The Ministry of Presence

One of the beautiful things to behold, if you know people who have been married for many years, is how comfortable and relaxed they are in each other’s presence. I visited a couple recently who have been married for over 60 years and what was inspiring was to see just how much they love one another still.

It shone through in the way they looked at each other, or helped each other to complete sentences, if the other couldn’t hear so well. There were lots of smiles and stories about the family, and you knew, without a shadow of  doubt, that even if the room was quiet, it was invariably better when those people knew that the other was there. Even if they were having a sleep, or engaged in another conversation, it brought reassurance and peace to simply know that they were together in the same room.

I often see this in hospitals and nursing homes, too. Even in those situations where people are extremely ill or close to death, they feel grateful for the presence of family and friends with them. Even if they can no longer use words, you can see the relief and the smiles when they open their eyes and see the people they love, or they hear that hum of conversation from familiar voices, even if they cannot participate themselves.

Recently, as part of our Mind Matters project for mental health, we have started to produce a little laminated sheet of prayers or Bible verses which we sometimes leave with people who are in hospital or housebound. On my way into the hospital, I met a man struggling to propel his wheelchair up an incline and offered him a push. As we travelled along and got into conversation, he opened up about how his injury and time in hospital had prompted something of a spiritual search. There was an acknowledgment that he had drifted away from God and the practice of his faith, but he was keen to get that part of his life back on track again. I was able to offer him this little sheet as a resource to tune into God’s presence, and it was as if I had given him a gift of huge monetary value so pleased was he to receive it.

A friend of the parish, Catherine D’Arcy, has produced some beautiful postcards of photos she has taken of roses from her garden. They are available at the back of the church to send to a friend who might be ill or housebound. The postcards, and the words written upon them, again can act as a tangible reminder that the person is dear to you and you are thinking of them. When illness or circumstances mean that we can’t always be physically present, things like postcards, phone calls and video calls can transform someone’s day and leave a lasting gift with the recipient.

One of the great privileges of the ordained ministry is that the clerical collar can bring great comfort and encouragement to people. When you call at their home or to the hospital, it can almost act as an identity badge informing people you have come from the local church in the name of Jesus. It never ceases to amaze me when people stop me in shops or on streets and ask can you pray for something going on in their family or their life. It’s a great privilege to do so and, as you knock a door, maybe meeting someone for the first time, it often helps to build a bridge and provide a point of entry or a feeling of reassurance to those who might be fearful or anxious. I’m conscious that it’s nothing in me personally, or nothing I can say, but what you represent often seems to bring hope and courage.

Very often, this ministry of presence comes in surprising ways. I think of how much better my own world is if I have been away for a day and I get a bear hug from my big teenage son or my tiny teenage daughter. If I’m in an environment where conversation is limited because of illness or memory failure, so often people grip your hand and, in the quietness, it’s like a holy hand has taken yours and you are the one who is healed and strengthened by those quiet interactions .

That’s where the sacraments are powerful, and simple elements like bread and wine, communicate the presence of the Lord as you share communion together in the intimate setting of a home or a hospital ward.

Through Holy Baptism, Christians believe that God’s Holy Spirit is living within them, slowly transforming us from the inside out so that we become more like Jesus day by day. What that means in practice is that, wherever you go today, if you are a baptised Christian, you bring the presence of Jesus with you.

It might be to the shop where you are buying your groceries or the hairdressers. It might be in your daily work as you interact with clients and others, or immerse yourself in a task giving it the very best you have. It might be if you are praying quietly at home as your health doesn’t allow you to get out so much and, from the room you sit or lie in, you can impact people around the world as well as locally through your prayers.

As you think about these things, I wonder where you can intentionally bring and receive the presence of Jesus over the course of this day?

Looking forward to speaking again soon.

Much love to everyone,

Jono.

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