It is wonderful when we can prove our critics wrong and this for many is the reality of chaplaincy. There are so many stories of broken men and women finding a sense of self-worth through chaplaincy. I want to commend the chaplains and the charities that send in volunteers and provide courses. Do be assured that your labour is not in vain.
Speaking of burnt bricks rescued from rubble can sound rather patronising and poetic. And I hate anything that is sentimental or patronising but burnt bricks really can make strong walls. Realising this can be transformative, and some of us have not had to go to prison to discover that we too are burnt bricks. To return to the Bible verse for this year’s Prisons Week asa way of summing up confidence, those who go boldly to the throne of grace do find grace to help in time of need.
Now we all know that the time of need is not just limited to the duration of the sentence, although the sentence is a time of need not only for those sentenced but for the families that get sentenced alongside. We need to remember the pressure on families: managing as a depleted team, waiting for visitors’ passes and often facing long journeys as sentences are frequently served in areas away from home. I have had plenty of experience in the past of family visits and they are not easy.
But returning to the thought that the time of need is not limited to the sentence brings me to some encouragement that Nehemiah the wall builder received as he persevered. He was told prophetically that he, as the foundation layer, would also be responsible for putting in place the capstone. And this brings me to the theme of completion.
It is possible to start well but to not survive the course. People can lay a good foundation for their lives while in prison but quickly discover that life’s ‘times of need’ extend beyond the prison walls. Support through transition is essential and some of the charities we focus on throughout Prisons Week do just that. We still have the probation service, despite the cuts, and there are some great charities that work on creating places of safety and encouragement. I want to commend them all.
The journey from inside to outside is enormous for anyone, but particularly for those who have been held as prisoners abroad and Prisoners Abroad is certainly another charity whose work I would wish to commend,
All who lay a good foundation in their lives also want to put the capstone in place and to have the joy of seeing their task fully and finally done. They need help through the tough times if their work of rebuilding is going to reach completion. And that brings me to my third word, competence, which highlights the standard of the help required to see them through.
Some of us do not only have responsibility for building lives, whether our own or others, but for building lives together into communities. I have used a biblical illustration for confidence and completion so I will be consistent and offer one for competence. The Apostle Paul was not exaggerating when he described himself as a wise master builder. He had a great record as a foundation layer with many a New Testament community grateful for his groundbreaking endeavours and foundational teaching. Competent foundation-layers are invaluable but so are those who ensure the building continues to rise course upon course.
Those who raise the walls have to be wise master builders too, possessing a skill that those building physical walls do not require. A physical brick is a brick. It is what it is and what it is is what it stays. The human building blocks that make up society are not so limited. They have development potential and that has to be taken into account in positioning them. It is a case of building with living, constantly- enlarging stones, with no two living stones growing at the same rate or reaching the same point of expansion. Sadly we do not have enough wise master builders competent for the task. We urgently need more.
