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Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
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Counselor |
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Isaiah 9:6-7 Second Sunday of Advent December 9, 2007 There is a movie or TV show about almost every occupation under the sun. Police, soldiers, physicians, nurses, housewives, even ministers have been portrayed by the entertainers. Some get more air time than others, but one that seems to get almost no air time is the counselor. When is the last time you saw a really good TV show about a counselor? I can only remember one that even had a counselor as the main character, and that was a sitcom called the “Bob Newhart Show.” Even it did not focus on his work as a psychologist. So the counselors don’t get much adulation from Hollywood. Line up the TV heroes and you get macho guys and super fems; cowboys, cops, spies, and soldiers. Counselors just doesn’t seem to fit the image of excitement and danger so loved by the entertainment industry. And yet, the phone book is loaded with the names of counselors. There are four pages of them in the Richmond phone book, and that doesn’t include the school counselors, guidance counselors, credit counselors, chaplains, and all the other kinds of counselors out there. So, we may not watch them on TV, but someone is calling on them. Someone is consulting them. Let me say here that a good counselor can be a great help. I thank God that there are people in this world who are able to give unbiased observations about our lives and our families and our behaviours; and through their observations, help us put the pieces of our lives together. I also offer the caution that a bad counselor can do terrible damage. So, it pays to choose counselors wisely. What is the purpose of a counselor? I would say there are three; understanding, support, and guidance. Before a counselor can help us he must first understand us. He must understand our problems, and our weaknesses and habits and excuses and circumstances. There is an old song, I can’t recall the name or words, but I do remember one line, “No One understands like Jesus.” How true. He understands exactly what you are facing every minute of every day. He understands because He is God. He sees all. “I have seen all that Laban doeth unto, thee,” God said to Jacob who had been terribly cheated by Laban (Gen.31:12). “I have surely seen the affliction of my people,” He said to Moses as He prepared to lead the Hebrews to freedom from Egypt. (Ex. 3:7). But Jesus also understands because, He is also fully human. He has “been there.” He was rejected by His own people. He knows suffering. He knows loneliness. Some people think Joseph died when Jesus was quite young, so He may have grown up without a father. That means He knows loss and grief. He knows about financial problems, for a family with no “bread winner” in those days was a poor family indeed. He knows about family problems, for even His family thought He was crazy. Fears, doubts, hunger, pain, and exhaustion He knows by personal experience. He knows about trials and grief. He is the Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief. “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities ; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin,” (Heb.4:15). Every trial of life you face, He’s been there. Every temptation, He’s been there. Every sorrow, He’s been there. He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. “No One understands like Jesus.” A good counselor offers support. Jesus is our best support because He alone can give us the strength we need to live our lives. He alone gives us the ability to persevere. When Paul had his thorn in the flesh, the Lord gave him the ability to cope with it, to bear it. “My grace is sufficient for thee.” When David wrote about the Great Shepherd he said, “Thou preparest a table before me, in the presence of mine enemies.” He didn’t say God makes everything easy, and gentle and fun. He said God provides for him in the midst of his trials and troubles and enemies. There are times when God leads us beside still waters and makes us to lie down in green pastures, but there are also times when the wolves attack, and we are led as sheep to the slaughter. The wonderful thing about Jesus is not that He makes the problems go away, but that He enables us to bear them. Our job, then, is to trust Him to give us that grace. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16). We must be like Peter, who got out of the boat and walked on the water with Jesus. I happen to believe walking on that water was more difficult than most people imagine. The sea was rough and tossed and churned by the storm. The waves slammed against him. The wind took his breath away. Walking on water is hard enough when it is calm, but when that water is churning and violent and stormy enough to sink a boat …, well, its almost impossible. We have to keep our eyes on Jesus. He is our support. The wind may sting our eyes. The waves may knock us down, and even break over us, but Jesus will see us safely to the “Shore.” Trust Him. He is our support. When we think about counselors we think about receiving guidance, because guidance is one of their primary jobs. For many years it was thought that counselors should not give guidance. Counseling classes taught reflective listening. The counselor was to reflect back and clarify what the client was saying. “I hear you saying blah, blah, blah,” or, “So you feel, blah, blah, blah,” are reflective responses. They were designed to let the person work through his feelings and set his own direction, without influence from the counselor. This was even the way ministers were taught to counsel. I remember a meeting of hospital chaplains in a Baptist hospital. We had been on rounds all day and were coming together for our briefing time before going home. This was a Southern Baptist hospital, these are the people who gave us Billy Graham and altar calls. These people are serious about getting “professions of faith.” Well, one of the chaplains “got one.” He had spent much time with a man that day, and at the conclusion of their talk, the man made a profession of faith. I was delighted. But the head chaplains attacked him like sharks in a feeding frenzy. “You took advantage of his time of weakness,” they shouted. “You had no right to inflict your personal religious views on that man.” “You failed that man in his hour of need,” they sneered. They were angry. They were harsh. I was shocked. Who ever heard of a minister being chastised for talking about religion in a hospital run by his own church? Would they have chastised a physician for giving out medicine? Don’t expect reflective listening from the Great One whose name is Counselor. He is the One who said if you love Him you will keep His commandments. He is the One who said those who follow Him must take up their own crosses. He is the One who said to the woman taken in adultery, “Go, and sin no more.” When He speaks, He expects His word to be obeyed. But His commandments are life, and His word is peace. When the crowds turned away from Jesus because of his hard sayings, He turned to the disciples and asked if they would leave Him too. And Simon Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” Truly the knowledge of Him is eternal life and His service is perfect freedom. These words from the service of “Morning Prayer” remind us that the Bible teaches us the way to eternal life in Heaven, and the way of freedom and real life here on earth. The commandments of God are given for our benefit. In keeping them there is great reward. They fence us in and protect us from harm, as the backyard fence protects a child. His word is a lamp unto our pathway. He counsels and directs us by His commandments, by His word as given in the Holy Bible. There we find the guidance we seek, from the One whose name is Counselor. Let us pray. Holy God, grant us grace to seek and follow You, our great Counselor. In the name of Christ. Amen. The Rev. Dr. R. Dennis Campbell, Vicar, Holy Trinity Anglican Church,
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