All We Can Lent Devotional
Week One: February 22 - 28
Practising Presence
Bible Study
By Gary Hopkins
Gary works for the Methodist Church in Britain in ministry development and
is part of the Core Leadership at Inclusive Gathering Birmingham.
Luke 10:38-42
I wonder how you’ve approached the reading
of this passage. Have you rushed through it
ready to get into the study text and find the
learning? Sometimes we’re so eager to get onto
the outcome, we forget to spend time in the
moment, to be present. For hundreds of years,
many people have practised something called
Divine Reading of Scripture (Lectio Divina).
So, before you read on, I invite you to take a
moment to invite God’s Spirit to guide you in
a second reading of the text. Pray, read the
passage slowly, and notice anything that stands
out and ask God to speak to you through it.
Using this method, many people become aware
of God and notice something deeper that God
might be saying in that moment. Maybe that’s
happened for you. Maybe something in the text
that follows may resonate. The practice of Lectio
Divina helps to balance out our tendency to rush
to quick conclusions and draws us closer to God,
helping us be present with God.
Perhaps presence was what Jesus was
referring to when he affirmed Mary’s sitting at
his feet. She was entirely present to him in that
moment, not distracted by things that ‘need’
to be done. It reminds me of episodes of Come
Dine With Me when the hosts are so busy
preparing a meal to impress, they forget that
their guests want to enjoy their company and
get to know them.
We’re under increasing pressure to make
progress, to achieve, to be successful, to do. We
measure by outcomes. We value productivity.
We check our emails on the go, we scroll social
media feeds as we chat, we think about the next
thing we’re going to say before someone else
finishes talking, we stick to our routines even
when someone else needs our time, we focus on
who we’re going to speak to next before we’ve
even finished our current conversation.
Then the words of Jesus cut in: ‘Martha,
Martha, you are worried and distracted by
many things, but few things are needed—
indeed only one’ (41-42). Jesus recognises the
power of presence, of devoting time to being
present with others – whether they be God, or
other human beings.
Practising presence means holding each other
in the moment, letting go of our desire to do,
and focussing on being. It means letting go
of distractions and worries. It means putting
aside our own agenda and the outcomes that
are driving us, and focusing on the relationship,
deepening our sense of connection.
History tells us that Christians struggle with
this notion of presence. We think mission
means going in and sorting things out. We think
the Realm of God means achieving outcomes
through busyness. But in our agenda-ridden
doing, we neglect each other, we forget to listen
and understand, we miss the opportunity for a
deeper commitment to walk together, wherever
that may lead – open to the possibilities.
We are partners in God’s world and the
only way to truly be partners is through
practising presence: with God, for God,
in love of each other.
Questions for discussion/reflection
As you embark on this journey, how
might you practise presence with
God and with other people?
Do you find the practice of Lectio
Divina helpful?
Do you sympathise with Martha in
the passage?
In what ways do we ‘rush in’ in our
relationships as a church and as
individuals?
Story from All We Can
Christopher Nota is the Pastor of Holiness Revival Church in
Mvula village, Malawi. He is a quiet, gentle man in conversation
and a fired-up, charismatic preacher in the pulpit.
He is known and respected, not only in his
own village, but around the surrounding areas.
Not least because of the way his church has
become a driving force of transformation and
development in the area.
The church has been involved in reforesting
the surrounding area, building new houses
for teachers, providing uniforms for school
children, and serving the needs of the
most vulnerable in the community through
establishing a Social Action Committee made
up of congregation members.
‘According to the scriptures, we have the
responsibility – it is us who have been mandated
as Christians to take care of the poor and the
vulnerable,’ Christopher is keen to stress.
In October 2022, while All We Can was visiting
Pastor Christopher’s village, a woman’s house
tragically burnt down. The church was the first
to hear of it and the first to respond. After their
Sunday service, a group from the congregation
visited the woman, spent time with her, and
donated essential supplies. Within days, the
congregation had a collection, bought materials,
and started rebuilding the roof of the house.
They are doing this without direct outside
help. The local church, rather than external
organisations, has become the locus of aid and
development.
Pastor Christopher has discovered that when
the church embeds itself in a community,
commits to listening, and builds relationships
with people outside the church, it is in a unique
position to respond to community needs and
build for the future.
‘It is of great importance to take part in developing
our community due to the fact that our church
congregation hails from the same community.’
He did not always see things this way, however.
‘We thought development activities were for chiefs
only, not us pastors…now we have learnt and even
taught our church members who are now also
taking part in these activities.’
What caused this shift in perspective was the
training Pastor Christopher received from All
We Can’s partner, Eagles.
Eagles trains individuals, communities,
and churches to take charge of their own
development – helping people to identify the
resources they already have, assess the problems
they experience, and develop their own solutions.
They argue this local, mindset-based approach is
far more sustainable than traditional models of
development where charities ‘donate’ solutions
to a community, because communities then have
ownership of the change.
‘Our theory of change is that the church is already
present – it is there to make this difference’ Victor,
the Director of Eagles, explains. Charities come
and go, he says, the church is permanent.
What unlocked the potential in Pastor
Christopher’s congregation was not an influx
of new resources from an international charity,
but a nudge from Eagles to see the resources
they already had in a new way.
Pastor Christopher says the content of his
preaching has changed to include more
encouragements to serve the poor and
vulnerable, which has evidently had an
effect on the congregation. Talking about the
response to the house fire, Christopher said:
‘on their own, they collected things they had and
gave them to the victims. On their own they took
action. In the past they wouldn’t have done that on
their own.’
Christopher’s commitment to being present,
noticeable, and approachable in the community
has been vital. But it is the “practise” part of
“practising presence” that Christopher seems
most passionate about:
‘you preach more when you do things on the
ground – the more you practice what you know,
the more you teach…what we do preaches more
than what we are preaching [from the pulpit].’
Questions for discussion/reflection
What strikes you about Pastor
Christopher’s story?
What difference does it make
that the local church, rather than
a Western charity, is meeting the
needs of the community?
Is your church similarly embedded
in the community? What is unique
about your church in the area?
Challenge
By Deacon Jon Miller
Deacon Jon is a pioneer minister serving in Wales. He was appointed to come to the
area and explore new ways of being church and develop a Christian community in and around St Clears. A significant part of how he does mission is by using his artistic and
creative skills to connect the gospel message with the community which he serves.
I sit down at my little table in Mol’s Bistro in St Clears and Sam brings me my
usual cup of coffee. After a moment of silent prayer for the staff, myself and the
community who pass through the Bistro, I unpack my bag. Carefully laying out my
equipment: my travel watercolour set, water-filled brushes, pens, and my box of
watercolour paper postcards.
For the next few hours, I sit, being present in
this hub of our community. I paint, I pray, I chat,
and I give away the paintings I make.
When I paint in public it draws people in, they
are fascinated to watch the process, and they
are often excited to hear why I do it. Above all
though, they are overjoyed when they receive
the gift of a piece of art, painted for them, for
them to keep.
It isn’t about the fact I’m a minister, it isn’t about
me being an artist, and it isn’t about the paintings
themselves, really. What God is using is me being
present in the heart of the community and what
God is blessing is the gift of my time which I am
giving to those around me.
The challenge for each of us, in a world where
we are increasingly “virtual,” where we are part
of huge networks spanning multiple locations,
is how do we be present in our communities
and for our communities?
Not everyone can paint, that is just
something which works for me. What can
you offer? And how do you give someone the
gift of your presence?
Can you bake a cake for a local community
group? Can you start a men’s shed or men’s hub
to give people the space to be and to talk? Can
you volunteer to listen to children read in your
local school? Can you volunteer some time for
a local charity? Can you offer a smile, a prayer
or a listening ear for those you meet?
You have been given a gift by God that is
intended to be shared. That gift is you and your
presence. How are you going to share it, over
the next six weeks and beyond?
If you are in a group setting, have a discussion
about how you might practise presence in the
following weeks.
Prayer
By Deacon Lemia Nkwelah
Deacon Lemmy is a minister in the North Norfolk Circuit, East Anglia
District. Her ministry mainly involves enabling and facilitating the church to
journey alongside those living at the margins, sharing Christ’s love in food,
conversation, listening, silence, prayer, and Word!
Let us pray
Heavenly Father, your presence has been felt
for all time. We know that we can call on you in
our time of need.
You made your presence manifest to us when
it was fulfilled in Christ. In Him, you became
present in your response to our need for
redemption. You drew near to us in flesh, and
you became like us, participating in our lives.
You took human form and proclaimed a
message of redemption. You promised sight for
the blind, liberty for the oppressed, and release
for the prisoners.
Help us to follow you, Lord.
Follow you with a similar commitment.
Before your human presence left this earth, you
promised us that our Father in Heaven would
not leave us orphaned. Our Father sent us the
Comforter, our Counsellor, the Spirit of Truth.
In our suffering and in our defeat, you hear
the cry of the oppressed and you respond with
your transformative and life-changing power.
Help us to follow you, Lord.
Follow you with a similar commitment.
Your word says, ‘I will be with you always to
the close of the age.’ Lord Jesus indeed your
presence is always with us, in us through the
power of the Holy Spirit, and in the fellowship
of one another.
We seek to be your presence in the world, to be
imitators of Christ and to partner with you in
your mission in this world.
Help us to follow you, Lord.
Follow you with similar commitment.
Remind us that we are not the saviour, but we
walk in the footsteps of Christ the Saviour.
Remind us that we are not the light, but we are
simply bearers of the Christ-light to those in
their darkest hour, and may we journey with
them in humbleness and truth.
Help us to follow you, Lord.
Follow you with similar commitment.
Remind us always that we are all made in your
image, and we are no greater than those whom
we serve but rather we meet with you in them.
May we remember that just as we did to one
of the least of these who are members of your
family, we did it to you.
May we never think that we are better than
the other or that the other deserves less. We
seek to always remember that we are equal in
your eyes.
Remind us that even when we cannot find the
right words, our presence in silence can be
enough in providing love, comfort, and care.
May we be led to promote equality and
diversity, and to treat each other with dignity
and respect. May our places of worship be
inclusive and welcome for all.
Help us to follow you, Lord.
Follow you with similar commitment.
(Pause)
We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help
and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name. May your
unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we
put our hope in you. (Psalm 33:20-22)
Amen