I am writing this on the eve of Trinity Sunday. In my own Christian tradition this is not a calendar event we would normally celebrate, but it's a time of year I enjoy. Last week we had a great Pentecost Sunday. But there are aspects about both these Sundays that cause me some concern. At the risk of seeming a grumpy old man perhaps I will share these with you. You might or might not agree with me, and I do not wish to offend. But I do want us to be careful how we teach from Scripture.
Let's start with Trinity Sunday. I fear that in the UK most regular church goers have only a weak understanding of what the Trinity means. Creating an occasion at least once a year when some attempt can be made to describe the Trinity and how there can be three persons that remain essentially one is not a bad idea. However, there is a risk that some will be left more confused by our attempts to explain a mystery for which there is no comparison. Certainly the explanation of how something can exist as solid, liquid or gas is not appropriate. For a start the state depends upon the environment in which it exists and that is not true of God. Nor is the Holy Spirit a gas!
Rather than trying to explain the Trinity there is probably better mileage in focussing on the divine nature of Jesus as God the Son or on the Holy Spirit as he (or she) makes actual in our lives all that the Father has purposed and the Son has made possible. Again, I fear that many regular church-goers have a weak grasp of the nature of Jesus Christ and the person of the Holy Spirit.
This brings me to what I see as three myths that relate to Pentecost. The first of these is presenting the first Pentecost as the 'birthday of the Church'. One of my concerns regarding this myth has to do with how we define the Church. My understanding of this is that it is primarily about our commitment to be followers of Jesus and our experience of salvation through his atoning work. Using that criteria Jesus had a Church before the Day of Pentecost. His disciples had been declared cleansed, had received authority from God, had performed miracles, proclaimed the gospel, and had divine revelation, and the assurance of heaven. In Acts 1 there are at least 120 'believers' whom Peter calls 'brothers and sisters'. All of this, in the light of Jesus' comment to Nicodemus in John 3:3 leads me to infer that his followers must have been born again.
Of course, some might want to quote 1Corinthians 12: 13 but we need to be careful not to confuse being baptised into the Body of Christ (i.e. the Church) with the personal baptism in or with the Holy Spirit.
The experience of the disciples on the Day of Pentecost was not a once for all experience. The record of Acts refers to other occasions at Samaria andEphesus and in the home of Cornelius for example. Then there was Saul's experience at Damascus. Furthermore history records countless other occasions when individual Christians have had an initial experience of being filled with or baptised with the Holy Spirit just as Peter declared would happen (see Acts 2: 39).
The second common myth is that on the Day of Pentecost lots of the disciples were preaching the gospel using different languages or tongues. But only Peter is recorded as preaching to the crowd. What people from various countries testified to was hearing believers proclaiming the wonders of God. Writing to the church at Corinth Paul makes clear that when someone speaks in a Spirit-given language they speak to God and not to other people (1 Corinthians 14:2). While the words of Peter were clearly sensible, the utterances in various languages were accompanied with such ecstasy that people thought they were drunk. They were lost in love, worship and praise expressed in languages they had never learned, but which the Spirit enabled them to use.
The third (and my final) myth relates to how people speak about the Holy Spirit as if it is not God himself (or herself). Yes, there are descriptions of the experience of receiving the Holy Spirit as a gift (see Luke 11:13; Acts 2:38; Acts 10: 45). We clearly receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as a charism or gift but the gift is God himself. This is profound and to present it otherwise is to do a great disservice to God.
For the days in which we live we need the fullness of God in our lives. As Paul exhorts the Christians at Ephesus we need to be continually being filled with the Holy Spirit for our lives to be holy, our relationships to be right, and our witness to be with power. Let us never fall short of such an ideal for success in our services for God come not from overworking but from overflowing.
In the News for Praise & Prayer
Last Thursday I had a routine colonoscopy, the third in a series since the removal of a large polyp in 2008. All three have proved clear and they have now taken me off a critical watch list. This follows an amazing gastroscopy a few weeks ago which revealed that a condition of Barrett's Oesophagus had disappeared. Barretts can develop into Oesophagul cancer in some cases and for several years I have been part of a national trial combining esomeprazole with asprin. Various levels and combinations are being tested and I have been on the maximum dosage. While I am delighted in the outcome so far I am more delighted if my part in the trial offers better hope for others with Barretts.
So I give thanks to God for such a measure of good health. I still have a problem with plantar fasciitis which makes walking or standing for long periods painful. But that's getting noticeably better also.
I value prayer for Doreen, my wife. Over recent months she has had digestive problems and appointments to see specialist are a long way off. It is difficult to see her in daily distress. However, despite this and the problem she has with peripheral neuropathology she continues to be very active. Please also continue your prayers for my colleague, Monica (news updates are here).
Last Thursday I led the Communion Service at HMP Gartree attended by 30 men. With a prison population of under 700 the prison is in many ways like a small village. Many small villages would be surprised to get a mid-week attendance of that size. Please pray for the Chaplaincy team. We are still praying for a replacement Anglican chaplain.
Sunday 31st May I will be taking the Sunday Service at HMP Gartree when we will be exploring how God draws us into a relationship with himself.
I have been busy over recent days preparing for a meeting of Sunrise Ministries Trustees on Monday 8th June. I also have a considerable amount of work still to do for Action for Christ. There are several other requests that have come in so i value your prayers on managing the diary.
Other activities coming up include HMP Gartree on Tuesday, a Bible Discussion Meeting on Thursday and an Area Executive Meeting for the Congregational Federation on Friday. I am at Yelvertoft on Sunday 7th and expect to be in Northern Ireland for much of the following week.
Thank you sincerely for your fellowship and support.
Barry
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