Zetland Park Methodist Church Pastoral Letters

Several ‘drops of water’

I read an account of a fantastic occurrence the other day …… simply due to a fall of rain, and how that event changed an earthly landscape into something that folk never thought would happen, in their lifetime.

A barren stretch of earth, famous for its vast extremes of temperature, and renowned for the fact that it did not appear to be able to sustain any life-form, suddenly took on a breath-taking new hue, and all due to a sudden, and it would appear, an unexpected cloud-burst. The effect on the so-called barren surface was to activate long dormant seeds and plants into a profusion of colour that staggered the mind and eye. The names of the plants listed were fantastic; the visual effect was almost overwhelming, and all through the intervention of several ‘drops of water’. This ‘effect’ will last only as long as the water remains as a source of life and energy, and therefore, it will not be that long before the barrenness returns, and the seeds etc. return to a dormant state, until the next time.

Is there a parallel here with the Church and the experience of Pentecost, and beyond?

They had been told ‘to wait’. To wait ‘for the promised gift’.
A name was given to it, but its effect and resultant potential change was never really spelt out ---- the Holy Spirit

The very explosive combination which was loosed on the world on a particular day among a particular group of people, is well documented in Scripture, but, other than the recorded group reaction --- which itself was phenomenal ---- there are no personal stories of change and challenge which would and could focus our own minds on the entire process ---- but maybe, just maybe, this is deliberate, for would it not detract from the wonderful and generous nature of the God we seek to serve?

Saw ye not the cloud arise, little as a human hand?
Now it spreads along the skies, hangs o’er all the thirsty land:
Lo, the promise of a shower drops already from above;
But the Lord will shortly pour all the Spirit of his love!’

HP 781 v. 4 Charles Wesley [1707 – 1788]

So, the cynic will ask, ‘What’s all this to do with me, and my everyday life and living’, and maybe a similar framed question will be uttered from the lips of those who have closer Church connections, as each and all try and wrestle with the complexities of seeking the barest of understandings of the workings of God . But the question remains, ‘What does it means for me?’

Even a casual look at the appropriate part of Scripture in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, will show how representative the affected group were. Here, assembled, was the world in microcosm and that is the first clue. The ‘gift promised ’was not limited to a specific group, nor the sole prerogative of a class or sect, but for the world. This is a point that we as Christian representatives need to grasp and assimilate time after time ----- we are NOT the sole recipients, but part of the much wider generosity of God. By forgetting that, we begin to forget God’s intended purpose of sharing, through us and all the other chosen people, signs of His love, justice and mercy, as we are empowered by this Spirit.

The resultant ‘encounter’ with this God phenomenon was an explosion of ‘gifts’, whereby folk were empowered to share, some in mighty ways, talents and traits which affected those who heard, saw and were party to this wonderful experience. Here was not a situation where folk were ‘jumping on a bandwagon’ and exploiting a given situation, but rather God working through and using those He had chosen, to His praise and glory. The effect of all this, was earth-shattering, and people-changing. Folk who encountered such ‘a watering from the outpouring of the Spirit’ were never the same again.

The ‘Festival of Pentecost’ is upon us again, and unfortunately it never seems to get the same ‘publicity’ as Christmas or even Easter, but yet it could be argued, that in some cases the long-term effects were greater than some of the events celebrated under the other headings. Does the ‘Spirit’ remain active in this day and age? I believe that it does, and I am not saying that simply to ‘keep my job’, but out of a genuine belief that God seeks to work and empower His people, and distributes His Spirit still among those whom He chooses. Yet unlike that ‘shower of rain’ which momentarily affected a desert source, the effect of the ‘Spirit’ is long-lasting, if not permanent. But it can bounce off us, like the effect of rain on a waterproof jacket if we hardened our hearts through fear of possible change to our lives and living.

The God, who has called us, is constantly ‘on the move’ and that for many a Christian is something that cannot be accepted. The ‘security’ of ‘nothing changing’ never has applied to the faith we seek to profess; if we had subscribed to that motif, then we have deluded ourselves and all with whom we have shared.

‘The Spirit lives to set us free Walk,
walk in the light’

So, the challenge I perceive the Church needs to continue to enforce is this:

‘Are we content to stay as we are, and let the Church die, [for that is the only outcome from that approach], or,
be part of a dynamic that grabs hold of each and every opportunity to share that ‘Good News’ of the Risen Christ, and so empowered by the Holy Spirit others will begin to enquire the source of that power’

The Church is not dead, its people are simply sleeping, but that ‘Pentecost effect’ can and could change all that -------- Are you willing to receive?

Shalom,
Malcolm.
April 2005