Wednesday 11 October 2023

Background

Where does hope come from? The answer to this question may come easily – hope comes from knowing that Jesus Christ lived and died and rose again so that humans can be in a right relationship with God. At the same time, I recognise that there is more to it than that. Who first taught me about Jesus? It was my parents. I am privileged to come from a Christian family who brought me up within a loving church community. The writer of Hebrews refers to his readers as brothers and sisters – as family. He distinguishes between Moses as a servant and Jesus as a son. He also develops the idea of ‘God’s house’ which first-century Jews would have been seen as the Temple in Jerusalem, and a new understanding that the community of those who believe in Jesus as their Lord are 'God's house' and would later become the Church.

Many of the men I meet in prison are low on confidence and pride. They are ashamed of what they have done and feel hopeless. They have not had the privilege of belonging to a human family that taught them about Jesus and gave them a sense of belonging to the ‘house’, the Church, a community of people who recognise Jesus as God’s son.

Looking back at the Methodist Church’s history, John and Charles Wesley’s mother Susanna strongly believed in the importance of education, particularly for girls. She said "…for the putting children to learn sewing before they can read perfectly is the very reason why so few women can read fit to be heard, and never to be well understood." She was also instrumental in encouraging non-ordained, local preachers. Her views were not always popular, but her influence on John and Charles was clear: during their time at Oxford they taught children who would not otherwise have got an education.

One of my favourite jobs as a prison chaplain is giving out the certificates of completion to men who have completed the charity Prison Fellowship’s Sycamore Tree victim awareness course. I see the men’s faces break into smiles and light comes into their eyes and faces as we shake hands or bump fists in celebration of their achievement.

The Sycamore Tree course is based on Jesus’ meeting with the chief tax collector Zacchaeus. Through that encounter, Jesus restores Zacchaeus to his community. The course focuses on the principles of restorative justice which asks participants:

• What happened?
• Who has been harmed and affected?
• How can the harm be repaired?
• Who is responsible for repairing the harm?

To Ponder:

• How well does our society restore those who have committed crimes?
• What role can Methodist churches play today in helping educate women and men who find themselves in prison, giving them the confidence and pride which belong to hope?

Prayer

Loving God, help your Church to join in with your restoring and reconciling work. Help us never to lose hope and to hold firm to all you have taught us. Amen.

Prisons Week

8-14 October 2023 is Prisons Week, which the Methodist Church sponsors. All of this week’s contributions are written by Methodist prison chaplains.