Some Good News About Crime
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
Dear fellow preachers,
Just last week, we learned from the news that violent crime is down all over the country. To us at The Immediate Word (TIW), this suggested some Christian implications. We asked TIW team member Charles Aaron, pastor of First United Methodist Church in Bowie, Texas to do some thinking about this bit of news and write about a Christian response to it based on the epistle lectionary text for this week.
We've also included an alternative approach by TIW team member Carlos Wilton, as well as some worship resources by Larry Hard and a children's sermon by Wesley Runk.
NEW THIS WEEK: We added a separate section with some related illustrations.
This is the third of four free installments of The Immediate Word. To continue to receive
this timely and valuable service you need to subscribe now at www.csspub.com/iw. Plus
if you sign up for The Immediate Word now, you will receive four FREE e-books (one per quarter) along with your annual subscription.
Some Good News About Crime
By Charles Aaron
Proverbs 16:32
Philippians 1:21-30
When I first saw the words on my computer screen, I wondered if there was a bug in the system somewhere. After all, the media had been bombarding us with horrific stories: Chandra Levy's skeleton had finally been found, two teenage girls rescued from their kidnapper seconds before he would have murdered them, little girls abducted from their bedrooms in the middle of the night. The headlines had been too frequent and too scary. Surely the words on my computer screen were wrong, somehow. Nevertheless, there they were in bold letters: Violent crime is down all over the country. The study, based on interviews with victims, indicated that violent crime was down 9% in 2001. 1
The news is not all good, though, as murders were up 3%. Still, especially now, we will take our good news where we can find it. With all the talk of war, with the economic woes, we need to hear something good. Can our Christian faith help us understand what we hear?
Consider one saying from the book of Proverbs. The report is about violent crime, and this proverb acknowledges our potential for violence, or a least anger. "One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and one whose temper is controlled than one who captures a city." The proverb suggests that our anger can often get the best of us, that our tempers often control us. Anger and the potential for violence are part of human nature. That is another reason why we are surprised to hear that violent crime has gone down. Our history and our society are soaked with violence. With so many things getting worse, it is hard to believe that violent crime is getting better.
Our first response as the church is to rejoice and be grateful. Because we have experienced the horror of the graphic news stories, we deserve a chance to celebrate. The church can turn to God in gratitude and celebrate all that didn't happen. If violent crime is down, that means fewer victims. We celebrate every could-have-been assault that didn't happen. We celebrate every body that wasn't bruised, every bone that wasn't broken, every eye that wasn't blackened. We celebrate each person that was spared the long ordeal of wrestling with anger, fear and grief on the bumpy road of psychological and spiritual healing. Any oasis in the suffering of the world is a cause for celebration, and for gratitude to God.
As much as might want to linger at this oasis, and enjoy our celebration, we must return to the desert of real life. First of all, we know that even with a reduction in crime, we are not safe enough to let our guard down. A reduction in violent crime is not the same as the elimination of violent crime. We still live in a dangerous and bloody world. Even the surprisingly good news about violent crime does not mean that law-enforcement officers can close up shop and go fishing. Besides, we as Christians never get to just rest and take it easy. Even in the midst of good news, we are called to go out into the world in mission, and to continue to grow in grace. That seems to be part of what Paul is saying in his letter to the Philippians. In the passage, Paul is considering his own death. He is in prison, and knows that he could die at any time. He gets almost to the point of saying that he wishes the powers that be in the Roman Empire would just go ahead and execute him. If he were to die, he could put his hardships behind him and go be with Christ. He finds that an attractive idea. He decides, however, that he should go on living, because the church needs him.
That is true for us as well. Even though we celebrate good news, such as a reduction in violent crime, we cannot relax and take it easy. We go out in mission, because the world needs us. And a reduction in violent crime does not lessen that.
First of all, we are called to minister to victims of crime. Even the smallest of crimes leaves the victim feeling violated and angry. Some crimes, especially violent crimes, take years of recovery, physically and mentally. Sometimes, the victim and families are never the same again. We as the church can offer the healing comfort of God's grace to those whose lives have been invaded. Crime victims often feel neglected and abandoned by the world. We can offer a listening ear, our prayers, our patience and understand, and even financial support for the time of rebuilding.
Our faith pushes us in another direction as well, one many of us will find uncomfortable. Our faith compels us to minister to those in prison. I know how much we resist this call. We might think of a prison as the last place we would want to go, but the last place we want to go is often where Christ calls us. Sometimes, we as Christians can hold two seemingly different ideas in our heads at the same time. In this case, we can be relieved and even grateful that to protect society, some people have been apprehended and confined, but we can still be willing to bring the Gospel to those behind bars. We never know what God will do. We in Texas remember Karla Fay Tucker, a vicious killer who became a Christian. It is true that some inmates claim a conversion, hoping for parole, but that is not an excuse for us to stay away. Prisons can seem intimidating; prisons can seem depressing; prisons can seem hopeless. Yet the grace of God can bring hope to the least promising of situations. We remember the words of Jesus, who surprised both the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25 by announcing that visiting people in prison meant visiting him, and neglecting people in prison meant neglecting him. Jesus' words echo in our heads, "just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me."2
I know some of the difficulties of prison ministry. As part of my training for the pastorate I did a short prison ministry at Fort Pillow Prison in Tennessee. It was not easy work. During my brief time in the prison I was ridiculed, glowered at, and treated with disdain -- and that was by the guards! Some of the inmates tried to con me, and one got in my face. Nevertheless, I saw the power of God's transforming grace in men who tried to live a Christian life behind bars, attending worship even though it wasn't cool, praying for the despised guards, and trying to grow in their walk with the Lord. Prison ministry can be a powerful response to God's grace in our lives, and can strengthen our faith.
We are not all called to go inside the walls ourselves, but you never know. Even if we are not called to that task personally, we can pray for those in prison and we can support the work of those do go behind the walls.
As we try to bring the Gospel to bear on a report about crime, I am convinced that we are also called to work to alleviate the poverty that is one, not the only, but one, cause of crime. The report suggests that the booming economy of the 90s helped to reduce crime. Poverty leads to frustration and frustration leads to despair. Despair can drive people to temptations they might not otherwise face. I know that even millionaires and rich CEOs can commit crimes. I know that people have choices to make. I know we are frustrated by crime, and angry at those who hurt others. I know we want to believe that criminals have only themselves to blame. Still, we in the church are called to bring healing and hope.
To say that some people find it hard to fight the pressures of poverty is not to condone crime. To reach out to people who live in despair and let them know they matter to God is not to condone crime. It is true that some people must be locked away and never let out. The study on crime indicated that locking up people who are repeatedly violent is one key to reducing crime. Having acknowledged that, we as the church can shine the light of grace into the dark corners of poverty, despair and brokenness. We can lift people up who have always been down. The sage who wrote our proverb this morning recognized that controlling our tempers is difficult. For some people, it would be easier to lead an assault on a city than to control their own anger. Maybe the outreach of the church is just what some person needs to find the strength. If we can be a bridge of hope, we can create more opportunities to celebrate crimes that were never committed.
We rejoice that violent crime is down, and we hear Christ's call to reach out to others. As we reflect on this report, maybe it is also an opportunity for us to look at our own spirits. Was the sage talking to us? We may not use physical violence, but can we work on our tempers? Are we called to draw on the strength God can give us to control our own rage? Surely, much of life frustrates us. Sometimes we feel the need to blow off some steam. Our faith calls us to grow in maturity, and part of that is controlling our tempers, and finding ways to resolve conflicts. It won't be easy. The sage tells us that it would be easier to lead an army in war than control our spirits. But, God does not leave us to fight our battles alone. As we work to deal with our anger, God is with us. That is yet another cause to rejoice.
Notes
1 This information is taken from an article by the Associated Press, and was part of the news headlines on America On Line for September 9, 2002.
2 Matthew 25:40.
Team Comments
Chuck Cammarata responds: This basically says precisely what you'd expect it to say. That's not bad -- we need reminded of the fundamentals of faith, but in this case I think we need to go further. Maybe we need to focus on that in us that is violent, and how in God's eyes we may not be all that far from being killers ourselves. "For I say to you even when you have been angry with your brother you have committed murder." Yeah - violent crime is down - but are our hearts purer? The truth -- hard as it is for many of our folks to accept - with rare exceptions - men and women in prison are not much different from us when it comes to sin. And they need God as desperately as we do. You might even talk about James Dobson's ministry to Jeffrey Damer who supposedly became a Christian while in prison.
George Murphy responds: Here's another point of contact with the Philippians 1 reading and the idea of visiting those in prison. We wouldn't have any trouble visiting someone like St. Paul -- a Christian whom we know to be innocent -- in his imprisonment. It's visiting criminals who should be in prison that we have trouble with.
Apropos poverty as a factor contributing to crime. Most of the crimes that really horrify and anger people can't be said to have poverty as a cause, at least in any clear and direct sense.
Stan Purdum responds: This is a helpful start but it doesn't address the range of issues we may have with the incarcerated. It isn't so much the St. Pauls in prison or the impoverished who steal to get by that I wonder what to do about as a Christian. I can pray for them without feeling much unwillingness. I can also easily pray for those who have not had fair justice or are even wrongly imprisoned. But what's my Christian responsibility toward the monsters who have finally been arrested after committing a string of unspeakable crimes and who show not the slightest remorse? What about sociopaths who apparently have no conscience and use and abuse people easily. Would it ever be all right for me to pray for swift retribution as well as for their permanent removal from society? Also, while anger no doubt is the motivation behind some crimes, surely as many are the result of greed, lust, and other sins of the heart.
Wesley Runk responds: I notice that we all stop short of making contact or writing prisoners. Perhaps this is wise. There seems to be a risk to people who make contact with people on the inside. Is there anything to be said about the security officers, the chaplains, the administrators of prisons? What can be said about prosecutors, juries, judges? Think of the families that are broken over the separation and the children who carry the mark of a father or mother in prison for the rest of their lives.
An Alternative Approach
Crime Rates Post-9/11
By Carlos Wilton
The most fascinating thing about the post-September 11th crime-rate statistics is the psychology of it. What has changed, in the hearts of criminals, as a result of the 9/11 attacks? I'd begin with this question. Then I'd expand on it, asking the more general question, "What does it take to change a person's perspective on life?"
How many, I wonder, are ever scared into the body of Christ? (Jonathan Edwards seemed to think there were a great many -- how else to account for his famous sermon, "Sinners In the Hands of An Angry God"?). Are criminals being scared by 9/11 into hanging up their tools of crime? Or, rather, are they becoming convinced, by the growing sense of community among Americans, that they have a responsibility to their neighbors to act more ethically?
Another interesting statistic, by the way, is that the number of marriages is also up, following 9/11. It seems that more longtime cohabiting couples than usual have decided now's the time to tie the knot.
I suspect that a great many of us were driven, by the horror of the 9/11 attacks, to value more highly the ties that bind us one to another. We've come into a fresh appreciation of how fragile life is, and how important are the relationships in which we live. That changes our perspective. I suspect it changed the perspective of enough criminals and enough engaged-but-not-married couples to cause a spike in the crime and marriage statistics.
And that is the place, I think, that ties in to the Philippians text. Paul is telling us about a change of perspective he's experienced, since coming to know Jesus Christ. In the ordinary state of things, to die is loss. Yet for Paul, it's inverted: to die is gain. Because it is Christ in whom he lives, dying does not hold the terror it once did.
Of course, we'd need to point out that the change in perspective wrought by a dreadful disaster is not the same change of perspective brought on by coming to know Christ. Wanting to go right home and hug your child, after hearing of other parents torn from their children by a violent death, is not the same as a permanent change of heart. As much as I'd hate to see the crime rate go up, I'd be surprised if these comparatively low numbers last much longer. That's because 9/11, as horrible as it was, did not ultimately change the human heart ' not in the way Jesus Christ can.
Someone once scrawled a piece of graffiti on a wall: "Jesus is the answer." Somebody else came along and wrote below it, "So what's the question?" I think 9/11 revealed to many people who hadn't thought for years of much beyond their material comforts that there is a question. It's up to the church, in these post-9/11 days, to suggest to all these seekers that Christ is the answer.
George Murphy responds to Carlos: It should be noted that:
1) Edwards' whole theology isn't summed up in that one sermon.
2) Edward's sermon wasn't a missionary sermon to people who had never heard of Christianity.
3) Both law and gospel are to be preached and the law qua law kills. Too often both law and Gospel are watered down: Pseudo-law wounds and then pseudo-Gospel is offered as a band-aid.
Some Related Illustrations
A little-known fact about Karl Barth is that he had a heart for prison ministry. Even as a world-renowned theologian, he used to go regularly to the local jail and lead services for the inmates. He did this out of obedience to Christ's command to visit those in prison. (from Carlos Wilton)
Religion is the first thing and the last thing, and until a man has found God, and been found by God, he begins at no beginning and works to no end. (H.G. Wells [gender-exclusive language, and all])
A pastor in a Midwestern town remembered the call to visit the imprisoned. Only he took it a step further. After discussing his idea with his church council, he approached the warden about releasing prisoners to his custody for weekend visits to the church. The prisoners were greeted by members of the church who shared with them opportunities for personal growth as well as spiritual enrichment. On Sunday's they attended worship, sang in the choir, attended Bible study and participated in carry-in dinners. For several years this program continued until the prison system declined to continue it. However, a few prisoners after their release from the institution started their lives over in this community. (from Wesley Runk)
Christianity, if false, is not important. If Christianity is true, however, it is of infinite importance. What it cannot be is moderately important. (C.S. Lewis)
From a 2001 novel by Lawrence Block comes this comment of a police detective discussing a vicious double murder: "The crime rates down, but I swear the guys who are out there are trying to make up for it by being twice as nasty." (from Hope to Die, [New York: William Morrow, 2001] 17.)
God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn ... That is why it is no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness apart from Himself, because there is no such thing. (C.S. Lewis)
We are afraid of a lot of things -- most of all, we are afraid of death. This fear takes away our freedom. But when we can reach beyond our fears to the One who loves us with a love that was there before we were born, and will be there after we die, then nothing will be able to take away our freedom. (Henri J.M. Nouwen, Our Greatest Gift, 1-7).
Several hundred women incarcerated in Marysville, Ohio worked in a rehabilitation program that rebuilt houses in Lima, Ohio. David Berger, now mayor, then the director of Rehab, Inc. helped establish a program with a halfway house to rehabilitate prisoners. Every day a bus from Lima went to Marysville and loaded up with prisoners who were promised the opportunity to learn a trade as an electrician, carpenter, plumber, landscaper, etc. Mentors with trade experience were hired to train and work with the prisoners.
In time two houses were leased where prisoners with six months or less left of their sentence could live under supervision while learning their trades. Over 300 houses in a Lima neighborhood were gutted and rebuilt by this program. Many of the female prisoners followed through with their learning experience and became construction workers, some of them choosing to remain in the town where they first learned their trade. (from Wesley Runk)
One young guy I worked with in a local prison told me why he was in. He had gone to a party and gotten quite drunk. He remembers getting in a shouting match with another guy at the party. The next thing he knew he woke up in the hospital and was told that the other guy was dead. Apparently he had pulled a gun and shot him. To this day, he does not remember doing it. His anger and drunkenness removed his restraint and -- bang! -- he acted so maliciously that he couldn't believe what he had done. He says, "I didn't kill that guy. Yes I pulled the trigger, but that wasn't me. That's not the kind of person I am. (From Chuck Cammarata)
Worship Resources
By Larry Hard
CALL TO WORSHIP
L. God's creating love is made known in the grandeur of the heavens and earth.
P. Thanks be to God for the gift of life.
L. God's redeeming love is made known in all who find forgiveness and faith.
P. Thanks be to God for new life that comes through Christ.
L. God's sustaining love is made known in every act of kindness and mercy.
P. Thanks be to God for the Spirit that empowers us to love.
L. God's ever-present love is made known in the darkest times of life
P. Thanks be to God for being with those who are victims of hate and hurt.
L. God's liberating love is made known to those are oppressed and in prison..
P. Thanks be to God persons in prison ministries.
HYMN
"God of Love and God of Power"
CONFESSION
I confess to God and to you, my sisters and brothers, that I have failed to love
persons in many places. I forget those who are out of sight, especially those
in prison. I ask God to forgive me for not praying for those who are in prison, and those who have been injured by their actions. I do not want to think about the teaching of Jesus to visit those in prison. I read about victims of violence and fail to let them know I care. I ask God now to forgive me and guide me in knowing what I should do.
SILENT PRAYERS
WORDS OF PARDON
The Spirit of God that brings good news to the poor and to those in prison, is with us to free us from our guilt and guide us to new ministries of caring.
PASTORAL PRAYER
God of infinite love, we read daily in the news about persons who have been murdered, and we think of their families, wondering what we can do to stop the violence and help the violated. We feel anger toward those who commit crimes causing suffering and death. We pray your help with our anger that it somehow can be transformed into actions that will bring lasting change.
Are you calling us through the church to be in preventive care? Are there ways you want us to help teenagers be involved in communities of faith and service? Do you still call us to minister to those in prison? We are glad to know there are those in prison ministries. What ways do you want us to support these ministries with our encouragement, support and involvement?
We pray for those who have a family member in prison. Are there ways you want us to be in ministry to them with our friendship, our offers to help take them for prison visits or to begin in our church a support group for them?
We hold in prayer all those who serve in prisons: administrators, chaplains and officers. Grant them awareness of how their words and actions can be used for redemptive purposes. We ask that the judicial system serve your call for justice, and thus we pray for judges and juries as they make difficult decisions.
We have many questions, God, for which we need your guidance. We do not pray to be relieved of responsibility, but to know ways you would use us as instruments of your transforming love. Amen.
SUGGESTIONS
1. Before or after the prayer, ask the congregation to picture in their minds a prison they know about. Visualize those inside the prison. If they know someone in prison, picture that person and pray for him or her.
2. Invite someone who has a family member in prison to speak or be interviewed about what their feelings are, and ways church members can be helpful to them.
3. If there is someone you know who has been in prison, contact him or her to see if that person would be willing to say a few words during the service about what it was like, or how they have been changed by the experience.
4. Invite someone who has been the victim of a crime to share what the feelings were at the time of the crime and how they found help.
5. Call someone who is doing prison ministry to share what they are doing and what help they need. One ecumenical ministry is Kairos Prison Ministries, which can be found in many phone directories or go to their website:www.kairosprisonministry.com.
6. Invite a prison chaplain or prison guard to participate in the liturgy, offer the prayer or share a story.
CHORUS SUGGESTIONS
Make Me a Servant (words and music by Kelly Willard)
Live in Charity (words, ninth-century Latin; music Jacque Berthier and the Community of Taize).
Wounded World that Cries for Healing (use verse 1. Words by Shirley Erena Murray; music by Hal H. Hopson)
A Children's Sermon
By Wesley Runk
Proverbs 16:32: "One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and one whose temper is controlled than one who captures a city."
Object: A dog leash.
Good morning boys and girls. What a wonderful time to be alive! Everything is happening. Everyone is back in school, people are working, and there are football games and other fun things happening. The crops are almost ready to be harvested and every night at home is a busy one. The same thing is true at church. There are so many things to be done and never enough people to do them. But we like it this way, don't we? (let them answer)
Even my dog seems to be extra busy. During the summer when it was really hot and there was not much to do, my dog just seemed to hang around? Most of the time he was on his back and hardly moved. No one came around and he never seemed to bark or do much of anything. But now things are different. When my friends come over, he barks and barks at them. If I let him loose he jumps on their laps, licks their faces and never stops barking. When strangers come by the house, like the deliveryman, my dog really gets carried away. He barks at the top of his voice. Sometimes it gets a little scary. I have seen him bark so loud and so hard that the postman will not even deliver the mail.
When my dog acts like that, I can only do one thing to make him behave. I go in the house and get the leash. I carefully clip it on to his collar and hold him back. As a matter of fact, when if he doesn't stop barking I make him take a walk with me to the back of the yard. When that happens, he seems to know that I am really serious. I need to control my dog. Do any of you have a dog like this? (let them answer)Do any of you use a leash? (let them answer) Good!
Have you ever been as angry as your dog? (let them answer) What do you do when you get angry? (let them answer) You cry, you kick, you throw things, and you pout. Does this sound like anyone around your house? Does it sound like you? We are not very pretty or handsome people when we get angry are we? (let them answer) Anger makes us unhappy and we say things and do things that hurt other people and make them unhappy with us.
God teaches us that anger is not a good thing. It hurts. It hurts you and it hurts me. God says that we must learn to control our anger. Do you think our Mom or Dad should have a leash for us? Would you like something clipped to a collar around your neck? (let them answer) I don't think so. We are not animals and we learn to control our anger in other ways. First, we fill ourselves with love instead of anger. We learn to talk with one another so that we do not get angry. And we watch our Mother and Dad and find out how they control their anger. God says that a person who controls his anger is more powerful than a king or a general.
So the next time you see a leash or put one on your dog you should thank God and pray that you will not get so angry as to be out of control. Instead you will follow the teachings of Jesus and be filled with joy and love. Amen
The Immediate Word, September 22, 2002, issue.
Copyright 2002 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503.
Just last week, we learned from the news that violent crime is down all over the country. To us at The Immediate Word (TIW), this suggested some Christian implications. We asked TIW team member Charles Aaron, pastor of First United Methodist Church in Bowie, Texas to do some thinking about this bit of news and write about a Christian response to it based on the epistle lectionary text for this week.
We've also included an alternative approach by TIW team member Carlos Wilton, as well as some worship resources by Larry Hard and a children's sermon by Wesley Runk.
NEW THIS WEEK: We added a separate section with some related illustrations.
This is the third of four free installments of The Immediate Word. To continue to receive
this timely and valuable service you need to subscribe now at www.csspub.com/iw. Plus
if you sign up for The Immediate Word now, you will receive four FREE e-books (one per quarter) along with your annual subscription.
Some Good News About Crime
By Charles Aaron
Proverbs 16:32
Philippians 1:21-30
When I first saw the words on my computer screen, I wondered if there was a bug in the system somewhere. After all, the media had been bombarding us with horrific stories: Chandra Levy's skeleton had finally been found, two teenage girls rescued from their kidnapper seconds before he would have murdered them, little girls abducted from their bedrooms in the middle of the night. The headlines had been too frequent and too scary. Surely the words on my computer screen were wrong, somehow. Nevertheless, there they were in bold letters: Violent crime is down all over the country. The study, based on interviews with victims, indicated that violent crime was down 9% in 2001. 1
The news is not all good, though, as murders were up 3%. Still, especially now, we will take our good news where we can find it. With all the talk of war, with the economic woes, we need to hear something good. Can our Christian faith help us understand what we hear?
Consider one saying from the book of Proverbs. The report is about violent crime, and this proverb acknowledges our potential for violence, or a least anger. "One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and one whose temper is controlled than one who captures a city." The proverb suggests that our anger can often get the best of us, that our tempers often control us. Anger and the potential for violence are part of human nature. That is another reason why we are surprised to hear that violent crime has gone down. Our history and our society are soaked with violence. With so many things getting worse, it is hard to believe that violent crime is getting better.
Our first response as the church is to rejoice and be grateful. Because we have experienced the horror of the graphic news stories, we deserve a chance to celebrate. The church can turn to God in gratitude and celebrate all that didn't happen. If violent crime is down, that means fewer victims. We celebrate every could-have-been assault that didn't happen. We celebrate every body that wasn't bruised, every bone that wasn't broken, every eye that wasn't blackened. We celebrate each person that was spared the long ordeal of wrestling with anger, fear and grief on the bumpy road of psychological and spiritual healing. Any oasis in the suffering of the world is a cause for celebration, and for gratitude to God.
As much as might want to linger at this oasis, and enjoy our celebration, we must return to the desert of real life. First of all, we know that even with a reduction in crime, we are not safe enough to let our guard down. A reduction in violent crime is not the same as the elimination of violent crime. We still live in a dangerous and bloody world. Even the surprisingly good news about violent crime does not mean that law-enforcement officers can close up shop and go fishing. Besides, we as Christians never get to just rest and take it easy. Even in the midst of good news, we are called to go out into the world in mission, and to continue to grow in grace. That seems to be part of what Paul is saying in his letter to the Philippians. In the passage, Paul is considering his own death. He is in prison, and knows that he could die at any time. He gets almost to the point of saying that he wishes the powers that be in the Roman Empire would just go ahead and execute him. If he were to die, he could put his hardships behind him and go be with Christ. He finds that an attractive idea. He decides, however, that he should go on living, because the church needs him.
That is true for us as well. Even though we celebrate good news, such as a reduction in violent crime, we cannot relax and take it easy. We go out in mission, because the world needs us. And a reduction in violent crime does not lessen that.
First of all, we are called to minister to victims of crime. Even the smallest of crimes leaves the victim feeling violated and angry. Some crimes, especially violent crimes, take years of recovery, physically and mentally. Sometimes, the victim and families are never the same again. We as the church can offer the healing comfort of God's grace to those whose lives have been invaded. Crime victims often feel neglected and abandoned by the world. We can offer a listening ear, our prayers, our patience and understand, and even financial support for the time of rebuilding.
Our faith pushes us in another direction as well, one many of us will find uncomfortable. Our faith compels us to minister to those in prison. I know how much we resist this call. We might think of a prison as the last place we would want to go, but the last place we want to go is often where Christ calls us. Sometimes, we as Christians can hold two seemingly different ideas in our heads at the same time. In this case, we can be relieved and even grateful that to protect society, some people have been apprehended and confined, but we can still be willing to bring the Gospel to those behind bars. We never know what God will do. We in Texas remember Karla Fay Tucker, a vicious killer who became a Christian. It is true that some inmates claim a conversion, hoping for parole, but that is not an excuse for us to stay away. Prisons can seem intimidating; prisons can seem depressing; prisons can seem hopeless. Yet the grace of God can bring hope to the least promising of situations. We remember the words of Jesus, who surprised both the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25 by announcing that visiting people in prison meant visiting him, and neglecting people in prison meant neglecting him. Jesus' words echo in our heads, "just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me."2
I know some of the difficulties of prison ministry. As part of my training for the pastorate I did a short prison ministry at Fort Pillow Prison in Tennessee. It was not easy work. During my brief time in the prison I was ridiculed, glowered at, and treated with disdain -- and that was by the guards! Some of the inmates tried to con me, and one got in my face. Nevertheless, I saw the power of God's transforming grace in men who tried to live a Christian life behind bars, attending worship even though it wasn't cool, praying for the despised guards, and trying to grow in their walk with the Lord. Prison ministry can be a powerful response to God's grace in our lives, and can strengthen our faith.
We are not all called to go inside the walls ourselves, but you never know. Even if we are not called to that task personally, we can pray for those in prison and we can support the work of those do go behind the walls.
As we try to bring the Gospel to bear on a report about crime, I am convinced that we are also called to work to alleviate the poverty that is one, not the only, but one, cause of crime. The report suggests that the booming economy of the 90s helped to reduce crime. Poverty leads to frustration and frustration leads to despair. Despair can drive people to temptations they might not otherwise face. I know that even millionaires and rich CEOs can commit crimes. I know that people have choices to make. I know we are frustrated by crime, and angry at those who hurt others. I know we want to believe that criminals have only themselves to blame. Still, we in the church are called to bring healing and hope.
To say that some people find it hard to fight the pressures of poverty is not to condone crime. To reach out to people who live in despair and let them know they matter to God is not to condone crime. It is true that some people must be locked away and never let out. The study on crime indicated that locking up people who are repeatedly violent is one key to reducing crime. Having acknowledged that, we as the church can shine the light of grace into the dark corners of poverty, despair and brokenness. We can lift people up who have always been down. The sage who wrote our proverb this morning recognized that controlling our tempers is difficult. For some people, it would be easier to lead an assault on a city than to control their own anger. Maybe the outreach of the church is just what some person needs to find the strength. If we can be a bridge of hope, we can create more opportunities to celebrate crimes that were never committed.
We rejoice that violent crime is down, and we hear Christ's call to reach out to others. As we reflect on this report, maybe it is also an opportunity for us to look at our own spirits. Was the sage talking to us? We may not use physical violence, but can we work on our tempers? Are we called to draw on the strength God can give us to control our own rage? Surely, much of life frustrates us. Sometimes we feel the need to blow off some steam. Our faith calls us to grow in maturity, and part of that is controlling our tempers, and finding ways to resolve conflicts. It won't be easy. The sage tells us that it would be easier to lead an army in war than control our spirits. But, God does not leave us to fight our battles alone. As we work to deal with our anger, God is with us. That is yet another cause to rejoice.
Notes
1 This information is taken from an article by the Associated Press, and was part of the news headlines on America On Line for September 9, 2002.
2 Matthew 25:40.
Team Comments
Chuck Cammarata responds: This basically says precisely what you'd expect it to say. That's not bad -- we need reminded of the fundamentals of faith, but in this case I think we need to go further. Maybe we need to focus on that in us that is violent, and how in God's eyes we may not be all that far from being killers ourselves. "For I say to you even when you have been angry with your brother you have committed murder." Yeah - violent crime is down - but are our hearts purer? The truth -- hard as it is for many of our folks to accept - with rare exceptions - men and women in prison are not much different from us when it comes to sin. And they need God as desperately as we do. You might even talk about James Dobson's ministry to Jeffrey Damer who supposedly became a Christian while in prison.
George Murphy responds: Here's another point of contact with the Philippians 1 reading and the idea of visiting those in prison. We wouldn't have any trouble visiting someone like St. Paul -- a Christian whom we know to be innocent -- in his imprisonment. It's visiting criminals who should be in prison that we have trouble with.
Apropos poverty as a factor contributing to crime. Most of the crimes that really horrify and anger people can't be said to have poverty as a cause, at least in any clear and direct sense.
Stan Purdum responds: This is a helpful start but it doesn't address the range of issues we may have with the incarcerated. It isn't so much the St. Pauls in prison or the impoverished who steal to get by that I wonder what to do about as a Christian. I can pray for them without feeling much unwillingness. I can also easily pray for those who have not had fair justice or are even wrongly imprisoned. But what's my Christian responsibility toward the monsters who have finally been arrested after committing a string of unspeakable crimes and who show not the slightest remorse? What about sociopaths who apparently have no conscience and use and abuse people easily. Would it ever be all right for me to pray for swift retribution as well as for their permanent removal from society? Also, while anger no doubt is the motivation behind some crimes, surely as many are the result of greed, lust, and other sins of the heart.
Wesley Runk responds: I notice that we all stop short of making contact or writing prisoners. Perhaps this is wise. There seems to be a risk to people who make contact with people on the inside. Is there anything to be said about the security officers, the chaplains, the administrators of prisons? What can be said about prosecutors, juries, judges? Think of the families that are broken over the separation and the children who carry the mark of a father or mother in prison for the rest of their lives.
An Alternative Approach
Crime Rates Post-9/11
By Carlos Wilton
The most fascinating thing about the post-September 11th crime-rate statistics is the psychology of it. What has changed, in the hearts of criminals, as a result of the 9/11 attacks? I'd begin with this question. Then I'd expand on it, asking the more general question, "What does it take to change a person's perspective on life?"
How many, I wonder, are ever scared into the body of Christ? (Jonathan Edwards seemed to think there were a great many -- how else to account for his famous sermon, "Sinners In the Hands of An Angry God"?). Are criminals being scared by 9/11 into hanging up their tools of crime? Or, rather, are they becoming convinced, by the growing sense of community among Americans, that they have a responsibility to their neighbors to act more ethically?
Another interesting statistic, by the way, is that the number of marriages is also up, following 9/11. It seems that more longtime cohabiting couples than usual have decided now's the time to tie the knot.
I suspect that a great many of us were driven, by the horror of the 9/11 attacks, to value more highly the ties that bind us one to another. We've come into a fresh appreciation of how fragile life is, and how important are the relationships in which we live. That changes our perspective. I suspect it changed the perspective of enough criminals and enough engaged-but-not-married couples to cause a spike in the crime and marriage statistics.
And that is the place, I think, that ties in to the Philippians text. Paul is telling us about a change of perspective he's experienced, since coming to know Jesus Christ. In the ordinary state of things, to die is loss. Yet for Paul, it's inverted: to die is gain. Because it is Christ in whom he lives, dying does not hold the terror it once did.
Of course, we'd need to point out that the change in perspective wrought by a dreadful disaster is not the same change of perspective brought on by coming to know Christ. Wanting to go right home and hug your child, after hearing of other parents torn from their children by a violent death, is not the same as a permanent change of heart. As much as I'd hate to see the crime rate go up, I'd be surprised if these comparatively low numbers last much longer. That's because 9/11, as horrible as it was, did not ultimately change the human heart ' not in the way Jesus Christ can.
Someone once scrawled a piece of graffiti on a wall: "Jesus is the answer." Somebody else came along and wrote below it, "So what's the question?" I think 9/11 revealed to many people who hadn't thought for years of much beyond their material comforts that there is a question. It's up to the church, in these post-9/11 days, to suggest to all these seekers that Christ is the answer.
George Murphy responds to Carlos: It should be noted that:
1) Edwards' whole theology isn't summed up in that one sermon.
2) Edward's sermon wasn't a missionary sermon to people who had never heard of Christianity.
3) Both law and gospel are to be preached and the law qua law kills. Too often both law and Gospel are watered down: Pseudo-law wounds and then pseudo-Gospel is offered as a band-aid.
Some Related Illustrations
A little-known fact about Karl Barth is that he had a heart for prison ministry. Even as a world-renowned theologian, he used to go regularly to the local jail and lead services for the inmates. He did this out of obedience to Christ's command to visit those in prison. (from Carlos Wilton)
Religion is the first thing and the last thing, and until a man has found God, and been found by God, he begins at no beginning and works to no end. (H.G. Wells [gender-exclusive language, and all])
A pastor in a Midwestern town remembered the call to visit the imprisoned. Only he took it a step further. After discussing his idea with his church council, he approached the warden about releasing prisoners to his custody for weekend visits to the church. The prisoners were greeted by members of the church who shared with them opportunities for personal growth as well as spiritual enrichment. On Sunday's they attended worship, sang in the choir, attended Bible study and participated in carry-in dinners. For several years this program continued until the prison system declined to continue it. However, a few prisoners after their release from the institution started their lives over in this community. (from Wesley Runk)
Christianity, if false, is not important. If Christianity is true, however, it is of infinite importance. What it cannot be is moderately important. (C.S. Lewis)
From a 2001 novel by Lawrence Block comes this comment of a police detective discussing a vicious double murder: "The crime rates down, but I swear the guys who are out there are trying to make up for it by being twice as nasty." (from Hope to Die, [New York: William Morrow, 2001] 17.)
God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn ... That is why it is no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness apart from Himself, because there is no such thing. (C.S. Lewis)
We are afraid of a lot of things -- most of all, we are afraid of death. This fear takes away our freedom. But when we can reach beyond our fears to the One who loves us with a love that was there before we were born, and will be there after we die, then nothing will be able to take away our freedom. (Henri J.M. Nouwen, Our Greatest Gift, 1-7).
Several hundred women incarcerated in Marysville, Ohio worked in a rehabilitation program that rebuilt houses in Lima, Ohio. David Berger, now mayor, then the director of Rehab, Inc. helped establish a program with a halfway house to rehabilitate prisoners. Every day a bus from Lima went to Marysville and loaded up with prisoners who were promised the opportunity to learn a trade as an electrician, carpenter, plumber, landscaper, etc. Mentors with trade experience were hired to train and work with the prisoners.
In time two houses were leased where prisoners with six months or less left of their sentence could live under supervision while learning their trades. Over 300 houses in a Lima neighborhood were gutted and rebuilt by this program. Many of the female prisoners followed through with their learning experience and became construction workers, some of them choosing to remain in the town where they first learned their trade. (from Wesley Runk)
One young guy I worked with in a local prison told me why he was in. He had gone to a party and gotten quite drunk. He remembers getting in a shouting match with another guy at the party. The next thing he knew he woke up in the hospital and was told that the other guy was dead. Apparently he had pulled a gun and shot him. To this day, he does not remember doing it. His anger and drunkenness removed his restraint and -- bang! -- he acted so maliciously that he couldn't believe what he had done. He says, "I didn't kill that guy. Yes I pulled the trigger, but that wasn't me. That's not the kind of person I am. (From Chuck Cammarata)
Worship Resources
By Larry Hard
CALL TO WORSHIP
L. God's creating love is made known in the grandeur of the heavens and earth.
P. Thanks be to God for the gift of life.
L. God's redeeming love is made known in all who find forgiveness and faith.
P. Thanks be to God for new life that comes through Christ.
L. God's sustaining love is made known in every act of kindness and mercy.
P. Thanks be to God for the Spirit that empowers us to love.
L. God's ever-present love is made known in the darkest times of life
P. Thanks be to God for being with those who are victims of hate and hurt.
L. God's liberating love is made known to those are oppressed and in prison..
P. Thanks be to God persons in prison ministries.
HYMN
"God of Love and God of Power"
CONFESSION
I confess to God and to you, my sisters and brothers, that I have failed to love
persons in many places. I forget those who are out of sight, especially those
in prison. I ask God to forgive me for not praying for those who are in prison, and those who have been injured by their actions. I do not want to think about the teaching of Jesus to visit those in prison. I read about victims of violence and fail to let them know I care. I ask God now to forgive me and guide me in knowing what I should do.
SILENT PRAYERS
WORDS OF PARDON
The Spirit of God that brings good news to the poor and to those in prison, is with us to free us from our guilt and guide us to new ministries of caring.
PASTORAL PRAYER
God of infinite love, we read daily in the news about persons who have been murdered, and we think of their families, wondering what we can do to stop the violence and help the violated. We feel anger toward those who commit crimes causing suffering and death. We pray your help with our anger that it somehow can be transformed into actions that will bring lasting change.
Are you calling us through the church to be in preventive care? Are there ways you want us to help teenagers be involved in communities of faith and service? Do you still call us to minister to those in prison? We are glad to know there are those in prison ministries. What ways do you want us to support these ministries with our encouragement, support and involvement?
We pray for those who have a family member in prison. Are there ways you want us to be in ministry to them with our friendship, our offers to help take them for prison visits or to begin in our church a support group for them?
We hold in prayer all those who serve in prisons: administrators, chaplains and officers. Grant them awareness of how their words and actions can be used for redemptive purposes. We ask that the judicial system serve your call for justice, and thus we pray for judges and juries as they make difficult decisions.
We have many questions, God, for which we need your guidance. We do not pray to be relieved of responsibility, but to know ways you would use us as instruments of your transforming love. Amen.
SUGGESTIONS
1. Before or after the prayer, ask the congregation to picture in their minds a prison they know about. Visualize those inside the prison. If they know someone in prison, picture that person and pray for him or her.
2. Invite someone who has a family member in prison to speak or be interviewed about what their feelings are, and ways church members can be helpful to them.
3. If there is someone you know who has been in prison, contact him or her to see if that person would be willing to say a few words during the service about what it was like, or how they have been changed by the experience.
4. Invite someone who has been the victim of a crime to share what the feelings were at the time of the crime and how they found help.
5. Call someone who is doing prison ministry to share what they are doing and what help they need. One ecumenical ministry is Kairos Prison Ministries, which can be found in many phone directories or go to their website:www.kairosprisonministry.com.
6. Invite a prison chaplain or prison guard to participate in the liturgy, offer the prayer or share a story.
CHORUS SUGGESTIONS
Make Me a Servant (words and music by Kelly Willard)
Live in Charity (words, ninth-century Latin; music Jacque Berthier and the Community of Taize).
Wounded World that Cries for Healing (use verse 1. Words by Shirley Erena Murray; music by Hal H. Hopson)
A Children's Sermon
By Wesley Runk
Proverbs 16:32: "One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and one whose temper is controlled than one who captures a city."
Object: A dog leash.
Good morning boys and girls. What a wonderful time to be alive! Everything is happening. Everyone is back in school, people are working, and there are football games and other fun things happening. The crops are almost ready to be harvested and every night at home is a busy one. The same thing is true at church. There are so many things to be done and never enough people to do them. But we like it this way, don't we? (let them answer)
Even my dog seems to be extra busy. During the summer when it was really hot and there was not much to do, my dog just seemed to hang around? Most of the time he was on his back and hardly moved. No one came around and he never seemed to bark or do much of anything. But now things are different. When my friends come over, he barks and barks at them. If I let him loose he jumps on their laps, licks their faces and never stops barking. When strangers come by the house, like the deliveryman, my dog really gets carried away. He barks at the top of his voice. Sometimes it gets a little scary. I have seen him bark so loud and so hard that the postman will not even deliver the mail.
When my dog acts like that, I can only do one thing to make him behave. I go in the house and get the leash. I carefully clip it on to his collar and hold him back. As a matter of fact, when if he doesn't stop barking I make him take a walk with me to the back of the yard. When that happens, he seems to know that I am really serious. I need to control my dog. Do any of you have a dog like this? (let them answer)Do any of you use a leash? (let them answer) Good!
Have you ever been as angry as your dog? (let them answer) What do you do when you get angry? (let them answer) You cry, you kick, you throw things, and you pout. Does this sound like anyone around your house? Does it sound like you? We are not very pretty or handsome people when we get angry are we? (let them answer) Anger makes us unhappy and we say things and do things that hurt other people and make them unhappy with us.
God teaches us that anger is not a good thing. It hurts. It hurts you and it hurts me. God says that we must learn to control our anger. Do you think our Mom or Dad should have a leash for us? Would you like something clipped to a collar around your neck? (let them answer) I don't think so. We are not animals and we learn to control our anger in other ways. First, we fill ourselves with love instead of anger. We learn to talk with one another so that we do not get angry. And we watch our Mother and Dad and find out how they control their anger. God says that a person who controls his anger is more powerful than a king or a general.
So the next time you see a leash or put one on your dog you should thank God and pray that you will not get so angry as to be out of control. Instead you will follow the teachings of Jesus and be filled with joy and love. Amen
The Immediate Word, September 22, 2002, issue.
Copyright 2002 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503.
