Happy Christmas from Chaplain Ross Wakeley

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From the air, it doesn’t look much. A complex of buildings, high

fences, security cameras. The sign at the gate gives few clues—

Kariong Juvenile Correctional Centre. It’s only when you go

inside and meet the people that you discover what happens here.

Kariong is a maximum security prison for 16-20 year olds. It

is where we keep the ‘worst’ in NSW—young men who’ve killed,

raped or assaulted people. I was the Chaplain there 2009-11.

As you’ll know from the

TV, most of the young

blokes who end up in

prison come from

dysfunctional families.

They have anger and

mental health issues;

abuse drugs and alcohol;

about 15% have kids

outside the prison; they

have low self-esteem

and in a conflict situation,

they react without any thought about the consequences.

They are locked alone in a cell from 3.30pm to 8.00am.

Ross and some inmates in the chapel Ross and some inmates in the chapel

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You may be thinking—WHY would you want to be a Chaplain in

such a terrible place? These young men deserve what they get!

It’s a good question. It confronted me when BCS invited me into

the role in January 2009. The prison is a forbidding place—prison

officers who deal effectively with any rebellion and cameras

watch your every move. With a few prisoners, you make sure

you’re close to the door in case they plan to attack you. Fear

can try and get a hold on you when you are alone with a huge

inmate who’s over 110kg and could flatten me easily.

God began to talk to me about how He

values every person—including those I

thought were beyond hope. Every Friday

I ran three Chapel services—often 60%

of the 40 inmates at Kariong attended.

God was doing stuff—in them and me.

Among the inmates, is Julian.

I don’t know why he spent 3.5 years in prison—I do know he

decided to trust his life to a relationship with Jesus. I watched

as Julian changed—his rebellion & behaviour radically improved.

Prior to his release he said, “Ross when I get out can we keep in

touch? I’d like to come to your church—is that OK?”

First Sunday Julian was out,

(May 2011) he and his family

came to church—he has been

coming ever since. We still

keep in touch and he is doing

really well on the ‘outside’.

The real story God was

teaching me is far from over.

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I’m one of those people

who hears a story

and quickly jumps to

a judgement—”That

person is bad. Put

them in prison!”

However, when I

stuff up, people then

judge me. How unfair.

GOD stepped into

this world. He

became human.

Joseph & Mary’s

baby Jesus was

God with us.

Creator, become

a helpless baby.

He did not

come to

judge us,

but to show

us LOVE

IN ACTION.

All of my judgements do nothing to stop people doing wrong.

One of the things God taught me in my 2½ years as Chaplain

of Kariong is that I can help others, not by judgement, but by

stepping into their world. That doesn’t mean accepting the wrong

things they did, but seeing beyond their faults to the person.

Then I realise...that’s the Christmas story.

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Jesus—GOD become human

Jesus had equal status with God...When the time came, he set

aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave,

became human! Having become human, he stayed human.

It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special

privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then

died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death

at that—a crucifixion.

Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honoured

him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created

beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and

buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call

out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honour

of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11) The Message

Christmas takes on new meaning when we glimpse the real

story is far more than a public holiday. Almighty God chose to

leave heaven and get down to our level and become one of us.

Let’s briefly explore this story.

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God continued to come to mankind, seeking to rescue what

sin had destroyed. Tragically, people retreated in fear whenever

God approached them and misunderstood his attempts to

rescue them. The Old Testament is the narrative of that story.

During those years, God revealed he was coming. We call

it prophecy—the foretelling of God’s incarnation as a human.

Father, Son, and Spirit gave

birth to a new reality, what

we know as our universe.

The crowning glory of God’s

creation was they made a

man and a woman in their

own image and gave them

the earth to live in. They

had a perfect relationship

with God.

For a time all was well and the earth was at peace. It did not

last. One day a deceiver appeared in the garden and seduced

the first two humans into thinking they knew better than the

God who made them, and they chose a course that seemed

more pleasing to them.

Wanting to know good and

evil outside of their relation-

ship with God, they rejected

his counsel and by doing so

plunged themselves and

their world into utter chaos.

Selfishness, shame, disease,

and war began to rule the

world, wrecking their lives

and the creation.

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The Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with

child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

(Isaiah 7:14)

Out of you, Bethlehem, though you are small among the

clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will

be ruler over Israel whose origins are from of old, from

ancient times. (Micah 5:2)

To us a child is born, to us a son is given...He will be

called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:16)

These prophecies were written over 500 years before

the birth of Jesus Christ—yet were fulfilled precisely.

In AD2, Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth are childless. Gabriel,

an angel, comes to Zechariah as he is in the Jerusalem temple—

The angel said

to him: “Do

not be afraid,

Zechariah; your

prayer has been

heard. Your wife

Elizabeth will

bear you a son,

and you are to

give him the

name John.”

(Luke 1:13)

Nine months

later, John is

born. Great joy!

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The angel said to her, “Don't be afraid, Mary; God has

been gracious to you. You will become pregnant and

give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be

great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The

Lord God will make him a king...his kingdom will never end!”

Mary said to the angel, “I am a virgin. How, then, can this

be?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you,

and God's power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy

child will be called the Son of God.

Remember your relative Elizabeth. It is said that she cannot

have children, but she herself is now six months pregnant,

even though she is very old. For there is nothing that God

cannot do.” “I am the Lord's servant,” said Mary. “May it

happen to me as you have said.” (Luke 1:30-38)

Around this time, Gabriel

visits Mary—a teenage

girl in Bethlehem—who

is a cousin of Elizabeth.

Gabriel brings to Mary

an astonishing message.

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Let me interrupt this story we all know well. As I read it slowly,

I realise that in God choosing to come to earth as Jesus, he has

GONE BEYOND JUDGEMENT TO LOVE.

By his actions, Jesus loves you and I. That confronts layers of

religious garbage people believe about God for generations.

That He is angry. That he doesn’t like us very much.

The truth: he is the most loving, compassionate and wonderful

God we can imagine. LOVE OVERWHELMS JUDGEMENT.

Which brings me to a story where God was teaching me about

love overcoming judgement. In 2010, my wife Jan and I were

invited to Lombok—a beautiful island next to Bali. Christians

asked us to come and equip them in praying for the sick.

Lombok is 70% Muslim, 30% Hindu and a minority of Christians.

Most women wore a hijab or veil—Jan and I found it a bit over-

whelming. Hundreds of mosques fill the island. As a Christian, it

is easy to get nervous and start thinking in a judgemental way.

Muslim ladies at main shopping centre in Lombok

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It all changed for us 36 hours into the trip. I spoke at a local

church, equipping people to pray for the sick and see God heal

them. It was so encouraging for these humble Christians to see

God healing many people in the church as they prayed for them.

Jan and I took a taxi to a meeting of Christians from western

nations who work in Lombok (who for their

safety, I can’t show you their pictures).

The local Christians were encouraged by

what God was doing and in talking about it,

an injured Muslim woman heard the story

and asked Jan to pray for her.

God healed her injured shoulder totally.

That was great, but that encounter took us

beyond seeing veiled Muslim women with

our judgement. Love people, not judge.

Ross teaching at Lombok church service for local people

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Love is an emotion. In its

purest form, love is the most

powerful emotion that exists.

It welcomes each person.

The power of love can draw

distant people together. Love

overcomes race, religion, age,

gender, income and politics.

Real love is unconditional. It

neither evaluates a person nor

questions them—it just is.

Love grabs our heart, so that

our love is expressed in our

actions and attitudes. People

can see love a mile away.

Love helps me seek to under-

stand you and your world as

my emotional security is OK.

You’re safe to share your heart.

JUDGEMENT VS LOVE—A REFLECTION TO PONDER

Judgement has no emotion. It

is logic that is hard to refute

and people can feel crushed by

a person’s judgement.

Judgement pulls people apart.

It builds divisions in families,

workplaces and communities.

We feel superior to others.

Judgement is conditional. It

requires questions, answers,

and reflects our prejudices.

Judgment is tied to our opinions

and world views. We may have

unfair judgments of others and

slide into arrogance to people.

When I judge a person, I’m

wanting a higher status than

the person being judged and I

have a false sense of security.

LOVE JUDGEMENT

Personal Reflection:

Have a look at the two columns.

How would you evaluate your

life—love or judgement?

OK, let’s get back to the

Christmas story...

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With Jesus just days old,

the young family then head

from Bethlehem 9km up to

Jerusalem for Jesus’

circumcision. A poor family,

they can only afford doves

for this ceremony.

Life for Mary & Joseph has been “challenging”. Joseph’s fiancée

is a virgin—but is now pregnant by God’s Spirit. Then off to his

family hometown in Bethlehem due to a government edict for a

national census. There in a stable, Mary gives birth to Jesus.

Local shepherds join them in celebrating. They bring news of

what angels have declared to them: I am here with good news

for you, which will bring great joy to all the people. This very

day in David's town your Saviour was born—Christ the Lord!

(Luke 2:10,11)

Simeon, the priest in the

Temple, sees the baby and

declares of Jesus: With my

own eyes I have seen your

salvation, which you have

prepared in the presence of

all peoples. (Luke 2:30,31)

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After they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream

to Joseph and said, “Herod will be looking for the child in order

to kill him. Get up, take the child and his mother and escape to

Egypt, and stay there until I tell you to leave.” Joseph got up,

took the child and his mother, and left during the night for

Egypt, where he stayed until Herod died. (Matthew 2:13-15)

For Mary & Joseph, the story keeps unfolding. Early in Jesus’ life,

wise men from ‘the East’ (we think around Iran) visit the family

to worship Jesus. Picture the scene. Strangers arrive at your door

and say, “God brought us here to worship your son, the king of

the Jews. We have gifts for him.” They brought out their gifts of

gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and presented them to him.

(Matthew 2:11) How would you be feeling if that happened?

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King Herod missed

out on seeing Jesus.

His reaction to the

birth of Jesus, the

King of Kings was

one of judgement,

fear and insecurity.

His attitude of

judgement lost him

an opportunity.

In our culture, it is so easy to get sucked into judgement of

other people or organisations. The result: we can easily miss

out on experiencing love or showing love to others. As I

chat with clients, some people have ‘given the church the flick’

as they’ve been hurt by someone in a local church. I can really

understand that—I’ve had that experience lots of times. God

truly helps us overcome judgement and to love from our heart.

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Jesus came from

Nazareth and was

baptized by John.

Coming up in the

water he saw the

Spirit descending

on him like a dove.

A voice from

heaven said, “You

are my Son, whom

I love; with you I

am well pleased.”

(Mark 1:11)

We’ll jump over 30 years to Jesus’ baptism. His cousin John the

Baptist is “talking straight” to the people of Israel about getting

right with God and preparing for the coming of Jesus.

The whole Judean countryside and all

the people of Jerusalem went out to

him. Confessing their sins, they were

baptized by him in the Jordan River.

John wore clothing made of camel’s

hair, with a leather belt around his

waist. He ate locusts and wild honey.

“After me comes the one more

powerful than me...I baptize you with water, but he will baptize

you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:5-8)

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Throughout the life of Jesus, we have overwhelming evidence

of him showing God’s nature of compassion, love, and

grace. Jesus’ story of the prodigal son illustrates this reality.

WHO is this man Jesus? We have the answer in the book

Jesus’ disciple John wrote near the end of his life.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was

made that has been made. (John 1:1-3)

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son,

who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.(John 1:14)

A father has two sons—one day, the

younger one wants to head off and

experience the world. Arrogantly he

demands of his father his share of

the family inheritance.

Generously, his dad agrees and the

son departs unaware that his naivety

and foolishness will cause him problems.

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He wasted all his money in wild living, then a great drought hit

and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him

to feed the pigs. Humbled by reality, he realised, ‘At home even

the servants have food to spare, and I’m here dying of hunger!

I’ll go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against

both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called

your son. Please take me on as a servant.” (Luke 15:17-20)

All this time, the father’s

been waiting and rejoices

at his sons return. He

goes beyond judgement

to show love to his son.

Jesus is saying to us—this

story shows God’s heart.

My Father welcomes all

‘prodigals’ back into His

arms of love. Father God

is love, not judgement for

all who seek His help.

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Christmas is one of those times when Christians all over our

nation delight in practically demonstrating God’s heart of love

and compassion by helping people. There is such joy in giving.

Hillsong church has a ‘Stuff the Bus’ project—people bring bags

of food and gifts. The goal was 5000 gifts packs—a week before

Christmas 2011, 9,000 packs had been donated and delivered.

Last year, over 300,000 people turned to the Salvos for help.

Major Robin Pullen notes, "Some people have no income, most

of them are lonely. They might have mental illness, drug and

alcohol issues or both. We are here for them to come and spend

Christmas Day with us and to provide welfare for them by

providing food," she said.

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BCS also provides hundreds of hampers to

people and families in need. One story:

With four children, single mum Catherine

struggles to afford basic necessities, let alone

extras for Christmas. Life is tough: her oldest

son has a mental illness, she has no car and

feels guilty knowing her kids are missing out.

That morning at play group, a BCS Co-

ordinator places into her arms a hamper

she can only just carry! Imagine her joy.

You matter to God! At Christmas we

celebrate God’s incredible love for all

people, seen in the birth of Jesus Christ.

Christmas reminds us that we are not

alone in this world. It points us to the

possibilities of a life of hope and meaning

found in relationship with God.

In GOD choosing to come to earth as

Jesus, in actions, he has GONE BEYOND

JUDGEMENT TO LOVE and CARE FOR

US like no other. Happy Christmas.

Christm

as lig

hts

at

Gle

nhaven

Scripture quotations from The Holy Bible, New International

Version ® Copyright 1984 by International Bible Society

Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright ©1993-2002.

Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group

Colour version—http://wakeley.weebly.com

Finding hope in adversity is one of the themes of Finding hope in adversity is one of the themes of

Christmas. Jesus was born into a world full of fear. Christmas. Jesus was born into a world full of fear.

The angels came to frightened shepherds with hope The angels came to frightened shepherds with hope

in their voices: in their voices: ‘Fear not’, ‘Fear not’, they urged, they urged, ‘For unto you ‘For unto you

is born this day a Saviour who is Christ the Lord.’is born this day a Saviour who is Christ the Lord.’

God sent into the world a unique personGod sent into the world a unique person––a a

Saviour, with the power to forgive. Forgiveness Saviour, with the power to forgive. Forgiveness

lies at the heart of the Christian faith. It can lies at the heart of the Christian faith. It can

heal broken families, it can restore friendships heal broken families, it can restore friendships

and it can reconcile divided communities. It is in and it can reconcile divided communities. It is in

forgiveness that we feel the power of God’s love.forgiveness that we feel the power of God’s love.

In the last verse of the beautiful carol, O Little In the last verse of the beautiful carol, O Little

Town Of Bethlehem, there’s a prayer: Town Of Bethlehem, there’s a prayer: O Holy O Holy

Child of Bethlehem, Descend to us we pray. Child of Bethlehem, Descend to us we pray.

Cast out our sin and enter in. Be born in us today. Cast out our sin and enter in. Be born in us today.

It is my prayer that on this Christmas day we It is my prayer that on this Christmas day we

might all find room in our lives for the message might all find room in our lives for the message

of the angels and for the love of God through of the angels and for the love of God through

Christ our Lord. Christ our Lord.

Queen Elizabeth’s 2011 Christmas messageQueen Elizabeth’s 2011 Christmas message