Pastoral Care for the Hard-of-hearing and Late Deafened

by Bishop Lars-Göran Lönnermark, Skara, Church of Sweden

Translated from Swedish by Eva Høj

"I came, I saw, but I heard absolutely nothing"
Conference at Samaritterhjemmet 17th - 18^th March 1999

"The first thing to bear in mind about a sermon is that it is to be heard"! Again and again my Church superior stressed this to me, when I was at Skövde. When my superior was studying the art of sermon preaching in Uppsala, he had been told the same. I hope that all present here to-day will bear this in mind. And I hope that everyone here can hear what I say. Otherwise this speech is pointless. But first:

I. I shall begin with a short Bible study. For generations of Christians some verses from 1^st Corinthians, chapter 11, belong to Biblical texts that cause some worry. The text decribes unworthy behaviour at the Lord´s Supper. Maybe you will not see the connection with to-day´s subject, Pastoral Care, but I can assure you and I will show you that there certainly is one.

When Paul writes his epistle to the congregation in Corinth, he is worried. The congregation is divided in many ways and split up into several groups. "I belong to Paul,", some say. "I belong to Peter," say others. Others again say "I belong to Christ.". But there was also disorder during the celebration of the Lord´s Supper. Clearly everybody took with them from their homes what they had, but they did not share: he who had much, ate it, and he who had but little, had to console himself with that. So Paul says: "What? Have you not houses to eat and drink in, and despise you the church of God and shame them that have not"? (1Cor.11:22).

When Paul has spoken these words, he writes down the foundation words of the Lord´s Supper: "That same night when the Lord Jesus was betrayed ...Then follow the words that have worried for generations, the words about worthiness and unworthiness: "Whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself, not discerning the body." (1.Cor . 11:27-29).

It is easy to understand that this biblical text has to many posed the question: Am I pious enough to attend the Lord´s Supper? Is my faith strong enough? Have I fully confessed my sins? And the answer has been given: When you feel that you need Christ, you are welcome. When you are willing to accept; for we shall never be faultless. He who sees himself as unworthy is worthy. That answer has helped many, and has been an encouragement to take part in the Lord´s Supper, and to do it frequently.

An important thing should be noted. In Verse 30 it says: "Therefore many are sick and weakly among you, and some have died" How does this fit in with my part-taking in the Lord´s Supper? For it was written: "He who eats and drinks, not discerning the body, he eats and drinks damnation to himself. Therefore many are sick and weakly among you, and some have died." Does Paul suggest that he who goes unworthy to the Lord´s Supper is sick? Many Bible readers may have read that meaning into it. But I would like to emphasize that it is not so, but on the contrary something quite different and self-explanatory.

The Swedish expression "not discerning the body" corresponds to the Greek "without segregating the body", that is: without separating or seeing the body. This is important to make clear. In the following chapter, Ch.12, Paul talks about the body and its many members, and he stresses that all the members of that one body are one body with a diversity of operations. Further he writes in verse 27: "Now you are the body of Christ, and members in particular." You are the body of Christ.

In my opinion, when Paul writes that you take the Lord´s Supper unworthily, if you do not see the body, it simply means that it is an unworthy meal if you do not see each other. The supper can be unworthy in many ways, but here it is first and foremost a question of congregation, to be aware of, to behold each other. They did not see each other in Corinth, and what was the consequence? Well, many fell sick: "Therefore many are sick and weakly among you, and some have died." They simply did not care for the weak and needy. They did not see their neighbour.

So there we have the challenge to us: "I came, I saw, but......", which is the heading of the programme of this conference. This statement can be turned into a question: "I came, I saw, but was I seen?" It is one of the imperfections of modern life that we do not see each other, we have no time for each other. Our own projects always have first priority. We people from the Church are also prone to this. We have sensed that it was the same state of affairs in Corinth. Some saw some of the others, but none seemed to see all, and some were seen by nobody. Does the person with an impaired hearing feel he or she belongs to the last group? Do others just ignore and walk past? If so, is the reason just thoughtlessness or lack of insight? Or does everybody more or less behave in that way. Does nobody care?

The words come back to us: ...not discerning the body. If you do not see each other, you are condemned. The words could not be more severe. The Church has a responsibility. If we do not take it upon us, we are not only doing injustice, but we are also causing pain and suffering.

"Therefore many are sick and weakly among you."

Pauls metaphor for the body is a unique image of Christian life in the congregation. It is far from easy to live up to, but certainly functions as a reminder and a challenge. Again I quote Paul: "For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body." (Ch.12,.12-13). And Paul continues: "And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honoured, all the members rejoice with it." (1.Ch. 12,26)

II. What do we learn from this? We learn that it is a question of participation and the conditions for this. On the 1^st of January, 2000, the relations between the Church and the State will be altered. To-day the Swedish Church is governed by Church legislation, laid down by Parliament. This will be replaced by a so-called Church regulation, established by the Church Assembly, which will meet at Sigtuna May 27^th - June 12^th, 1999. We do not know in detail how things will work out, but in general the same rules will apply, yet with more emphasis on certain aspects. The Swedish Church will also in the future participate in parliamentary legislation termed "the Statute of the Swedish Church", according to which it is an Evangelical-Lutheran Congregation, a free, established Church with a democratic, nationwide organisation. According to the Statute it is the duty of the congregation to celebrate divine service, to undertake tuition, and to perform deaconry and mission." These four concepts are repeated again and again in the Church regulation: divine service, tuition, deaconry, and mission. In various ways it is emphasized that the Church consistory in consultation with the Minister is responsible for Church activities in relation to the congregation. The diocese also has a responsibility in so far as the congregation and the diocese are the two pastoral departments within the Church, and therefore have to cooperate.

The question before us is therefore: What is the degree of participation in the service, in tuition, deaconry, and mission where the hard-of-hearing and those with acquired deafness are concerned? We ask not only because we find it important to have you all among us in congregation life, but also because we are aware of the individual´s longing and need for a share in the Holy Gospel and growth in the Christian Faith, an existential condition in the deepest sense of the word.

Note that the State says: the Congregation shall celebrate Divine Service, not just arrange it. To me the word ´celebrate´ implies joy and affection. In the divine service we meet God in words and in the Sacrement. It is a reminder of the double commandment of love: Thou shalt love thy God above all and thy neighbour as thyself.

Technical progress gives us new possibilities, and it is up to us to put them into practice. I know of no better method than the repetition method. I wish I did. I use it at each visitation, and all the time I am surprised that it should be necessary to use it. I am thinking of the induction loop system. It has to be there, it has to function, and it must be used. Of that I remind myself again and again.

On the other hand I have no practical experience of captioned services. But we should take upon ourselves to find good examples and models in each diocese, so that more communities will make use of this method.

1. To celebrate Divine Service. The word celebrate implies participation, being part of. This is not necessarily the case, even if you hear and see well. Perhaps the will to participate is not there. But I am thinking of the person who is eager to participate in the spirit of congregation. He or she should also have the chance of being included. The Lord´s Supper, which I spoke of from the Corinthian horizon, presupposes a full inclusion of those who want to participate. But a service may nevertheless exclude, not least those whose hearing is impaired. The initiating welcome of the service may be indistinct. Will there be church coffee afterwards? The purpose of the collection? And the sermon - again there was something I did not hear!

We who are responsible must remind ourselves that the service is accessible. God´s Word is much spoken of in the Church. It can be read, but first and foremost it should be heard. In our society the Holy Gospel is more seldom heard than before, when it was common knowledge for hundreds of years. Therefore it is even more important that the Word is heard where it is spoken, so that the Word can be kept in our hearts. To be heard - that was what the professor at Uppsala told his students, the future clergy.

2. And in the same way with tuition. Everybody should have access. In my latest meetings with the Church Council I have become aware that young people with impaired hearing often withdraw from preparation for confirmation. Apparently they are afraid of ending outside the fellowship, the togetherness. The church congregation has not been sufficiently aware of this, and we should try to make amends for this problem. We are not in the habit of using induction loop in this connection, but we should of course be prepared to use it and to bear in mind the young people so affected.

This also applies to other groups in the congregation. Tuition is more than a hobby activity, it revolves round life itself. "Pastoral Care" is the heading. Well, according to the responsibility of the Bishop it might be termed that. Care. But above all it is a question of participation in the life of the congregation. Not to be taken care of, but to share and to give. Through giving we are given. By being given we have something to give. The word "togetherness" confirms this. We belong to each other. To a Christian congregation this should be self-explanatory, but we should be aware that it should involve all its members.

3.When talking of Deaconry the same thoughts of sharing and participating apply. Perform deaconry, this is the third request put to the congregation. In this connection I do not first and foremost think of people with a hearing defect as the object of deaconry. The question is how, being baptized/christened, we can all participate and take upon us a responsibility, to be deacons/to administer deaconship/ deaconry. We all need deaconry from time to time. And we all need to be among those who take the responsibility of being Christ to their fellow human beings. We all have to try to withstand destructive forces in our society, and to call on the healing and constructive powers. It is not only the responsibility of our pastoral ´care´ that is called upon, but the full scope as administered in true deaconry.

4. Finally mission. Mission still aims at our engagement with other Churches in other continents. A church has always a responsibility beyond the congregation and the national boundary. The Church in the World has a common task of making Christ known. But mission is also to spread the Gospel among those nearest to us, where we live, in our own country. We should strive to win back the eagerness to tell about Christ and the Christian Faith. We may start form different levels, but everyone of us has something to relate about his personal philosophy of life.

Conclusively I shall return to our calling as Christians which not only consists of certain tasks and projects. As baptized persons we are called upon to serve. Life in the congregation and in the world demands it. And everybody should be able to share in the service.

But above all participation is to share. Through our baptism we share in Christ, embraced in Charity and Mercy, loved by God for our own sake, redeemed through Jesus Christ. This is the message that everybody should hear. Therefore our responsibility to the congregation is considerable. The glad tidings should not be withheld from anybody. I sincerely hope that we can live up to it. Today many are weakly. Like in Corinth. As Paul wrote in order to change matters. Behold the body! Behold each other!.