Thoughts on "Gathering About"

Psalm 142:7

Set me free from my prison,
    that I may praise your name.
Then the righteous will gather about me
    because of your goodness to me.

I met with a man in prison a week or so ago now.  He had requested a visit to discuss his discharge plans as he nears his release date. During his time in prison he had come to understand more about who Jesus is and how his life will be transformed if he trusts Him and seeks to follow Him. He has no church to call “home”.  It will all be new. I told this man I would do a bit of research into different options near where he will be living after he leaves prison. I checked into a few places and wrote an email to one that seemed that it might be a good fit. In my note to one of the pastors,  I introduced New Life Prison Ministry (http://www.nlpm.com/).  I explained that my role as Director of Aftercare is to help men and women leaving prison find a community of Christ-followers where they can grow and contribute.  I then shared a little bit about the man I had visited and his needs.  I asked if he thought the church would be willing to welcome him. Here is his encouraging response:  “Absolutely, I would love to speak with you this week and get some information and find out how I could connect with him. No fears or worries, this is what the people of God are supposed to be anyway.” 

    I don’t for a moment believe the transition process is going to be easy for this church, or for the individual trying to fit in, but the initial attitudes are positive and good. I look forward to meeting with the pastor and talking about how the church can do its job. There may be some training and follow-up involved.  One thing I am sure of though, for this to work, there are going to have to be realistic expectations on both sides. 

   No church is or ever will be perfect and the “returnee” must understand that we are all just trying to survive sometimes and can’t respond to every need the moment it arises. The “returnee” also must understand and take ownership of his/her own walk with Jesus.  There are things that no one can do for us and that we must accept responsibility for. Having a supportive church doesn’t mean I have no responsibility to take care of my own relationship with God.  Being disappointed with a church also doesn’t give me an excuse for giving up, it really just means I need to keep on looking for that place that meets my needs as a growing Christian and offers an opportunity to serve. 

   For the church, it is critically important that “patience” and “mercy” be evident in our dealings with men and women either coming out of prison or out of a lifestyle that has enslaved them. It takes time to change.  It takes time and it takes failure. There are many stops and starts. It involves going through setbacks and successes. When we as Christians forget just how patient and merciful God is with us then impatience and judgment can set in and ruin the restoration process both for the “returnee” and the church that opened its doors to her/him. I am so thankful that God doesn’t give up on me- how can I give up on someone else? As Christians we must overcome despair and discouragement and believe that God can redeem and restore.  Our role is to “gather about” those who have trusted Jesus for release from their prison, whatever that prison may be.