Saying goodbye

There had been quite a few goodbyes lately. Just over this weekend, I attended two "farewells". There was a “farewell to politics” party for the previous Ryde Councillor Justin Li. The Chinese Australian Baptist Church in West Ryde (CABC-WR) and City Bible Forum said goodbye to the multitalented Grace Huang as she embarks her journey to become a student minister at another church. Both of these people are great role models: The community remembers Justin as a leader of high integrity who has been involved with helping the community most of his life. The church remembers Grace as a multitalented yet humble church leader who had a bright future in law at the Crown Solicitor’s Office and followed God’s calling to study at Moore Theological College, build up the youth ministry and worship team at the CABC-WR, and work in the City Bible Forum. On a personal level: Justin had helped me and some other members of the community on a community issue several years ago. Grace is an inspirational role model who helped me prepare for the task of playing the piano on Sunday service.

Today we looked at Acts 20:32-38 as we said goodbye to Grace. ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.” “Giving Grace” to someone else: to another church/ministry; who is more blessed? The one who gave first. It’s natural to grieve as we say goodbye to someone. Reverend Fu couldn’t hold back her tears as she said goodbye to Grace on the pulpit today. While we grieve about saying goodbye, there is a time in eternity when we will all come together again.

As we look at the global situation these days, the coming of Jesus is getting closer and closer as the signs in Matthew 24 occur with increased intensity. More and more workers will be sent out to advance the kingdom of God’s, and there will be many more goodbyes still to come.

In “The Trellis and the Vine”, Marshall and Payne describe how we must accept people leaving our church to be sent out to other places to further the growth of the gospel. Another word, it is inevitable that many of the people whom we devoted our time to disciple/ build a relationship with will eventually leave our lives to be sent out to a place of need.

Morling Tuesday Chapel: The king’s wedding banquet

Speaker: Rev Dr Roger Chilton from St. Swithun's Anglican Church, Chairman of HART: Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust Australasia

Scripture: Matthew 22

Many years ago he was in an army, he was a sergeant major. One of the major lessons was on saluting. When we see a commissioned officer, we have to salute him/her, but it’s not really that person who matters but we are saluting the crown. He’s never met the queen, so it’s bizarre to salute like this. But if he’s invited by the queen to attend one of her functions, eg. Harry’s wedding, he’d probably take everything off the diary to attend.

End of Matthew 21: parables on the judgment against Israel’s leaders. Pharisees heard these parables and go out to lay plans to trap Jesus.

When emperor’s Tiberius’ son Drusus got married, the A-list would have turned up, or else…

When invited, the Pharisees were indifferent, refused to go on the banquet, some murdered the messengers for doing their jobs. Could anyone act so callously to such invitation?

The honour of the crown is maintained even though the Pharisees reject. Then the king invited everyone. This action of the king is shocking. A royal grace. 

V10: everyone was happy, but then the king was not happy.

V11: because one person was not appropriately dressed. The king asked the man how he got into the wedding, he refused to answer the king. This was the act of an intruder, a rebellion.

V13: refusal has a life and death consequences. The inappropriately dressed man was thrown outside.

V14: many are invited but few are chosen. The gospel is the king’s invitation. We can see how people respond today in parallel to this parable.

The parable doesn’t tell the whole story of the gospel. We can’t ignore the one telling it: It is Jesus. This parable ended with unrelenting opposition by the Pharisees. It is not only the Pharisees, but us who’d oppose: Coming to the banquet is to honour him, not me. We do not naturally honour the crown.

When we honour the crown, we will receive the crown of righteousness. May be that we understand the cost of our invitation, the cost of our forgiveness, and the joy of being included in the joy of the king’s wedding banquet.

Morling Tuesday Chapel: Two sides of love?

Topic: Two sides of love?

Scripture: 1 John 3:11-24; 4:7-12

The first question the speaker asked us was: How many love song titles can you think of in one minute?

Two sides of love? There’s often a debate seen on this:

Truth, champions of the Word of God, of love towards God through Christ. Complain the lovers of grace do not love the truth enough.  

Grace, champions of the concept of kindness, to change hearts in life. Complain the lovers of truth don’t love people enough.

Vertical and horizontal dimensions to love.

What demonstrates true love?

It’s made real in actions. You see it through the demonstration of it. It is concrete, anchored in history.

Vertical dimension:

·       Jesus shows it in 1 John 4:9: “He sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him.”

·       Sacrifice proved it. 1 John 3:16: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.”

·       God started it. 1 John 4:7. It’s not by our own credit.

·       God is love. 1 John 4:8.

Horizontal dimension:

·       We share God’s love.

·       Love those close to you. 1 John 3:11-16. We ought to lay down our lives for your brothers. Lack of love is death.

·       It’s one thing to love conveniently. It’s truer to love at a cost, when it costs your life. Eg. Queensland flood 2011, 13y.o. Jordan Rice said “Take my brother first.” How often do we love like that?

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/queensland-floods/take-my-brother-first-heroic-final-act-saves-sibling/story-fn7iwx3v-1225986648911

·       Love those in need. 1 John 3:17. This love spreads to those outside of our comfortable reach.

·       Love with action. 1 John 3:18.

·       Loving God=loving others. 1 John 3:23-24. 1 John 4:7-8,11

Two sides of love? A false story. It’s not either or! It’s both and.

Unity in diversity: Some parts of the scripture, if pulled apart, can lead to heresy! Truth and grace should not be pulled apart!

Truth and grace come together and meet in love.

The speaker describes how he went on a combined church ministry outreach on the docks of Honolulu: He saw Filipino fishermen singing hymn songs. Why were those fishermen there? He spoke to one of them and found that he had been away from the Philippines for two years. When these fishermen are not on the boat, they’re just on the dock. Each vessel holds only 6 people. Crime was bad on the dock until a guy called Chris started visiting and making friends with these fishermen. Chris began a ministry to the fishermen. They also arranged for medical students to do free medical checks for these fishermen. They say these guys have a horrible life, sometimes having only 3 hours of sleep in their fishing trips. So many have blood pressure problems and the medical students gave them some medications for their blood pressure (Now I don’t quite understand this point… medical students can’t prescribe medications!). They run a congregation for these guys, and the fishermen experienced the love of Jesus through the love of these people to them, and enjoy the congregation. Many of these fishermen got baptised. Their lives changed, crime has dropped, and these miserable fishermen got kind of hopeful.

http://www.thealabamabaptist.org/print-edition-article-detail.php?id_art=33868&pricat_art=8

http://michaelabagon.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/people-behind-seafarers-ministry.html

https://www.facebook.com/chris.r.evans

My thoughts: Speaking of love songs… Interestingly when I woke up today, I received “a love song from heaven” from the Israel marching prayer team’s chat group (a Line chat group for the team I was in during my trip to Israel last year)! Joe King’s “I Will Always Love You”.

https://youtu.be/oJnorv_V1YU

There is an interesting testimony behind the writing of this song.

Testimony in English:

https://youtu.be/xNMqx7QhqtI

Testimony in Chinese:

https://youtu.be/gEpc9mALTHk

Morling Tuesday Chapel Ephesians: What is Unity?

10 May, 2016

Topic: What is Unity?

Speaker: Graham Hill

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-16

We’ve all seen conflicts/infighting in church life, which can sometimes get quite dramatic. For many, church life is not that of unity and harmony.

Paul challenges us to Christian unity.

Christian debate in Sydney: One side claiming the power of the Holy Spirit. The other side claiming they have the Gospel and are rooted in the word.

Is unity at all costs our goal? What does true unity look like? Where is it found?

V3:

Differences exist. Making every effort to maintain bond of peace. Earnestly endeavour. We don’t let go of our differences readily. Beneath those differences is a basic unity, core unity that holds us together. Paul didn’t say produce unity, but to maintain unity. It’s not our job to produce unity. The work of the church is to maintain unity in the bonds of peace, the work of the Spirit.

There are two kinds of unity that emerge in the life of the church. One is internal unity that is expressed through disagreements and differences. Analogy of Graham and his brothers: at the dinner table they argue with each other, but at their school, if any of the siblings get picked on, they stand up for each other. The other type of unity is externally imposed: No room for disagreement, everyone has to conform, and those that conform are rewarded, those that don’t are punished/excluded.

V4-6:

Seven ways of unity, one body, one Spirit, one hope, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all: this is where unity is found. With these seven ways, there is room for discussion, Paul didn’t give the specifics of each. It’s not a theological creed, but a unity we experience together.

Maintain bond of peace: not arguing, bickering, etc. It’s easy to pick apart people’s weaknesses. When you’re in Christian leadership, your weaknesses are in constant display. So it’s important to see the best in each other. Embrace your new identity, let go of resentment and hostilities. Rwanda was the model Christian society, 85-95% claim to be Christians before the genocide. Then Tutsis murdered Hutus because they got too focused on the external differences. Internal unity transcends external differences.

Paul frames the gifts in grace. Unity in response to grace. Analogy: In the human body there are many cells, hair cells, muscle cells, etc. and these cells don’t get together to ask how they are going to function. They simply function.

V11-16:

Our unity is not only forged through graces, bonds of peace, but also forged through service and mission. This is the age of participation. (Previous era was the age of representation). This is the age of priesthood of all believers! The church is being renewed globally as a consequence. Ministries are everywhere. We need the apostles (pioneers, plants, launch movements, guards the truth), prophets (disrupt and disturb the status quo, confronts the usual questions and asks the provocative questions, calls the church back into faithfulness), evangelists (communicate the gospel in attractive ways), pastors, teachers. These gifts are distributed throughout the body of Christ, not just the clergy. If Morling produces a person who becomes the best preacher of Australia, that’s a failure. Because the gifts are supposed to build up and multiply themselves. Our job is to multiply the gifts, to release the whole body to the work of ministry, not just to do ministry myself. If the gifts are well developed, it’s not only inwardly focused, but outward focused. All of the gifts in maturity produces unity not only internally within the church but as external witnesses/mission in the world.

President Carter decided to build a memorial to honour those who served and died in the Vietnamese War and opened up the competition for public entries.

Maya Lin won: a Chinese-American student in Yale University. In the wall, we see our face reflected. Maya Lin believes in the touch of a human hand, and being part of a story that is bigger than yourself.

Some veterans thought this is elitist/degrading which soon resulted in bitter disputes. Politicians reopened the competition, and the winner was “the Three Servicemen”. When the memorial opened, Maya Lin wasn’t invited. Today, hardly anyone thinks about the Three Servicemen, but Maya Lin’s wall becomes the “Wailing Wall” of the Americans, to become part of a drama that’s bigger than themselves.

We can be like the three servicemen: cold, externally imposed unity but internally torn about, rigid, something of the past.

Or we can be like the memorial wall: Rage and heal, connect, become part of a community that is real and organic, live and vibrant, that draws them into a new humanity.

The choice is ours, together, to cooperate with the Spirit as He draws us together.

Morling Tuesday Chapel 1Corinthians: Reaching the unreached

22 March, 2016

Topic: Reaching the unreached

Speaker: Simon Longdon, national director of Pioneers, http://www.pioneers.org.au/Director-s-Welcome.aspx

Scripture: 1Corinthians 15:1-11

If we ask questions like, “If I were a bit more like her, if I had more of what he’s got”, etc., 1Corinthians 15:10 is the verse for us today.

Oreo test: demonstrates that we’re all wired differently.

http://www.bouldertherapist.com/html/humor/MentalHealthHumor/oreos.html

V10: “But by the grace of God, I am what I am”. Keyword: grace.

There are a number of reasons why preachers repeat themselves. Paul does it here. Unprepared, obsessity, etc. But the primary reason from good teachers is emphasis.  

I am an apostle: someone God has trusted with a message, and that message is from God, which God trusts you to deliver. It’s a lofty calling.

V8: “I am like one abnormally born”. Meaning I am like the products of a miscarriage. That’s quite offensive. He walks with a limp. “But by the grace of God, I am who I am”.

Preposition 1: We are all moral failures: Sin, trespass, inequity, guile.

Sin means to fall short of God’s holy standard. Deuteronomy 6:5, Leviticus 19:18, love God totally, love your neighbor as yourself. We all fall short of that.

Trespass: going too far. “Thou shall not”. Eg, we say to a child, “you can take 10 biscuits from the tin”, and the child sneaks two extra biscuits.

Inequity: to pervert that which has intrinsic value. Eg. Marriage: inequalise this institution.

Guile: project a false image, like hypocrisy, to think something in your mind but speak something else.

Total depravity doesn’t mean men become as bad as they can be, but they cannot be as good as they should be. (Or, as according to theopedia: Total depravity does not mean, however, that people are as bad as possible. Rather, it means that even the good which a person may intend is faulty in its premise, false in its motive, and weak in its implementation; and there is no mere refinement of natural capacities that can correct this condition.)

Proposition 2: God is holy, righteous and just. God is immutable.

Proposition 3: There is nothing we can do about proposition 1 & 2.

Proposition 4: Not only is God holy, righteous and just, but God is also justice, mercy and grace. Justice is getting what I deserve, mercy is not getting everything I deserve, and grace is getting what I don’t deserve.

Kid gets very naughty, dad says, “I am going to give you three smacks”: that’s justice. Then instead dad gives two smacks: that’s mercy. Then dad buys an ice cream; that’s grace.

V1-2: “Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel… By this gospel, you’re saved”.

Paul’s great message: Whatever we do, wherever we go, proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ as the priority.

We eat Oreos differently, we’re all different, but whatever we do, God will take us exactly as how we are wired, to reach others. All we have to do is be ourselves. 
________

Oreo Personality Test

Psychologists have discovered that the manner in which people eat Oreo cookies provides great insight into their personalities. Choose which method best describes your favorite method of eating Oreos:

1. The whole thing all at once.
2. One bite at a time.
3. Slow and methodical nibbles examining the results of each bite afterwards.
4. In little feverous nibbles.
5. Dunked in some liquid (milk, coffee...).
6. Twisted apart, the inside, then the cookie.
7. Twisted apart, the inside, and toss the cookie.
8. Just the cookie, not the inside.
9. I just like to lick them, not eat them.
10. I don't have a favorite way because I don't like Oreo.


Your Personality:

1. The whole thing. This means you consume life with abandon, you are fun to be with, exciting, carefree with some hint of recklessness. You are totally irresponsible. No one should trust you with their children.

2. One bite at a time. You are lucky to be one of the 5.4 billion other people who eat their Oreos this very same way. Just like them, you lack imagination, but that's okay, not to worry, you're normal.

3. Slow and methodical. You follow the rules. You're very tidy and orderly. You're very meticulous in every detail with every thing you do to the point of being anal retentive and irritating to others. Stay out of the fast lane if you're only going to go the speed limit.

4. Feverous nibbles. Your boss likes you because you get your work done quickly. You always have a million things to do and never enough time to do them. Mental breakdowns and suicides run in your family. Valium and Ritalin would do you good.

5. Dunked. Every one likes you because you are always up beat. You like to sugar coat unpleasant experiences and rationalize bad situations into good ones. You are in total denial about the shambles you call a life. You have a propensity towards narcotic addiction.

6. Twisted apart, the inside, and then the cookie. You have a highly curious nature. You take pleasure in breaking things apart to find out how they work, though not always able to put them back together, so you destroy all the evidence of your activities. You deny your involvement when things go wrong. You are a compulsive liar and exhibit deviant, if not criminal, behavior.

7. Twisted apart, the inside, and then toss the cookie. You are good at business and take risk that pay off. You take what you want and throw the rest away. You are greedy, selfish, mean, and lack feelings for others. You should be ashamed of yourself. But that's ok, you don't care, you got yours.

8. Just the cookie, not the inside. You enjoy pain.

9. I just like to lick them, not eat them. Stay away from small furry animals and seek professional medical help - immediately.

10. I don't have a favorite way, I don't like Oreo cookies. You probably come from a rich family, and like to wear nice things, and go to up-scale restaurants. You are particular and fussy about the things you buy, own, and wear. Things have to be just right. You like to be pampered. You are a prim. Nobody likes you.

By grace, Dr/Pastor Gordon Lee

By grace

Speaker: Dr/Pastor Gordon Lee (Hillsong elder/Chinese Extension Services pastor/Principal of Dr Gordon Lee Surgery and full time General Practitioner)

Sermon recording:  http://www.1503.org.au/download_files/sermons/SS_N_2016_03_06.m4a

Introduction:

Unmerited favour from God.

Grace is being blessed when we don’t deserve it and Mercy is doing away the punishment we deserve.

Grace vs works

“And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.”

Romans 11:6 NIV

I was a blasphemer, immoral; arrogant; nasty and definitely not because of all these I was saved.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—”

Ephesians 2:8 NIV

Without this gift of Jesus, I probably wrecked my marriage, business, relationship with my children and friends. All I did when I was 25 was saying a prayer if Jesus were God, I will commit my life to Him. Immediately, Jesus opened a new way of life- peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, not giving me immediately what I was looking for at the time-purpose of life, but the immense presence and love of Jesus and then His purpose for me started to unfold. Faith in Jesus is not a magic wand to get what we want but the personal relationship with Jesus that surpass anything else.

Source of grace: Only Jesus

“But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!”

Romans 5:15 NIV

“and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Romans 3:24 NIV

Mercy of God demonstrated. The guilty became not guilty.

Rich inheritance

1.       “so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:7 NIV

Heirs- God’s sons and daughters; inherit everything that God has; royal family. Give us identity when we have no identity-my inferiority. Give me a status when I had none. That’s why apostle Paul was so confident to say I am what I am….

2.        “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”

1 Corinthians 15:10 NIV

Empowering, persevere, patience-all the fruits of the Spirit at work. Because Jesus said when I go back to the Father, I will give you a helper, the Holy Spirit.

3.       “Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.” John 1:16 NIV

Unlimited resources and grace. Run the race God wants you to and the back up is unlimited.

I started with leading a cell group, then Asian ministry, then Chinese service. As you step up, another level of grace is available to you.

4.       “With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all” Acts 4:33

Supernatural operates through us.

5.        “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith;” Romans 12:6 NIV

You are gifted, don’t tell me you are not gifted. You may not have discovered it yet, but as you take the first step, God is right there to show you your gift. We are saved and called to serve. God does not call us to intellectual exercise over His Word, but to serve others with our gifts.

6.       “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,”2 Timothy 1:9

When we know we are so loved by God, we will naturally start to do things that please Him.

Holy life is not a perfect life, but a life lean on God, and a teachable heart.

7.       “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV

So often we think we are no good-this verse is for you so that no one can boast-His power will be outstanding in your weakness.

Who can receive this grace?

“Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.”

Romans 4:16 NIV

Our response to this grace

1.×

2.References for Ephesians 3:1

1.       Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, Ephesians 3:2 NIV

Administration for others

2.       “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.” Romans 6:14 NIV

The most powerful force is love. Because we love someone, we will do everything for the person. How much you do for a person depends on how much you love that person. The more I love Jesus, the less I will sin.

3.       “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:6 NIV

Out of the heart the mouth speaks. When I heart is melted by grace, our words will be full of grace-compassion, empathy; forgiveness; encouragement, trust; patience;

4.       “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 NIV

Pray big prayers.

5.       “From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.” Acts 14:26 NIV

Whatever we do, we committed our work to the grace of God.

6.       “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”1 Peter 4:10 NIV

Are you gifted? Use it for others.

You think you are not gifted? Still serve others, then your gift will surface.

7.       “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”2 Peter 3:18 NIV

Need to grow in grace, trust God for more and more things and expand your territory and influence.

3 Questions for discussion in cell group:

1.       Share 1 example of your experience of grace in your Christian walk.

2.       What is 1 thing you are planning to do that is out of your own depth?

3.       What is your practical response to the grace of God from this day onward?

From repentance to hope

(notes taken from Donald Capps’ two books: 1) Agents of Hope and 2) Pastoral Care: A thematic approach.)

There are three attitudes where, once internalised and well established, poses a powerful threat to the maintenance of a hopeful attitude toward life: despair, apathy and shame.[1]

Despair is the perception that what is wanted will not happen, the sense that what is realisable for others is not realisable for me, in spite of the fact that I very much desire it.[2] It essentially takes two forms: It may be projected outward in the form of disgust directed against other persons or institutions, or it may be deeply internalised in the form of depression. What makes it so difficult to combat is that it feeds on itself in a downward spiral of hopelessness. It involves the perception that the future, already narrowed, is foreshortened, either because it is too late to start over, or because the future is blocked.[3] In despair, we place a great deal of blame on ourselves for the failure of our hopes to materialise. It is our deficiency, the inadequacy of our own skills and abilities, which is primarily responsible for the frustration of our hopes.[4] It is only when one recognises the grace of God that our hopes are kept alive.[5]

Apathy is the state of desirelessness together with a strong element of “not caring” about what is happening around us, to us, or within us.[6] Humans are by nature desiring beings since we are always experiencing the presence of an absence. Apathy is a condition that is the very antithesis of human nature.[7] It sees no meaningful connection between short-term activities and long-term goals, eg. I will become my father’s successor as the CEO of the family business when he eventually retires.[8] The sociopathic personality is one who have no realisable hopes beyond the most immediate present. Even short-term desires are difficult to entertain because there are no long-term aspirations or desires to which these more immediate desires are related. The sociopath, beginning in childhood, has never had much hope for the long-term future and is therefore “geared primarily to getting immediate gratification in the present and near future.”[9] Boredom and indifference are characteristics of apathy, because they have ceased to love: no love for the other, no love for self, and no love for the world of nearly infinite possibility. Perhaps the only way for apathetic selves to find hope again is to rekindle the fires of love that have long since been extinguished, for love is the ultimate source of all desire.[10]

Shame is the painful realisation that events have in fact turned out very differently from what was hoped for and confidently expected. Another words, we have made a serious misprojection of ourselves.[11] In fact, the pain of realising that we have been wrong, stupid, or naïve, that we have assumed too much, is usually considered punishment enough. And we may have invested a lot in these hoped-for outcomes.[12]

In summary, the three major threats to the maintenance of a hopeful attitude in life. Despair occurs when we have reason to believe that what we desire so much to come about is not likely to occur after all. Apathy occurs when we no longer invest desire in anything that is happening to us, and it usually results from the fact that the future is already determined. Shame occurs when what we confidently expected to happen does not occur and we are faced with the painful realisation that we put our trust and confidence in a reality that was not there.[13] What is so devastating about these threats to hope is not only that it makes us more reluctant to entertain specific hopes, but that we allow them to affect our basic sense of who we are, our very selfhood. The capacity to hope is the core of human selfhood, and this is why despair, apathy, and shame are so destructive of the human self.[14]

Three attitudes that undergird hope are trust, patience, and modesty.

The general meaning of trust is a confident expectation, anticipation, or hope for the future. Another more specific meaning is a firm belief or confidence in the honest, integrity, relationship, or justice of another person or thing.[15] It is like the “general state of trust” found among infants where they have learned to rely on the sameness and continuity of the outer providers.[16] Another meaning of trust involves the act of entrusting something of value to us into the hand of another person or institution, eg. entrusting our children to the care of teachers and schools. We have relinquished control over the fate or future of what is of value to us by entrusting it to the care of the other. Entrusting is a voluntary act.[17] Fear is the experience that threatens our natural disposition to trust and our willingness to entrust ourselves and that is dear to us to another. The source of fear can be outside of us as the world is not a uniformly safe place to be. It may also be due to the fact that persons on whom we must rely are unreliable or even abusive.[18] In order to hope, we must have the experience of trust.[19]

Patience is concerned with keeping hopes alive. It is the will or ability to wait or endure without complaint; and it is steadiness, endurance, or perseverance in performing a task. One is to wait in an uncomplaining manner, accepting and serene. Patience is what we develop by engaging in difficult tasks without giving up: steadiness, endurance, perseverance.[20] Frustration is the experience that creates the need for patients. Basic to apathy is the experience of frustration and patience is the human capacity to enable us to endure it. Patience is the assurance that the hoped-for outcome is worth the frustration and therefore keeps us steadfast in our hope.[21] As patience develops into an enduring attitude, it, in turn, enables us to keep our sense of frustration at manageable levels so that we do not abandon our hopes.[22]

Modesty the avoidance of excesses or extremes, whereby we remain situated within the real world and do not try to distance ourselves from it. It is a self-referential statement about ourselves where in hoping, we try to avoid the self-deception that occurs when we take leave of the real world and enter a fantasy world.[23] It is an appropriate reaction to the failure of hope to materialise and a positive alternative to shame. By recognising our place in the world and accepting the fact that our hopes are vulnerable to events and circumstances beyond our power to control, an attitude of modesty regarding ourselves can emerge which fortifies us against shame. Our power to influence and control events is necessarily limited, as we are not omniscient beings who are able to anticipate everything that may or may not happen in the future, and we will continue to hope in spite of this knowledge.[24]

Because we trust, we are able to exercise greater patience. Because our attitude is one of modesty, we are conscious of the necessity of trust. These, then, are not discrete virtues, but a system of dispositions that support and enhance one another. Most importantly, the three of them together assume a life of their own and sustain the hopeful self even as specific hopes may go unrealised.[25]

The meaning any event has for us depends upon the frame in which we perceive it. When we change the frame, we change the meaning. Reframing is changing the frame in which a person perceives events in order to change the meaning. When the meaning changes, the person’s responses and behaviours also change. There are two reframing methods in which pastors may use to encourage hopefulness. One is the method of envisioning the future, the other is the method of revising the past. The first method encourages us to take a future persepective on the present. The second invites us to locate our past with a new frame, thereby revising the meaning it has held for us, and thus “changing” the past from a basis for hopelessness into a basis and resource for hopefulness.[26] Revisiting and rebiographing it is one way of reframing. One possible meaning of repentance is that one’s sinful past is blotted out, like an erased debt. Another is that one’s sinful past is rectified. The story of Joseph is a biblical example of rebiographing[27], whereby he turned his brothers’ act of betrayal into a “useful event for humanity”, a viable method of reframing because it is grounded in the boundless mercy of God, who is able to take sinful actions that we or others committed in the past and make them something better than we would ever have imagined. Therefore, rebiographing makes the past as open and possibility-filled as the future.[28]

Theological themes in pastoral counselling:

l   Providence: trust vs. mistrust. The theological theme focuses on the counselee’s sense that the world is under God’s guidance and therefore trustworthy. The psychosocial theme concerns the counselee’s sense of being able to rely on the sameness and continuity of other providers.

l   Grace or gratefulness: autonomy vs. shame and self-doubt. The theological theme recognises that the counselee often rejects the kindness and generosity of others[29] because he has an excessive sense of his own unworthiness. The psychological theme focuses on the counselee’s capacity to appropriate the goodwill of others when he is not overcome with feelings of shame and self-doubt.

l   Repentance: Initiative vs. guilt. The theological theme focuses on the counselee’s acceptance of an appropriate level of moral responsibility for his situation. The psychosocial theme focuses on the counselee’s capacity not to allow himself to become immobilised by guilt on the one hand or to display excessive self-righteousness on the other.

l   Vocation: industry vs. inferiority. The theological theme focuses on the counselee’s sense of purpose, dedication, personal competence and effectiveness.[30] The psychosocial theme centres on the counselee’s capacity to participate in a productive situation and bring it to completion.

l   Faith: identity vs identity diffusion. The theological theme focuses on the counselee’s affirmative attitude toward life; his religious proclivities as widening his scope of engagement. The psychosocial theme centres on the counselee’s desire to affirm and be affirmed by others; it manifests itself in a concern to integrate one’s experiences to date into a widening radius of psychosocial commitments and expressions of fidelity.

l   Communion: intimacy vs. isolation. The theological theme focuses on the counselee’s sense of being accepted into social groups that matter to him. The psychosocial theme focuses on the counselee’s capacity to commit himself to concrete affiliations, even though they may call for significant sacrifices and compromises.

l   Vocation: generativity vs. stagnation. The theological theme focuses on the counselee’s sense of purpose, dedication, personal competence, and effectiveness. The psychosocial theme centres on the counselee’s capacity to play a productive role on behalf of other people, especially the younger generation.

l   Awareness of the holy: integrity vs. despair. The theological theme focuses on the counselee’s relationship to powers or forces beyond himself. The psychosocial theme centres on his sense of comradeship with the cultural forces that have shaped his life.[31]

---

[1] Donald Capps, Agents of Hope: A pastoral psychology (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995), 98.

[2] Capps, Agents of Hope, 99.

[3] Capps, Agents of Hope, 105.

[4] Capps, Agents of Hope, 105.

[5] Capps, Agents of Hope, 107.

[6] Capps, Agents of Hope, 107.

[7] Capps, Agents of Hope, 108.

[8] Capps, Agents of Hope, 116.

[9] Frederick Townes Melges, Time and the Inner Future (New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1982), 187.

[10] Capps, Agents of Hope, 122.

[11] Capps, Agents of Hope, 123.

[12] Capps, Agents of Hope, 125.

[13] Capps, Agents of Hope, 135.

[14] Capps, Agents of Hope, 136.

[15] Capps, Agents of Hope, 138.

[16] Erik H. Erickson, Childhood and Society (New York: W. W. Norton, 1963), 248.

[17] Capps, Agents of Hope, 141.

[18] Capps, Agents of Hope, 144.

[19] Capps, Agents of Hope, 145.

[20] Capps, Agents of Hope, 148.

[21] Capps, Agents of Hope, 151.

[22] Capps, Agents of Hope, 152.

[23] Capps, Agents of Hope, 156.

[24] Capps, Agents of Hope, 157.

[25] Capps, Agents of Hope, 161.

[26] Capps, Agents of Hope, 165.

[27] Capps, Agents of Hope, 173.

[28] Capps, Agents of Hope, 175.

[29] Donald Capps, Pastoral Care: A Thematic Approach (Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2003), 113.

[30] Capps, Pastoral Care, 114.

[31] Capps, Pastoral Care, 115.