, and faithfully follow the one who is the way, the truth and the life.

David Cameron is suggesting that we need to work in order to seek the “diamonds amongst the rough”. We find these diamonds dailyy ... in the segregation unit, on ACCT reviews, in Bible studies, in tears on reception wings, in worship on Sundays. We see these diamonds shine ... and our hope is always that they will continue to do so. In the reforms that are surely to come let us not lose sight of the one who has the power, the grace and the will to lead us and them from the rough and into life in all its fullness.