Ministry of Availability

This past week I was at the Love Rural Conference. The lead team was comprised of representatives from many denominations and rural charities/agencies, all of whom played their part in curating and hosting a wonderful ecumenical space for the attendees.

My role for the two days was to organise and host a designated prayer room. Prayer spaces are intended to be a quiet space, to get away for a short while from the frenetic activity of the conference to be still with God, to listen, to process, to create…. or to simply be. The room consisted of a series of prayer stations to help those who visited the space to be drawn into the heart of God, to reflect and consider, to delve into poetry, to pray for others in rural communities around the UK. And, as is considered mandatory in prayer rooms across the world, there were fairy lights and sticky note activities!!

One thing occurred to me during my time there: what a joy, honour, and privilege it is to simply be available, to be there for others if needed; to host a space of reflection, prayer, and encounter; to listen to others; to be present. I was able to do this over the two days of the conference, to host the space, pray for people and for a few individuals, sit, listen, and just be available.

In our work and calling to live and minister in rural places, in churches and communities, in our mission, we are constantly feeling the pressure to try new things, to discover effective ways to minister and evangelise, to wrestle with concepts and ideas, discern the signs of the times, introduce more training, more content, more clever new approaches to saving our beloved systems and structures and reviving out parishes. But what might happen if we were simply to avail ourselves to the community? I suppose this might be the heart of chaplaincy and why it is a crucial part of our community. When I listened to stories and people’s issues at Love Rural and indeed on my travels for RM, I rarely see people with the capacity and space to simply be present, with time to listen, time to ponder with people. We are just too busy!

What if, instead of coming up with another programme, another group, another thing to manage with already burned-out volunteers, we simply return to what it means to be human, and to be neighbourly?

My family are blessed to live in a street where we talk with our neighbours. We have time to speak with each other, we help each other with jobs, give each other food we won’t get round to eating or share out left over birthday cake (this happened last week!!! Who has left over birthday cake anyway!!). It’s simple and its lovely and it’s refreshingly human.

Jesus, of course, was the master at this ‘ministry of availability’. He knew the human condition, the need for connection, love, kindness and genuine acceptance in community. He also knew the soul’s deep hunger for God, for union with God. And he made himself available to all who moved towards that reality. Of course, some he watched walk away, some he challenged, but for the wounded, the hurting, the broken, and the genuinely hungry, he made himself endlessly available. The woman at the well interrupted his (pretty loose) schedule, and they ended up staying for a few days, to be available to them; for the disciples, who were constantly needing everything explained to them, he was available; for his friends, he was of course available.

What might it look like for you, in the context of your own life, to have availability as a posture, or at least a practice?

Well, it would need to begin with being available to God, available to Jesus. This is not always as easy as it seems. We can over-commit to tasks, to getting things done, to the pressure of ministry. Jesus modelled a life well-lived, and it included spending considerable amount of time with God, away on his own, without distraction and without others. The thing about the Mary and Martha story is that we often put ourselves into one camp or the other, when the truth is, we’re called to be a bit of both, to find the ebb and flow between service and resting in/with Jesus.

I think that to make ourselves available to Jesus means we sit with him as Mary did, spend time with him, find joy with him, no agenda, perhaps dare I say, not even a bible study. When was the last time you could simply be with Jesus?

Then from this place, Jesus calls us to walk his way, and that includes being available to others. He doesn’t always give specifics in scripture, hopefully spending time with Jesus and with community will reveal that to you. What he did show us, through the incarnation, was a selfless, sacrificial love for all people. In John 13, Jesus gives a new commandment. It is to love each other in the way that he has loved us. Then our love for others will prove that we are the disciples of Jesus.

Love is the language of a ministry of availability. It is born in love, and it’s outworked from a heart filled with love, love for Jesus and love for the people of the world. God sent Jesus because He loves the world (John 3), Jesus sent the Spirit because he loves us and to empower us and make home in us, and Jesus sends us in that same power, to love and encourage, to heal and bring hope, to listen and to dwell, and to be available to a hurting world.

Grace and peace,

Jon

Jon Timms

Joint CEO, Rural Ministries