Matthew 18:10-14

How many of us know at least one person who has wandered from the flock? How many of us know one person who has chosen not to be a part of a flock? And how many of us know one person who doesn’t even know there is a flock, much less the One who is at its very center? Without question, this reality is common to us all.

At the very core of CRM is our commitment to care for those who are in crisis and transition. Its ministry assists those with a variety of problems and difficulties. We care for the poor, the homeless, the lonely, the elderly and those on the fringes of society, and do our best to serve them as Jesus served these dear ones before us. (Matthew 25:34-40)

As this well known parable illustrates, CRM is not primarily concerned with those who are already safely within the fold, but with that one lost sheep, that is, that one individual who is just as precious in God’s sight. If we can keep one innocent child off the street, one couple together considering divorce, or gently cradle one person who is about to die, we are accomplishing another part of what God has called us to do.

Such work, in my judgment, has certain parallels to the ministry of John the Baptist. It’s a solitary work at times as we care for those within the communities where we live and as we travel, seeking those who have fallen through the cracks, helping others, one person at a time. Since it honors the confidentiality of those to whom God has entrusted to us, it is not a miraculous, visible ministry. At the beginning of Mark’s Gospel, he says John the Baptist was the one who would prepare the way of the Lord, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah. (Mark 1:1-3) And it is within this tradition that we find ourselves a good deal of the time.

As we briefly consider John’s life within the context of CRM, the people indicated that he did no miracles. (John 10:41) He wasn’t to be a part of the joy and excitement that Jesus’ ministry was about to bring. To be honest, I struggled with this initially when the Lord asked me to respond to this call within a call. I was raised in Wilmore, Kentucky, graduated from Asbury College and Asbury Theological Seminary where dramatic conversions, recommitments and deeper commitments to Christ were the visible norm. To be sure, there are few greater joys in life than to witness or be a part of these life-changing experiences.

In the midst of this desert, however, the Lord led me to 1 Corinthians 3:1-9. To say the least, the Church at Corinth was not the model Church. There were divisions among them about whom they should follow. Should they follow Paul? Should they follow Apollos? But here is how Paul placed this controversy into context: “One plants, one waters, but God makes it grow.” What Paul was saying, essentially, was that it doesn’t matter who contributes to your spiritual formation, for the Lord is the One who provides the growth in that process and this began to place these things into perspective for me, but more on this in a moment. Considering the ministry of CRM, on a much lighter note, Paul must have been having “a senior moment” by the way he responded. You younger folk haven’t experienced such a moment, but you will. Trust me. Now what was I going to say!? Here’s my point. When I was a boy, many of my friends were farmers and we worked the fields and I think Paul was having one of those moments when he said this for this very reason. Don’t you have to till the ground before you plant the seed, much less water it?

Seriously, this is where a good portion of our ministry is done, just tilling the ground. Like John the Baptist, I haven’t had much of an opportunity to witness those dramatic moments and the life-changing experiences as I did in the past. As the Lord began to assist me in applying this to my own life, I came to the realization that it no longer matters where God places me in the order of salvation. In fact, I'm humbled and honored just to be a part of any of it. Therefore, where He leads me I will follow, even to the Garden alone. There is a quote I've embraced over the years that has come to summarize what God has taught me and perhaps you may also find it helpful. “To be holy doesn’t mean to do extraordinary things, to understand big things, but it is a simple acceptance of where God has placed me, since I have surrendered myself and belong fully to Him. He could put me here. He could put me there. He can use me. He doesn’t have to use me. It doesn’t matter, because I belong so totally to Him that He can do with me whatever He chooses.” (emphasis added)

All that does matter to CRM is that we do God’s will at the present moment where ever He has placed us and in whatever capacity to prepare the way of the Lord. Others, for the most part, are given the responsibility to enter the field of souls as the Holy Spirit leads us to other arid and hardened ground. One person put it this way that is so applicable to our work: “Let us embrace the suffering of others to become one with them, so the groundwork can be laid through our actions to introduce God into their lives and bring them to Him.”

Outside of the counseling, teaching and preaching I do, a good part of the work I do is done by example, not words. I saw this printed on a tee shirt some time ago that seems so appropriate here. “Preach the Gospel, use words when necessary.” Think about that for a moment. This, of course, in no way diminishes the spoken word when we are led to share our faith, but, most often, it is the way we live outside the local Church which silently speaks volumes to a lost and broken world.

CRM is also exploring the possibility of expanding its ministry into Nova Scotia and into Cape Breton. Nine years ago, both the coal and steel industries simultaneously collapsed. At the very same time, the fishing industry was decimated in the region by the lack of restrictions on the tonnage of fish the international and local fisheries were allowed to catch. Consequently, there is a 30 to 40% unemployment rate in some areas, coupled with the various problems associated with this staggering statistic. Upon our return, we were able to determine with the help of the clergy, social workers and local folks that the two greatest needs in this area are in addictions' therapy and marriage and family counseling. If this is another place God is leading us, His vision for CRM is to support those native to the Atlantic Province to secure their credentials and build small counseling centers to prepare the way throughout the Maritimes. Click the "VISION" page to learn more.

I must confess it is difficult to carry the burdens of those with whom I've come into contact. (Galations 6:2) The human inclination, of course, is to seek pleasure rather than to enter one’s pain. Yet, one can almost hear the prophet Ezekiel lamenting the fact he could find no one to stand in the gap to assist the poor, the needy and those being abused. (Ezekiel 22:29-30) This is the call, however, to which CRM has responded. Like John the Baptist, we’ve done no miracles. Like John the Baptist, we’re simply tilling the ground and planting and watering a few seeds. Like John the Baptist, we're doing our best to prepare the way.

I like the way George Matheson summarizes all of this: “Those who come to Christ will refer to this time of preparation in their lives as the first things that started them thinking about Christ. In terms of what ever influence I may have had upon their hearts, I shall be satisfied if no mausoleum is raised over my grave, but that simple souls will gather around there when I am gone and say, ‘He was a good man; he did no miracles, but he prepared the way which led me to meet Christ for myself.’”

Mark A. Rains, Executive Director