By Nick Raven, British intern from the newly formed AMiE (Anglican Mission in England).
‘…the Lord has sent me to bring good news to the poor, he has sent me
to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and
the opening of the prison to those who are bound…’
-Isaiah 61:1
I have recently been reading ‘Celebration of Discipline’ by Richard
J. Foster. In the book Foster talks extensively about submission. He
asserts that true submission is liberating and gives us the freedom to
serve, value and take greater interest in other people. It allows us to
love unconditionally, not relying on receiving anything in return to
make ourselves feel worthy. It is obedience to Christ then, that sets us
free. It is a wholehearted submission to his call of discipleship that
opens the prison to those who are bound.
In the lead up to our first bible study at Briar Street I was
somewhat nervous about what would happen. Not only was it to be our
first explicitly Christian meeting, but ours was also a very unlikely
group of people who would not be expected to ‘gel’ in any normal
setting. The demographic goes a little like this: A middle aged Puerto
Rican woman and her teenage Puerto Rican-Mexican niece and nephew, a
middle-aged African American pentecostal woman, a single Mexican man who
speaks no English, four white Americans and a token Brit. What striking
diversity! Within the group there is also a wide range of brokeness,
some of which is very painful and deep-rooted.
So it was in submission to Christ, not through much confidence in our
ability to bring these people together, that I approached the evening.
How freeing to be able to commit the bible study into God’s hands and
not feel the pressure of having to live up to any level of expectation.
We started with a meal, which is our normal Sunday night community
activity, then moved on to some singing. I have never experienced
anything quite like the worship on Sunday night. It was brought to life
so brilliantly through the vibrance and energy of the participants that
it was hard not to feel that God was present, evident in our joy. Songs
finished with shouts of ‘Amen!’ and “Now that’s what I call praise and
worship!’, a reaction that I have sadly never been exposed to in a
‘conventional’ church setting. For the study Jonathan simply took us
through the first chapter of Mark, posing the two great questions of the
book, ‘Who is Jesus?’ and ‘What does it mean to be a disciple?’. Input
was high, and genuine, searching questions were asked about the passage
that propelled us into useful and profound conversation about Jesus.
This was followed by a period spent in small groups praying, a time that
was filled with heartlfelt sharing of some serious issues. It was truly
amazing to be able to pray for the healing power of Jesus in the lives
of these people and trust that he is in the process of changing them.
As in Isaiah 61, Jesus is the one who proclaims ‘liberty to the
captives’ and brings ‘good news to the poor’. Many of our friends at
Briar Street are captives, and many of them are poor both spiritually
and materially. However when we are able to submit to Jesus in the way
that Foster talks about, knowing that through this we are best able to
serve him, there is a release from from any spiritual shacklement that
remains within us and a greater ability to partake in God’s saving work.
Let us hope and pray that our friends will come to know the joy that is
found in serving God through submission to him and his will, and the
freedom that gives us to live and work to his praise and glory!
