A FEAST FOR PENTECOST : 4pm, Sunday 8 June
After a rainy Saturday night and a very uncertain
Sunday , with dark rain clouds gathering from 11 am, the sky cleared
at ten to four, and the sun came out. People started gathering just
before 4pm. Expectations
What did Church Leaders expect from this
event? What were their hopes and aspirations? I asked some of them
just before the event started.
David Kingsley - Chairman of Churches Together in Cirencester
"David,
can you tell us what you're expecting from the celebration today?"
David: "Good
weather, good fellowship, a time of worship and praise for all the
churches in the town; a time for them to come together in unity so
that we can enjoy being together as the family of God; one kingdom
community growing together in this town. We want to see the Holy
Spirit come and minister to us this afternoon through the worship
band and through the speaking and through the prayers and we're
going to be asking God to come and change us and to move us and to
fill our hearts again on this Pentecost Sunday as we all come
together as one." Revd Nigel Ford, Pastor,
Cirencester Baptist Church.
"I'm hoping that we're going to have a really good
number of Christians here from the churches. It would be great, too,
if we managed to draw in some others who are just here for a
pleasant afternoon. What are my hopes? For the Christians, that we
might have a greater sense of being together for God's purposes in
this town; that we might get to know each other a little better; and
that we might have a clearer view of what God wants for Cirencester
and for the district. And for others who are just here, that they
might meet the Lord for themselves." Revd Michael St
John-Channell, Vicar and Rural Dean of Cirencester
"I want people to come and be happy together,
because it's a celebration of all the things that we've been doing
together and of growing closer together as Christians. We also
celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit, so that God gives us
strength, courage and encouragement to look outwards and get people
to come and know Jesus Christ. We are here to celebrate and to
witness together."
Envoy Susan Waters, Salvation Army, Cirencester
"Well I think it is the unity between all the
churches where we can come together in a social event and yet
worship the Lord together as one. Although I've only been here for
about a year, things are really moving within the church."
The Three Hundred
I counted 290+ men, women and children, and there
were probably a few that I missed because they were sitting behind
somebody, or playing just out of my sight, or even climbing the
trees! So let's call it 300. The sun was shining and people were
peacefully enjoying and sharing their picnics.
- PT Address by Revd Nigel Ford, Pastor of Cirencester
Baptist Church
It is Pentecost Day, and we had that reading from
Acts 2. If you were really listening, you will have heard three days
mentioned, and I want to speak briefly about each of the three days.
First of all, there is the day of Pentecost.
That's the day that we're marking today. And it was a truly
remarkable occasion, that first Pentecost day. The disciples had
been hiding away behind locked doors for fear of the Jews, and
suddenly when the holy spirit came, they were transformed, they were
completely changed. As Michael has already said, it was the birth
day of the church. We are told there was a sound like
a mighty rushing wind - we can imagine that, this afternoon! And then
what seemed to be tongues of fire cam and rested on people. Then,
amazingly, people who could only speak one language were given the gift
supernaturally by the power of the Holy Spirit, to speak in other
tongues that others who were gathered in that place might hear the good
news of God.
The day of Pentecost a truly remarkable day.
Secondly, I want to speak about the Day of the Lord, because that
came at the end of the bible passage, the great and the glorious day of
the Lord. Peter spoke about it when he was quoting from the prophesy of
Joel. Sometimes people say to me. why doesn't God do
something about the evil world in which we live. And we don't have to
look too far to think about the nature of our world and the difficulties
in our world. I'm sure that you, like me, have been captivated by the
pictures of young Ali Abbas from the war in Iraq; the little lad who was
so badly injured, and who has become an icon for that conflict. It was
great to on TV this week, pictures of him beginning his slow path to
recovery. But it's tragic, too, to see what the evil of war has done.
And as the continuing story if Iraq unfolds, and the mass graves are
being discovered, we are reminded of the presence of evil in our world.
And people say, 'Well, why doesn't God do something
about it?' Well, you know that scripture says that God is
going to do something about it, there will come a decisive end to
human history. And when that end point comes, all the wrongs of this
world will be righted and the injustices will be seen to. In many
respects, it's going to be a great occasion when Jesus comes again.
John, in his prophecy in the book of Revelation, speaks about the new
heaven and the new earth that are coming, where there will be no more
mourning and no more death, and no more crying or sickness and pain; but
there will be a new heaven and a new earth. The world will be restored
to the way God intended it to be.
You know, that great and glorious Day of the Lord
will be a decisive day, too. It will mark the end of the other day,
that I want to speak about briefly. It's the "day" that comes in the
middle, the long "day" of opportunity, what Peter describes as the
"Last Days". We're living in those last days right
now. These are the last days between Jesus' first coming and the giving
of the Holy Spirit, and the final coming of Jesus when the kingdom of
God will be established finally and fully in all its beauty and all its
power.
So, we're living in these last days, days of
opportunity, days of the Holy Spirit. The days when the prophet Joel
said that the Holy Spirit would be poured out, not just a slight
smattering but an absolute deluge, the Holy Spirit coming. Days of
opportunity - nobody likes to miss an opportunity, do they? Well, I
don't want us to miss the days of opportunity that God has opened
for us.
Who is the opportunity for? Peter makes that really
clear - the opportunity is for absolutely everyone! The Holy Spirit
is being poured out on absolutely everyone - on men and women, so
there's no gender divide; on the young and the old, so there is no
age divide, even on the servants, so there is no social status
divide. This gift of God is for everyone! What
is the opportunity?
Firstly, the opportunity is to know God, to know
him, and to come into a relationship with him. The Bible sys that no
one has seen God, but Jesus has made him known. To understand
completely about the person of Jesus and to understand his
significance in human history, what we need is the Holy Spirit, we
need the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit opens our eyes,
the eyes of our hearts, to know God in that deep sense. I wonder if
you know God today? To those of you who can hear me, can I ask you
that question? Do you know God? I'm not asking you if you know about
him, but do you know him? Because that's the opportunity that
exists in these last days - to come into a knowledge of who Jesus
is, and the significance of his life, and his death, and his rising
again. That we might come into that relationship with God.
So firstly the day of opportunity is the opportunity
to know God. Secondly, the opportunity is to join in
with what God is doing in our world. Jesus was talking to his disciples,
and he said, "When I go away, you're going to do even greater things
than I have done, because I am going back to the Father." And what he
was saying to them is that the Holy Spirit was going to come and empower
them to do God's work. Not greater in terms of quality, but certainly
greater in terms of quantity. Jesus, when he was on earth, was only ever
able to be in one place at one time; but we are the salt and light of
the earth, and we can be in so many places, doing God's work with him
and for him.
Do you know, that excites me, as we think about
being believers together in this place where God has set us. You
know, God invites us to come and to be his agents in this place, in
Cirencester and district. And not only does he invite us to join in
with his work, but he says I will empower you to do that work too.
You will do what I have been doing. You will bring the kingdom in,
ever more fully.
You should have a leaflet with the heading, "What
Next?" Many Christians are asking in these days, certainly in this
community, "What comes after this? We are so excited about what God
is doing among us, drawing us closer together." And isn't it great
that we're here together in one place, today. You'll see on that
leaflet something about the Market Towns Health Check. You might be
wondering what on earth is that doing there? Well, quite simply,
we're asking the question, is this a healthy place to be? And yes,
there are lots of things about Cirencester; it's a lovely place to
live, it's a to8urist destination, and there are a lot of pretty
places around. But I wonder how healthy it is in God's estimation?
How healthy is it in Jesus' estimation? Would he give us a clean
bill of health?
As Christian leaders, and as many Christians
together, we're praying about opportunity not only to preach and to
proclaim God's word, but actually to demonstrate the kingdom of God
in this place where God has set us. And I wonder, as that Market
Towns Health Check process goes through, whether we're going to
discover opportunities together, where we might be involved more
actively together for the kingdom of God.
So we're invited by God to join in with his work, to
be his \gents, and to appreciate and to experience his power, as we
seek to love and to serve him in this place that he's called us.
And you know, finally it's an opportunity, this
great day of opportunity, as the Holy Spirit is being poured out, to
become ever more like Jesus; to be transformed. That's a great
promise, isn't it, to be changed.
One of the great hymns of old says, "To be changed
from glory into glory, 'til in heaven we see his face." You know,
that's the business God is involved in; none of us is completely the
person they want us to be, and none of us is completely as God wants
us to be. But God promises, by the gift of his Holy Spirit, to be at
work in us. As we give ourselves to him, as we have that
relationship with him, through Jesus, as we receive his Holy Spirit
then we are transformed, bit by bit, into his likeness.
People say that you become a bit like the pet that you own; owners are like their dogs. I used to have an
assistant who used to work with me.
The Holy Spirit is in the business of making us like
Jesus, like him. So many of us, in our lives, pursue pleasure as if
that itself is the answer to the deepest hunger that we have within
us. And we go after all the things that we think might make us
happy. God says to us today, "Will you come to me? Will you come to
me?" Jesus says, "Come to me, because my burden is light, my yoke is
easy; come to me. Let me show you what living is really all about."
You know, Jesus said, come that you might have life, and life in all its
fullness. And he was speaking about life in the Spirit; life by the
power of God's Spirit.
My prayer is that, as we go on together as Christians Together in this
town, that God would deepen our relationship with Him, that God would
show us how, together, we might be involved in working for His kingdom;
seeing His kingdom come ever more fully. And that as we discover His
heart, his will and his purpose, and we get about the work of his
kingdom in this place, that we would find ourselves being transformed.
Transformed by the power of His Holy Spirit.
These are the days of opportunity. The Apostle Paul says, "Make the most
of every opportunity". Are we going to make the most of these days of
opportunity? Are we going to welcome all that God of wanting to do
among us? Are we earnestly seeking today, in 2003, a fresh infilling of
his Holy Spirit, that we might be about his work together? In a moment
the band will lead us in a simple song, inviting the Holy Spirit to
come: Come, Holy Spirit; come bread of heaven; come word of mercy. As we
sing that song, let's make it our individual prayer, that God would come
again with power, that we might be the people he intends in this place.
Now, it may just be that, you haven't a clue what I'm talking about this
afternoon. So, don't be afraid to ask. If you're not clear about what
I'm speaking about, if you're not clear about having a relationship with
God through Jesus, and you don't know what the person of the Holy Spirit
is all about, why don't you go and ask somebody who is sat near you? I
know that they'd be really pleased to share with you more about it.
Before the band comes, let's pray.
"Lord, we've heard that on that first Pentecost day, all the believers
were together in the same place. We are so glad to be together in the
same place today. Christians from across this town and district;
Christians from across the many denominations we represent; Christians
joined together with a love for Jesus, and a desire to see the kingdom
of God coming ever more fully, here where you've placed us. So we
pray, fill us afresh with your Holy Spirit. Come Holy Spirit; come among
us, come among us in power, that we might be the people you intend, and
to do the work that you have for us to do.
This we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. "
Revd Nigel Ford. |
