Readings
for Easter 4B:
Acts 4:32-37; Psalm 23; 1 John 3:1-8; John 10:11-16
May 7, 2006
The Rev. Mary B. Blessing
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
Well, this weekend was a time of celebration: “Cinco de Mayo” Friday, the Diocese of California electing a new Bishop Saturday! But how many of you knew that Saturday, May 6, was the 150th anniversary of the birth of famous psycho-analyst, Sigmund Freud? In San Francisco the Jewish Community Center celebrated FREUD FEST. It’s still going on until May 21, if anyone wants to catch a lecture, film, jazz, fellowship, a feast, or ritual or whatever.
Many westerners think of Freud as the “greatest thinker of the 20th C.” Others believe his theories were destructive, and demeaning, especially to women and children. Still others think his methods were “superficial.” (Haugk, p. 45) Whatever you may think of Freudian psychology, I believe he did revolutionize Western thinking and practice regarding how to heal the mind. Thanks to Freud, the western world opened up to the idea that the human mind is linked to a deeper reality than is externally observable—another level of consciousness beyond the obvious.
Did you know that Freud sort of “stumbled” upon the process we now think of as “psycho-analysis”? that process of a patient lying on a couch, talking about what is going on inside their head, while the analyst listens attentively, taking notes and making comments? In Freud’s day counselors used hypnosis to try to calm the minds of patients, to get people into a state of peace, then offered suggestions for new behaviors. Maybe it is “urban legend”, but I heard a historian say Freud was not a very good hypnotist. (KQED radio) One day a patient said, “You know, doctor, you could just stop swinging that watch and I could tell you what I’m thinking”. Freud did just that. He put down his watch, took out a pad of paper, and just listened to what the patient had to say. Freud gave this patient full attention to simply talk; to share inner burdens. Freud discovered this patient unloaded layer after layer of personal history, freeing the mind to open up what Freud began to recognize as new levels of consciousness. Freud’s work revolutionized our understanding of the human need to share in a safe and liberating way, hopefully with someone trained to guide us into deeper self-awareness.
Now, I am not a psychotherapeutic professional. I will say I have benefited tremendously using psychotherapy in my own personal development and the healing of my family. I have seen the benefit of psychotherapeutic work in the lives of countless other people. I do not want to dismiss the importance of psychotherapy. But, I have also seen limitations to psychotherapy, especially when it does not address spiritual needs.
Today I want to share a different kind of “listening”—different from Freud’s therapeutic model. This is a distinctively Christian way of listening, that helps us discern the real need of a person’s soul. Pastor Kenneth Haugk, who is also a clinical psychologist, is the founder of Stephen Ministry. He wrote a simple, but profoundly helpful book: Christian Caregiving: A Way of Life. In it he says, “A Christian caring relationship meets people at the point of their unique needs, just as Christ did.” (p.68) Christian care-giving is based in the belief that when we share our story in the context of prayer, centering ourselves in Christ, we can “hear” the voice of the “Good Shepherd” who is our guide, our compassionate friend, our hope.
Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd…I know my own and my own know me…they will listen to my voice.” (John 10) But, how DO we know the voice of Jesus? To a 1st C. audience, the language of “good shepherd” was not just a poetic metaphor as we imagine in the 23rd Psalm. “The Lord is my shepherd…he makes me lie down in green pastures.. and leads me beside still waters.” Jesus is not just a compassionate protector—in 1st C. Palestine, “shepherd” was a metaphor for royal authority--a synonym for “ruler”, one who took command. (Countryman, p. 71) To follow such a ruler was to place oneself under the direction of a trusted guide.
Can we do this today? Can we place ourselves under the direction of a trusted guide, who will lead us “beside still waters”, and “guide us along right pathways”? Are we willing to trust the voice of Jesus as our Shepherd, our Guide-- not to fear evil, even though we “walk through the valley of the shadow of death”? And when life truly places burdens upon our souls that are heavy, sometimes seemingly impossible, how can we find the voice of Jesus to guide us into spiritual wholeness?
Of course, one piece of unburdening our troubles may be in terms of utilizing modern day psychological analysis, to sort through emotional and mental stress, to heal our minds and free our souls. But, for many, “life changes” such as moving our home, watching our child grow up and leave the nest, the death of a loved one, a separation in a relationship, job loss, life changing illness, and so forth, can be a time when we do not have deep “mental” or “emotional” distress—yet we still need a shepherd to guide us through transition. Stephen Ministers are trained to be excellent listeners, who listen to the concerns of our soul, in a distinctively Christian way, to help us hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, Jesus, our Lord.
To understand how this works, I have permission to tell you a story of spiritual healing through the use of Stephen Ministry. This was a relatively young widow, grieving the loss of a long, loving relationship with her husband. After the initial crisis following his death, the care of clergy and friends subsided. She sought grief counseling through professional support groups—these are very helpful for many people, but she tried 2 different groups and they just didn’t work. One counselor talked all the time; in the other she just couldn’t relate to the people. Then she tried 2 therapists, but they seemed to overanalyze or offer platitudes—she felt like they never really listened to what SHE was saying, encouraging her to just “get over it.”
Finally, she met a new priest, and for the first time, someone REALLY listened. Finally, here was someone who was truly Christ-centered, who didn’t offer cliché’s like “All you need is faith,” or “time heals all wounds”; and didn’t get into theology or “God-talk”, but who LISTENED with a caring heart. For the first time she felt as if her real pain was something to be ACCEPTED. Then, another priest suggested that maybe having an opportunity to meet regularly to simply TALK and have someone LISTEN with a caring heart would move her forward—the priest suggested STEPHEN MINISTRY. Within a day or two she was scheduled to meet her STEPHEN MINISTER who made a commitment to meet an hour each week, to simply LISTEN. They met in a park, a mutually refreshing environment for talking and listening with no other agenda. At the end of each session, the Stephen Minister asked if they could pray together. The prayers were genuine offerings, affirming feelings shared that day, ending with a simple prayer asking for strength and courage. She just needed this opportunity to share deeply and completely for a relatively short period—just a matter of weeks. Her heart began to heal and she was ready to move forward with life, joyous and confident in God.
Stephen Ministry is one-to-one lay-pastoral care, confidential, and spiritually supportive. It is different from psychotherapy. It is different from the intervention of an ordained person at a time of spiritual crisis. It is an opportunity to invite a trained, supervised, lay person to be your guide, to LISTEN to your heart, to let you tell your story, and help you experience God’s presence in prayer. It does not replace psychotherapy, but fills a different, spiritual need within the human soul.
Today we will be commissioning 3 new Stephen Ministers at St. Jude’s. They have fulfilled the training of over 50 hours of hands-on, weekly sessions. They have promised to commit to serve as Stephen Ministers for at least 2 years, where they will be engaged in regular supervision, to learn and grow as they serve as lay pastoral care-givers in our community. They have heard the voice of the Good Shepherd who has encouraged them to offer their gifts of care-giving in a new, spiritually focused way, so that our flock may receive the clear voice of Christ, “and dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” AMEN
| Updated 5/20/06 |
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