Missiology: Christ Shaped Mission (Gordon Cotterill)
Discussion Point#2
Ann Morisy makes the point that -
"We have been slow to recognize that when people, motivated by venturesome love, embrace a struggle for the well-being of others, it can prompt a very graceful, and often unanticipated dynamic, a cascade of grace, and this dynamic should be the very thing that churches are seeking to generate." (Morisy)In what ways have you seen these 'Cascades of Grace' in your appointment? What opportunities exist within your appointment to generate this dynamic?
posted by ETLnetwork at 3:09 AM
12 Comments:
I recently spent time with a volunteer’s friend and family during crisis and bereavement and just showed His Grace. It was a real privilege to conduct the 2 funerals and be part of their bereavement and share friendship – I found it very humbling.
Penny PT
ggrzfwiJust last month as I sat in a hospital room with a 'soldier' who had unexpectedly only a few hours to live. Holding her hand and wiping her mouth was to make an impact on this lady's friend who was in shock and nervous as time drew to an end. I had not previously met Gwen but have since met with her for a coffee and chat . . . we cannot underestimate how God works. To quote Gwen, "this was real Christianity".
I think God puts many opportunities our way in which to demonstrate cascades of grace.
and it’s all about being open to and acting on them.
Two recent examples I can think of involve my corps officer.
A phone call came through one night from a young woman who was distraught, and in mental torment. She was a sincere Christian who was facing a very difficult issue in her life. The issue was of a personal nature and she felt unable to talk to her family or minister and had looked up TSA in the phone book. In this situation the officer was able to minister to her by listening, being non-judgmental and giving her the space to talk through her situation. This enabled her to come to a decision about how she might resolve the issue in a way that was biblical and honoured God. She recontacted the officer a week later about the outcome and to say that she now had peace of mind.
A Home League member’s daughter asked her to ask the corps officer to contact her friend’s daughter because she was struggling following her father’ death, she had been very close to him. She had become introverted and was unable to talk to anyone, nor did she wish to speak to her priest. She wanted to speak to the officer, who subsequently visited the family home, and during their conversation she was able to ask many questions about life, death, faith, and the future etc.
In both instances I believe God put these hurting, needy people in the officer’s path, for a brief time, to minister His grace to them. yvonne
Did anyone see the movie Pay it Forward? You wonder how the impact of grace has further on from those that receive or even see grace in action.
Discussion 2 Christ Shaped Mission
I have seen some wonderful examples of Gods Grace in my appointment . The lady who was angry with the SA because of her relationship with her Father-in -law who was a Salvationist and she felt always treated her as not good enough for his son as she was not a member of SA . This anger lasted for 50 yrs . Since a serious illness this lady has come to know the grace of God through answered prayer and love shown to her by the Church . This lady has still away to go in her personal walk as we all do , however, she experienced Grace face to face and that love has changed her. On 2 occasions over the last 2 months I have seen sermons of mine used in a powerful way in peoples lives. These sermons were I thought not my best and were written at the end of a week when I felt exhausted and I was unhappy with the content of them . I realise that Grace is not what I write or say or do it is what God allows me to do and how He uses me. I believe it is by Grace we can reach a nation, it is what makes Christians different . We need to learn this as a church if we are ready and able to show Grace to others. Recently, I sat in my office and spoke to an elderly man who had just lost his wife . I had intended to minister to him. However, as I listened this man ministered Grace to me as he spoke about the presence of God in his life as his wife lay in the Chapel of rest . Grace can take us unawares but it never leaves us the same.
Chris Hall
The whole impact of grace ripples out - so who knows where those ripples will finish?
I never cease to be amazed at the oppertunities that God presents us with. Week by week, there are openings, that linked with discernment can be beautiful glimpses of the Kingdom.
Yesterday I was at a 'light up a life' service run by the local hospice. I was there to take part in the service, but more importantly, as I discovered at the time, I was able to offer pastoral support to people who saw The SA uniform, and knew that they could approach me. I was able to rub shoulders with some very raw people still smarting from the death of a loved one.
I have been visiting a lady over the past few weeks who has lost touch with her adult daughter - this lady nade direct contact with me, over some other matter, but it soon came to light what the real need there was.
Whilst shopping in our local sainsburys the other day - I was approached by one of the staff who was wanting to trace her father and she had heard that this was something that the SA did. I was able to advise her on the Family Tracing Service, but also spend time listening to her story. This relationship continues to develop.
As other posters have said, in so many of these situations we are not only bearers of grace, but recipients of blessing.
Reflecting upon all this has reinforced the importance of not being blinkered in our vision, but have our eyes wide open to where God is already lapping at the shores of peoples lives - often outside of the 4 walls of church.
When I go visiting corps folk, it is my intention to minister to them, but so often I leave the house having being ministered to and it is often on such visits that I see grace from others. I particularly think of two retired officers in our corps who are so gracious and lovely in every single way. They are so encouraging to Chris and myself and I leave wondering if we have actually ministered to them - I do think and certainly hope that this is the case.
There are so many opportunities that God gives us to show His love and grace. One particular incident I think of is that when we first arrived at one of our corp appointments there was a lady who was a soldier on the roll. She had undergone gender reassignment surgery several years before. For many years she had not attended the corps very much at all as she felt Church folk and previous officers were judgemental about her situation. Chris and I managed to build up a rapport with her and by trying to show God's grace she eventually started returning to church before her death.
I saw many ways in my appointment. I see a partly deaf man, teaching Dutch to asylum seekers. All of them finding strength in this way to live their lifes. I see the woman who invites her docter and therapist at home, when they need someone who listens to them. I see the blind soldier who fully committed sells the War Cry and therefore gets contact with so many people. Those people are precious to her; she calls them, she prays for them. It is amazing. I see a woman, very hurt in her life, but discovered that this hurting enables her to understand people and now wants to commit herself to visit other people who are hurted and alone.
The opportunities that exist are within the people and the connections we can make between them and other people. Or connecting them to the right 'job' to do. In both ways the result will be a growth of grace and entering the dynamic. Anyway: it is always about people.
That's the problem with someone working in the same appointment. She takes away all the good examples! I have to say that it is a blessing for me to read all the examples.
I would like to add one other example:
The blind Salvationist Mariska refers to has a fantastic relationship with her neighbours. They help her with all kind of things, including the children's club she runs for the Army. Unfortunately they had to move to another house, but they kept on helping her out.
Last christmas they became more involved with the church and they started to meet the other people.
They are now the 'caretakers' of the hall and help out with everything. They bring their daughter and granddaughter to the community gospelchoir and they are turning their lives and the lives of others around, although they have no grasp of any theological idea. They just like us and figure that God cannot be all that bad either.
And I can see in their lives that God is taking it from here. Their friends will see their changed lives and are touched by this cascade as well!
I agree with Sandra it is often when going to visit corps to minister them I also come away having been ministered to, I think especially of one of the retired officers we have in the corps who has cancer and is nearing the end of her life. How when she was able to attend the corps would be so concerned for everyone this lady showed such grace, and now when I visit her at home as ill as she is, the conversation is never about her it is always about the corps how are people, how am I doing. This lady for me shows such cascades of grace in her life that when I leave her to go home I always feel that it is her who has ministered to me far more than I have to her.
Grace is certainly a highly attractive attribute of God that impacts us through others. The impact of the retired officer clearly impacted you inwardly through the body of Christ. I wonder what the outward impact of a grace 'full' church could have on its community?
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