Some Aspects of Prayer within Chaplaincy

Rev Lindsay Johnstone, Chaplain, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney

Prayer is about seeking the in-breaking of eternity into the person and pilgrimage of the patient, and without placing limits on what God will do in response to faith.  As representatives of confederations of local churches, we are delegated to assist them with their fulfilment of the Great Commission in the process of making disciples, which includes both nurture and one-on-one sharing of the Gospel, whenever the patient accepts this from us. Wide experience shows that observance of hospital protocols does not, in actual practice, hinder opportunities for gospel opportunities. A patient said, “I’m glad you came. I want to get through the operation this afternoon and I want my sins forgiven”. Sadly, another patient responded to the offer of a gospel with, “Frankly, I would not be one bit interested.” The first responded fully to prayer with him. Prayer for the second patient was offered only privately and in another place later.

Prayer is obviously a major part of the armoury of a Christian chaplain (Ephesians 6: 18). A source of joy for chaplains is the frequency with which we minister openly and pray with a patient – whether a patient is coming to faith for the first time, or is being restored from a long spiritual wilderness, or wrestling with a major challenge.  When no such opening occurs, there are countless opportunities to go away and pray silently and alone about what a visit has shown of a patient’s situation. 

Although Biblical teaching on prayer has always had the same meaning since the documents were written, our understanding and application of this teaching can keep expanding as long as we are willing to keep growing. I want to emphasise a number of perspectives, bearing in mind that they are not new.

Prayer is bold and should not be timid. Hebrews 4: 14-16 and Romans 8: 14-38 encourage us to approach boldly. We are adopted “sons of God” and “joint heirs with Christ”. Although the Father is King of kings and Lord of lords, and although the majesty of his dignity and presence makes a Westminster Abbey coronation pale into insignificance by comparison, and although he is therefore profoundly worthy of our honour and obeisance (Hallowed be His Name); - yet are we encouraged boldly and intimately to come and address him as our loving Heavenly Father. There is no spiritual value in praying, “We just ask this” and “we just ask that”. You will search the prayers of the Bible and the prayers in a major liturgical resource The Book of Common Prayer and never find such a prayer. Only the child of an abusive parent would ever ask Dad or Mum, “I just ask, if it be your will, I just ask that we might just go fishing (etc)…!” So why pray to God that way? Whilst there are some instances in the New Testament where a prayer asks that something may happen, there is nothing wrong with sometimes asking that something will happen. If the prayer is believed to be based on a real Biblical statement, command or promise, then why not ask boldly? The Lord will not smite you!

Prayer is not a timid plea. It is a bold entry into the presence of the Father, enabled by the victory of the Son who now intercedes for us at the right hand of God. We can pray like Elijah (James 5: 17-18). If he can pray regarding the rain or about major obstacles in a patient’s life, so can we. (Elijah was not just a great prophet, but he was also an ordinary person like us!)

Audible prayer in the presence of a patient should be in accordance with the level of understanding that the patient is likely to own or to follow. It should certainly not be done in a way that overrides their will or fights their known belief. If a patient wishes to pray in a particular way that the patient may or may not be familiar with, it is appropriate (if the patient allows the opportunity) to suggest a way of praying, relate it to Scripture, and be guided by the response. Some patients have accepted the offer of anointing with oil on the basis of James 5, but one patient declined on the basis that “our church does not do that”!

Intercessory Prayer is a key aspect of Chaplaincy. What a chaplain hears while with a patient may affect how the chaplain will pray after leaving the presence of the patient.  Prayer calls forth the in-breakings of the powers of the age to come.  Away from the patient, or praying silently and inwardly, we can bind the disbelief and evil that has attacked the patient (Matthew 18: 18-20). See also James 4: 7 and 1 Peter 5:8-9. A chaplain may bind a spirit of unbelief that is hindering the patient from being willing to believe. The private intercessory ministry of the chaplain is a ministry of undermining the aspects of the world value system that would keep patients within the limits and even the tyranny of bondage to the five senses and the results of medical science alone. Where a patient has declined a visit or has expressed disbelief, one’s prayer can be for the Lord to speak to the patient’s heart and give that patient a revelation of the truth, a conviction of sin and also of the love of God – and hence an opportunity for the patient to respond (whether alone or not).

Prayer is not a religious band-aid. Prayer is not about putting a religious veneer or an imprimatur on the work of medical science, although we do pray for scientific advances, and for wisdom for medicos. Neither is prayer just about an emotional or spiritually aesthetic coating upon the experience of a patient, although we pray for physical, emotional and spiritual peace for patients; and also for healing.

 
Prayer is a dynamic expression of a supernatural faith response, done in the resurrection power of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1: 13-14, 19-20). May it increasingly be an habitual intimate practice of the presence of God as we move about from person to person in the exercise of the ministry – and before and after we have been with folk.  1 Thessalonians 5: 17 encourages us to “pray without ceasing”, which promotes a life-style of seeking to connect with the Lord in spirit and in mind wherever we are and in whatever we are doing.

My 1st 10 weeks as a Chaplain- What I Have Learnt

by Charlie Brammall

It seems to me that a Chaplain’s core business is:

·         to pray for patients’ healing- physical emotional and spiritual

·         develop real friendships with them, their families & staff, &

·         to be able to answer any questions they have about Jesus.

But it is also to try and make it easier for them to share her feelings. And if a patient initiates s a question about Jesus, that gives us “permission” to answer their it. And if I pray for that to happen, and God provides it, it’s a very exciting opportunity!

It seems to me that we don’t just care for people’s emotional & spiritual needs, but their intellectual & even physical needs (to an extent) as well. We listen to them actively & reflectively, empathise with them, and are interested in their feelings about everything they are going through- physically, emotionally, spiritually, medically, intellectually, occupationally & financially. But we don’t try to solve their problems practically like a social worker does. And we don’t bring our own agenda to the relationship, except to help them express their emotions. We are willing to stay with them as long as it is helpful for them, but we don’t try to “counsel” them, ie change their thoughts, beliefs or feelings. We aim to pray with them if it’s appropriate. And we never promise that we’ll visit again, but say we’ll “try to”. We are aware of the potential for power imbalance, as we look like hospital “officials” & can seem like we’re giving them no choice about seeing us or taking our advice.

Patients are affected by illness & pain, and this also affects our relationship with them. That is, we try & work with whatever material they give us, & match their level of emotion. So we often need to be quiet, subdued, slow & measured, in order to gently introduce them to the “Great Healer”. Sometimes their whole experience of life is related to their illness- they are confused, fearful, ignorant, anxious & worried; but sometimes, also interested in Jesus.

Our relationships with patients are often short term, as the average length of stay for someone in POW is 2.6 days. So God may be giving patients an opportunity they might never have again (with a Chaplain) to ask about Jesus. Sometimes they urgently want to talk about Jesus. So we try to do that lovingly, appropriately, unconditionally and naturally. If a patient has no interest in Jesus, we are still just as willing to chat to them unconditionally about what they do want to talk about. This leaves them with a great impression of a Christian.

We also aim to provide the 6 functions of pastoral care- healing, guidance, support, reconciliation, nurture, liberation, and empowerment. This is often by answering a patient’s questions about Jesus, and the spiritual blessings he has achieved in his death & resurrection. Answering people’s questions about Jesus can be the most loving way to care for them pastorally.

As we care for people, we try not to ask them questions to draw them out, as questions carry our agenda not theirs, & put them on the spot and pressure them- so it’s counter productive. So we try and use alternatives, like making observations about physical things, “seem to be” statements, “I” statements, “tell me about” statements, vocalized sounds, body language, “I imagine” statements, and general statements.

One of our roles is to answer people’s questions about Jesus as the ultimate solution to their emotional and spiritual pain, loss and anxiety… and as the ultimate source of their fulfilment, joy and meaning- especially spiritual. We also try to help them know love, both as something to be received and something to give, in order to relieve them of their sorrow & alienation from God, and present them perfect in Christ to God. We try, through words, actions and relationships, to introduce them to God and his love as deeply as possible in their lives. Chaplaincy is person-centred care that complements the other helping disciplines, while paying particular attention to spiritual & emotional care. It is caring for people in the power of Jesus’ death & resurrection, in whatever situation they find themselves, and "walking with them along their path".

Our role with other staff is to encourage & pray with the Christians, & model Christ-likeness, humility, gentleness & generosity for unbelievers. We pray for and with them, for their needs, and that they will have questions about Jesus. We complement their medical skills and training with our training in emotional and spiritual care. We are part of the care team with them, so patients receive the best possible chance of recovery. And we aim to develop real friendships with staff, so we can care for them, including spiritually. We try to leave them with a warm, positive, responsible & sensitive experience of a Christian, so they will associate Jesus with us, & hopefully have their boring, hypocritical, out of touch & judgemental stereotype of Christians defused. We do this by being relational, real & person-centred- not officious or critical.

So what has my journey been as a new Chaplain after 10 weeks? Well, the novelty of visiting people has begun to wear off, which is good, as it forces me to face up to the hard work of Chaplaincy. It has also given me a conviction that Chaplaincy is valuable & I need to commit to it long term, even when it’s no longer novel & exciting. Visiting has become harder as I’ve become more familiar with it, as I now know what to expect when visiting particular patients, including what I will find difficult, boring, confronting etc. So I’m becoming more realistic about it, which is good. I can understand the attraction for Chaplains to move away from visiting, into a variety of other related activities, like admin, training, etc. But I know I wouldn’t be good at those things, so I want to preserve the priority of visiting at all costs. I do love visiting, and I’m very grateful to God for giving me this job in which I can play to my strengths, and not do the sort of things I’m not strong at and find stressful. But if I need to keep putting my trust in God to strengthen me to pastor people, or the wheels will definitely fall off. So I want to pray more about my work, and more intelligently & faithfully. I sometimes find it confronting to visit patients with certain illnesses. But in God’s grace I recently visited someone with one of these illnesses, and for some reason He defused my fear of visiting those patients. God is indeed good.

What areas do I want to keep working on into the future? I want to learn how to put wise and helpful boundaries in place with patients. But also dismantle inappropriate boundaries like my reticence to visiting people with certain conditions. And I want to keep working on not asking questions, but practicing a variety of empathic reflections instead. I want to think about how I can develop & improve our weekly Chapel services for patients & staff, and think about starting a regular Chapel service in the Psych ward. I would like to be the Chaplaincy representative on the hospital Palliative Care Committee, and add a spiritual perspective to it. Chaplaincy is great! God is even better! I can’t wait for the next 10 weeks. And the next 10 years!

Chaplaincy: A Ministry of Waiting on Tables?

Kate Bradford

Chaplaincy, as a 21^st century ministry within public institutions is a modern phenomenon, however it’s not an entirely new thing. Chaplaincy shares continuity with a rich 2000 year old tradition of Christian ministry to the sick and infirm, poor and dispossessed. There is no exact counterpart in the 1^st century church, yet several portions of scripture describe scenarios and ministries providing insights and principles that help build up a theological framework around late-modern chaplaincy.   

One such passage is Acts 6 providing an account of a crisis within the Early Church. The church had grown rapidly and was facing problems of internal conflict when the Grecian Jewish members of the community complained that the Aramaic members of the community were overlooking the Grecian widows in the food distribution.

The twelve Apostles who had witnessed Jesus’ ministry, death and resurrection were concerned that  they were being torn between teaching the fledging church, prayer and food distribution, or as they say ‘waiting on tables’. There were two sorts of ministry on view: teaching and instructing the community and attending to more specific and individual needs. In order not to neglect either ministry the apostles appointed seven members who were known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom to attend to these individual needs within the community. The seven are Greek, the most notable being Stephen who is described as being full of faith and the Holy Spirit. The apostles set these people apart for this serving ministry and prayed for them.

The most notable difference between chaplaincy and this account is that the Greek widows were members of the Christian community and within the church. In contrast, chaplaincy in public institutions is to all people, yet there are principles and similarities that remain constant in both circumstances. The Grecian widows were a needy disenfranchised ethnic minority who had suffered from discrimination and multiple losses: spouse, independence, financial security, and ‘place’. The apostles saw the needs of these people and determined that special provisions needed to be made to care for this group. This ministry was separate from the teaching ministry, but not in place of teaching but alongside a teaching ministry. In other places a similar alongside ministry is described as hospitality – nonreciprocal love for the foreigner or stranger.

People within public institutions are very often similarly disenfranchised by illness, age, incarceration, displacement or deployment. The effect of this disenfranchisement requires a different type of care, more focused on individual situations. Chaplaincy is radical Christian hospitality that has much in common with the ministry of the seven set aside by the apostles in Acts.

·         Chaplaincy is a gospel ministry that is separate from and additional to teaching ministries

·         Chaplaincy is an outward focused ministry of a church community

·         Chaplains or those engaged in hospitality are Christian ministers on special assignments

·         Chaplaincy is a ministry undergirded by prayer

·         Chaplains must be able to handle the Word of God competently and appropriately in a ministry that is neither teaching nor preaching

·         Caring for people with particular needs is costly and time consuming

Chaplaincy is a ministry of the whole Christian community; chaplains are people of the word and prayer who are set aside in order to care for individuals who are suffering loss. Chaplains understand the subtle nuances of the shape of a distinctive Biblical ministry to vulnerable people in the public sphere in order to share hope with those suffering loss and disenfranchisement.

If the set-apart seven of Acts 6 were happy to be waiters-on-tables then we who come much later share a privilege to be invited to follow in their steps.

The Man of Sorrows Comforting in Disaster

Reflections at a hospital chapel on 15 November, 2013 in a Service of Prayer for the Philippines Following the Haiyan (Yolanda) Typhoon.

The Rev. Lindsay Johnstone, Chaplain of Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney.

 

Jesus wept.

Jesus wept when a friend died.

Jesus wept, though he had seemed to be preoccupied when he first heard of the illness of his friend.

Jesus wept when he had been known to be a miraculous healer, but had let his friend die.

Jesus wept outside the cave where his friend dead for four days was now buried.[i]

Jesus wept,  but Jesus was not powerless.

Jesus wept in the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before civil and religious abusers nailed him to the Cross where he cried out, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?"[ii]

Dear sisters and brothers, of ourselves alone, we do not know, we cannot tell why thousands died in an horrendous typhoon from which no one could run. We do not know why countless thousands more lost their partners, parents, children, grandchildren and friends. We cannot tell why they suddenly lost their homes and material possessions, their jobs, their roles in life, their dreams, their safety, their health or any certainty of medical help; or even any apparent reason to find any meaning in Christ and God the Father whom many of them worship and have worshipped for years.

We cannot, of ourselves, tell why it was they who suffered so horrendously, nor why it is not we instead. Why them and not us? Why anyone?

We can say only what Almighty God has said. And we can say with any objective confidence of truth only what is in the Scriptures or reflects the Bible's revelation.

We sang that though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for the Good Shepherd is leading me to his eternal banquet.

Jesus wept.

God did not push anyone into the valley of death. It happened partly because we live in an incredibly unfair and dangerous world, which increasingly shows the decay fostered by the universal stain of human sin. It happened partly also because Satan and his demonic forces still roam around the world seeking someone to devour.

It is unfair and inexplicable to the five senses alone-like the flames of a bushfire that takes two houses and mysteriously misses the house between them.

Yet the evil of this present world did not miss out on violating and taking the life of the very and eternal Son of God, the Man Jesus whose human birth we celebrate at Christmas- and whose mangled, bleeding and abused body dangled for three hours on a cross at Calvary.

Brothers and sisters, he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, one from whom men and women hide their faces. But in the plan of God he was not powerless to establish a coming new order- even at the point of his deepest rejection. "Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. He was bruised for our sins, and by his stripes we were healed", as the Prophet Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 53.[iii]

Because as our substitute he carried our sins and illnesses, all our losses and our tragedies, he will within the new order where eternity defies and heals the ravages of time - he will eternally wipe away all tears from our eyes - where there is no more sickness, sorrow, death or tragedy.

In the meantime, in the present, because he was resurrected from the dead he is the Good Shepherd, and he is leading us through the valley of the shadow of death. Without any naive or callous understatement or undervaluing the plight of precious suffering folk- many of whom are your own - we may within heart-tearing pain, numbness, anger and confusion call upon Christ to heal, restore and rebuild.

The ability to trust him, the faith to believe is a supernatural gift from God that defies all the senses. Because the Holy Spirit is the Comforter, he is speaking to your heart and will. Let him in. Let him pour into your heart the empowering love of God and impart within you and all of us a new hope and the rekindling energy that this will bring.

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[i] John 11:1-44

[ii] Mark 14: 33;15:34

[iii] Isaiah 53: 3-5