Make God’s Instructions Personal

“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 3:10-14)

As a Pastor, I have always considered myself to have a mandate to embody the message of hope and liberation, and awaken the long-denied hopes of a people in despair and their quest for justice and human dignity.
Therefore, one of my primary goals in pastoral care and preaching at the Presbyterian Church of St. Albans will be to choose biblical texts that make God's instructions personal and that enable us to deconstruct the evil systems that demoralize and dehumanize us.
As a practitioner, I have no power for preaching and loving the congregants without a personal devotional life. It is this practice of prayer that will nurture my preaching, inform my pastoral care, and gather and empower the community into dialogue and civic engagement in both the church and the public square.
A devotional life and theological reflection are necessary in order for social action to take place.

Gerard Winstanley posits: “Mere activism without reflection is misguided, but theological reflection without action runs the risk of dis-empowering practical theology as a discipline.”

What do I consider as my role as local pastor and preacher in an interdisciplinary and multicultural setting like The Presbyterian Church of St. Albans?

First, I believe that it is important to listen to other voices sharing their narratives around the table. As Pastor, I must be careful not to overlook this critical component or monopolize the conversation and become little more than an initial enabler and mouthpiece.
Second, this approach to pastoral care and preaching requires cultural sensitivity in order to fully understand Scripture and its application for addressing issues facing both predominately African-American and Caribbean-American congregations.

I pray that interpreting the biblical text and discussing it before the congregation will enhance the development of an effective multicultural ministry in the St. Albans community.

In Christ
Rev. Dr. Walter Silva Thompson