What is the point of Pentecost?
The great story we’ve heard this morning of the birth of the church, a mighty wind, tongues of flame and people speaking about Jesus in other languages. But why did God do this? What is it all about? We hear a lot about ‘spirituality’ today. Far more people feel comfortable saying they are spiritual than saying they’re religious – and I’ve more than a little sympathy for that. But then it depends what we mean by spirituality. If all it means is our own personal experience then I have very little sympathy, because the truth is, it’s about much more than that. And Pentecost is the best example of this, bar none. God did not send His Holy Spirit on Jesus followers to give them a new spirituality or a nice feeling which will make the things of this earth irrelevant No, God sent His Spirit to transform the things of earth with the power of heaven…. To transform us with the power of heaven. The whole point is that through the Spirit, some of the creative power of God himself comes to earth, to Jesus followers so that Jesus work in the world can continue – embodied in us. So, Jesus had spent 3 or so years building a community around him, teaching, mentoring and encouraging those first followers and now, after the Ascension with Jesus no longer bodily present on earth – the Spirit comes – But, and this is crucial, it doesn’t come to them when they’re on their own. NO – the spirit comes when they are gathered together. From the very beginning the Christian faith was a communal one. We simply cannot follow Jesus alone; its never been about a privatised spirituality. The New Testament is clear – the call to follow Jesus is the call to follow him in community, alongside others and so to be a blessing to world around them. PAUSE The symbols of Pentecost here are wind and fire – wild untameable forces. The wind and flames would have been I’m sure both terrifying and exhilarating for the people gathered there that day. Of course, other times in the book of Acts and in Christian experience, God’s Spirit works more softly and secretly – transforming people and situations with what seems like a minimum of fuss. Some of you may have had powerful experiences of God’s Spirit – such an experience was the catalyst to me becoming a Christian 25 years ago. Others may recognise the Holy Spirit more as that still small voice, speaking into your life I firmly believe that God knows what makes each of us tick, our characters, how we learn and how we respond ….and so he comes to us in a way we can respond to. But, if we think we can control what He does or how he does it, then we’re in for a big surprise. God is very much the God of Surprises so let’s remain open to Him and what he wants to do in our lives and in our churches Jesus tells us in Luke 11 that God loves to give His Spirit to those who ask him. But if we never ask – how can we hope to receive? PAUSE So, Luke, writing the book of Acts as the follow up to his Gospel is clearly trying to describe something new, an event which launched a great movement. Like a forest fire which began with just a few flames. And today then is a very appropriate day to mark the lighting of a tiny flame in our valley. A new community called together by God’s Spirit to make a difference to people’s lives. I really do believe that this is something new God is doing, a small flame for sure and perhaps not something which will connect with everyone, but something which I’d encourage every Christian to take a good look at. So, what is the community of soul friends? Well, to begin with – it’s a community, it’s a group of people, its relational. It’s about journeying together in a shared way of life. When I became a Christian, the churches I was involved with had a certain structure. We gathered twice every Sunday and then we met on a weekday evening every week in a small group in someone’s home. It was assumed you’d read Christian books and perhaps go along to some sort of festival or conference each summer. Nothing wrong with any of those things, except – the world has changed a lot in 25 years. My life now, compared to life as an undergraduate student are well, different planets. Expectations of employers, of family, of friends, of our busy western culture and perhaps our expectations of ourselves have changed immeasurably. The model of being a part of church I was formed in, is a model which works in fewer and fewer places today. Yes, Sunday Worship is still as important as it ever was– to gather together, to draw closer to God together and to encourage one another. We are shaped by our experiences and by the culture we live in. Meeting together, seeking God together is a big way God wants to shape us - if we don’t make space for him then we’re far more likely to be shaped by things other than God himself. Cos make no mistake we are shaped by the places and situations we live and move in. So, we all need help to follow Jesus, don’t we? to be an apprentice, a disciple. We all need help and support relating our faith in God to everyday life on our frontlines. In this crazy busy world. We need others to help us find a rhythm of life, centred on God and healthily balanced so that we can flourish as human beings – cos ultimately, I think that’s what God wants – for us to flourish even among the pressures and pains of our lives. Here’s what the founder of a similar community, Ray Simpson says: Our desire to simply walk with God is hi-jacked by the competing demands of others, our own egos, data overload and endless pressures from work, family and culture. Unless we identify and prioritise the values by which we evaluate these demands we sink or burn out.’ Ray Simpson, Founder – Community of Aiden and Hilda And here’s what Jesus says in Matthew “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Jesus in Matthew 11: 28-30, The Message PAUSE What we need today is help to walk those unforced rhythms of grace, help to re-orientate our lives, to find rest and God at work in the everyday. So, rather than the approach which says, ‘come to extra meetings’ and then we feel guilty when we just can’t, this is an approach which aims to set us free and to take some burdens off our shoulders as we develop a personal rhythm or way of life. This takes us back to the very early church when, before the name Christian was ever used, followers of Jesus were simply called followers of ‘the way’ – people recognised that they lived in a different way to others, a way which was modelled on Jesus himself. So, the community of soul friends works like this. We have a number of Mentors (which we call soul friends) across the valley, with experience, who will work with people who want help to re-orientate their lives. And the tool to do that is to develop a personal rhythm or way of life based on the 5 Waymarks: So, it’s about taking these 5 marks and applying them to your situation right now, where you are, with the job you’ve got, the family situation you’re in, the health you’re in and so on. Here’s a brief overview of the 5 waymarks: Essentially these are all about making space in our lives for God and for learning to live His way, freed from those things which all too easily control us. 1. Prayer A rhythm of prayer is the bedrock of our life with God. It does not have to be onerous and should not be guilt-inducing, but it does need a shape. The community offers a very simple rhythm of prayer: morning, noon and night which is intended as a starting point and as an aid to creating space for God in the midst of busy lives. What’s important is to learn what works for us as individuals. So, if we already have a pattern that works – great, if not – we’ve a whole range of things which can help The 2nd waymark is Rhythm of work, Rest and re-creation Along with a rhythm of prayer comes a rhythm for the whole of life which includes work & service of God and others as well as times of rest and time for re-creation in our lives. This is like an antidote to the often-hectic nature of 21st century life. So, we ask things like: How can you create space for rest each day, weekly, monthly and annually? What do you find life-giving and energising? What takes away your energy? How can you find space for looking after yourself – body, mind and spirit? The third is Simplicity (of lifestyle) Life can so easily become complicated and cluttered. What in our lives is helpful or unhelpful as we seek to live simpler lives in tune with God. What clutters our spirit? What can we cut out which hinders and de-energises us? What clutters our homes and work spaces? Which relationships bring us life? Which relationships drain us? And so on Then there’s 4. Learning and Growth A Christian is a follower of Jesus, a learner, disciple or apprentice. This is a lifelong relationship and journey in which we never stop learning. How can we learn from: The Bible, others, creation, from other people and so on? How can we create space in our rhythm of life to open ourselves to continued learning and reflection? The final waymark is Mission The pattern Jesus established was one of disciples making more disciples, who then go out, bringing hope to the world in all sorts of ways. How does God want us to make a difference to others on our frontlines and more widely? How can we join in with God’s work in the world? In you daily life? In our church, in our community? And so on These 5 waymarks form a sort of flexible structure which with help we can apply to our own lives as they really are. And our way of life will change as our circumstances change too. So, The Community of Soul Friends is not made up of experts; we're fellow travellers, all following Jesus the best we can, all constantly learning and juggling the demands of life. Rather than piling additional burdens on people, our hope is that this community will be a means by which God takes away some of those burdens and sets us free to truly live. So, I encourage you to look into it, to read the literature, to look at the website and maybe then ask for a soul friend, for a mentor, to walk alongside you on this journey. Finally, let’s take to heart these words of Jesus -cos he speaks them to each and every one of and wants them to take root in our hearts. “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Jesus in Matthew 11: 28-30, The Message How about taking Jesus at his word and learning to live those unforced rhythms of grace?
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AuthorsHere you will find thoughts about life, about rhythm, balance and prayer from community members. Please feel free to make helpful comments. Archives
September 2018
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