As we come to the final module in this introduction to the wonderful calling of being a chaplain/chatplain, I invite you to do a little theological reflection on what it means to be a chaplain. How  do we put some of what we have been learning into practice? Where do you feel God drawing you into this ministry which is such a blessing to those who are hurting in our world? God is looking and calling for those who will work in the harvest. As Jesus put it, "The fields are ripe unto harvest; pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth reapers into the harvest.”  

The articles that comprise the content of this module will give you a great deal of material to contemplate and to digest as you consider what God would have you do in this ministry. The first is an article that is excerpted from a scholarly journal where Neil Holm  examines the whole concept of presence.  Your task is to read these excerpts and ask yourself, "What does Dr. Holm say that will shape what I might do as a chaplain?” I left out a few sections which take us on some side-tracks, but if you would like to read the entire article, please look it up at https://www.academia.edu/1256854/Toward_a_Theology_of_the_Ministry_of_Presence_in_Chaplaincy

Then we move on to two articles which examine the message of the Book of Job for our times. These articles also will give you an opportunity to reflect on the role of the use of Scripture in our chaplaincy/chatplaincy ministries. Job is a book which is often appealed to by those who are hurting. These articles are helpful to us as we ask what the message of the Book of Job is. Do we understand it properly when we casually latch onto the story and flippantly quote a few verses without digging deep enough to hear what God is saying. These two articles will give you some good insights to ponder in your time of study for your ministry.

   Immanuel, God with us, has been the focus of our journey in this course. It is the awesome message of the church that God has, in truth!!, come to be with us in our broken world. Now we are the body of Christ Himself as we come alongside others who are broken struggle with the effects of sin and death in their own lives.  May your hearts be filled with the Holy Spirit's presence, as you bring this ministry into the lives of people made in God's image.

  As the good folks at Prison Fellowship remind us, no one is beyond the love of God and his healing. We are given the privilege of helping those who struggle, praying with and for those who are afraid, touching those who are all alone in their pain, and listening carefully and patiently to those who are trying to find the words to express their deep disappointment with their life and with God. May our presence, whether in person or digitally,  be a sign and a seal to others of the presence of Almighty God, the Savior, the Redeemer, the Caregiver of the world he created.

  God bless you!!

Last modified: Tuesday, February 20, 2024, 12:51 PM