I don’t know if you have heard the term ‘The Ministry of Presence’ before, but I remember hearing for the first time and thinking it didn’t make much sense. We are so trained to do things that the idea of just being with someone doesn’t strike as super special. 

It took me a while to fully appreciate that, and quite frankly I’m still growing into practicing it.  This past weekend, I had the opportunity to visit my parents and celebrate my dad’s 80th birthday. Back in the day, in my earlier years of ministry, if his birthday had fallen on a Sunday like it did, I’d have expected him to understand why I couldn’t be there.  I had too much to DO on Sundays. Now, I’m glad and grateful I had the opportunity to spend time with them. 

The older I get the more I appreciate the beauty of presence. Christiane and I feel the weight of that every time we meet with people. It’s wonderful, but it’s not always easy. Sometimes it requires sharing in someone’s burden. Whether it is a joyous or sad moment, it’s always a privilege to be present with someone. 

All of our lives have become very full. It seems like we are constantly being pulled in all different directions. If we are not doing something, then we are usually being told we need to be entertained. Social media, podcasts, music, tv,… You name it. Our culture is not big on being quiet. In some ways, we have been trained in the opposite direction.

The option of shutting off our phones, or other demands, and just sitting in silence with sometimes seems like torture to some people. Whether or not sitting with someone comes naturally to you, I think it takes intentionality from all of us.

Jesus has always been One with the Father. Yet, we can find numerous occasions where he would retreat away from the crowd, and sometimes even with the disciples, just to sit in His presence. I do believe Jesus was teaching us a practice we need as humans. 

The grace and love of God surpasses our understanding, so it’s no surprise that some of us have lived long enough without this practice, thinking we’re just fine. Again, by the grace and love of God, you may be fine, but that does not change the fact that abundance of life is found in Him – in His presence. So, I want to encourage you to “be still, and know that I am (He is) God” (Psalm 46:10). The more you sit quietly before God, the better you get at hearing His voice.  

It is out of His abundance that He fills us with compassion and love for one another. Have you ever felt safe and loved by God in such a way that freed you to love others? There’s something really powerful about being filled with God’s love for someone else. When we come to God with a desire to know what He wants to reveal to us, that’s when we create space for the move of the Holy Spirit in us and through us.  

That’s when we best practice the ‘ministry of presence’. When we learn to sit still with God, we become better listeners. The focus shifts away from us, onto the other. Of course, there are boundaries, but I want you to understand the importance of being with God and with others, of loving God and others. 

This Sunday we will be starting a class at the 10am hour on The Incarnation: God in flesh.  Jesus is the ultimate example of the Ministry of Presence.  

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  (Phil 2: 5-8)

I hope you can join us and Rev. Lewis, as we teach on this foundational theological truth of the Incarnation during the months of October and November. 

Blessings and peace,

Rev. Todd and Dr. Christiane