Month: May 2020

Acts 2.1-13

Have you ever been in a situation where everyone else was speaking in a language you didn’t understand? I remember once walking in Rome at nightfall, free from daytime tourists, and hearing only Italian all around me – it was slightly disorientating! Now imagine that situation, but compounded by multiple languages. (Perhaps the closest equivalent today would be a multicultural city such as London.) That was the scene in Jerusalem during Pentecost, aka the Feast of Weeks, a Jewish holiday held seven weeks after Passover, with Jews from around the world gathering to celebrate.

In the midst of this bumbling chaos suddenly comes piercing through a recognisable sound. In fact, it’s someone speaking… English [or insert your native language here]! Like an ultra-sensitive radar picking up on a clear signal, the myriad of pilgrims hear and comprehend someone testifying about ‘God’s deeds of power’ (v.11) in their own languages. If you’d been there, you’d probably have been “amazed” and “astonished” and “perplexed” too! (vv.7,12)

This particular Pentecost was thoroughly abnormal. This wasn’t what usually happened. And it’s clear from the start of the passage, as we are made privy to the apostles’ thoughts and experience, that they too were aware this was no ordinary moment either. They knew that according to Jesus they were waiting to ‘be baptized with the Holy Spirit’ (1.5), to ‘receive power when the Holy Spirit [comes] upon [them]’ (1.8). I suspect they weren’t expecting to experience the magnitude of Holy Spirit’s power in the form of wind and fire! Imagine if they’d just had the experience without the knowledge, or vice versa – how incomplete that would have been. It was the combination of both that was life-changing.

Notice that when Holy Spirit fills them, the physical manifestations come ‘from heaven’ (v.2), i.e. beyond us and from God. But it’s not kept a secret, nor is it only for their own benefit. Instead, the ability to speak in a multitude of languages is for the Jews ‘from every nation under heaven’ (v.5). This wasn’t purely for the sake of showing off; this was God reaching from heaven, to them under heaven, communicating in ways they understood. In the same way, God still reaches from heaven, to us under heaven, communicating in ways we understand.

A quick word on the contentious issues in this passage: Some make a distinction between “glossolalia” (angelic languages) and “xenolalia” (natural languages), and argue for either/or. Others debate whether or not this was a “miracle of speaking” (the apostles miraculously speaking in other languages) or a “miracle of hearing” (the Jews miraculously hearing what was said in other languages). At the end of the day, however, I think what’s most important is the fact that this was a miracle, this was God’s empowering and equipping of the apostles by His Spirit, and this was God reaching down and communicating to people from all nations!

Let me end by sharing a testimony from when I was on a week-long mission trip in London a few years ago.

On the first day, my team was tasked to write a prophetic song of blessing to sing over the tower blocks in the neighbourhood. We visited three tower blocks over the week, and at each one, we went up to the top storey (10th), knocked on the doors of the four flats and sang our song, hoping that people would listen to and be blessed by it. Then we’d go down a storey (9th) and sing it again. Then the 8th, 7th, and so on. Not everyone opened their doors, but a few did. And in each tower block, there was at least one person visibly moved to tears whom we also got to pray for. One of these was a man from Morocco, and we got to share with him that this was Holy Spirit touching his life.

Fast forward to the fun day we hosted at the end of the week when this same Moroccan man showed up and shared what had actually happened: ‘I heard the knock on my door but I had no intention of opening it. But then I heard the song… and it was in my own language! I thought to myself, “Who’s singing that?! I know of no one around here who comes from my country.” When I saw you guys, I knew then that this was a miracle!’

Keep in mind, we were singing in English! Yes, it was a miracle of hearing, but most significantly, it shows that our God is still a loving God who intimately sees, knows about and pursues each individual, communicating directly to our hearts in ways we understand.

Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Holy Spirit to us on earth 2,000 years ago at that history-defining, life-changing Pentecost. May we know and experience your Spirit with us to a greater degree. Thank you for empowering and equipping us to testify about Jesus to those around us from every nation. You are a God who continues to love, pursue and communicate with us. Just like you spoke through the apostles then, would you also speak through us today. Fill us with your Spirit anew. In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.

Acts 1.1-11

Here in these first verses of Luke we see Jesus ascending to rule from heaven. As he goes, he sends his disciples to witness in the world, promises to send them his Spirit, and we are assured that he will return again.

At the start of our passage, Luke recaps what has come before in the gospel of Luke. We remember Jesus’ miracles, his teaching, his perfect life. Luke reminds us of Jesus’ suffering in our place, bearing our sin and freeing us. We remember that Jesus was raised to life and showed himself to his disciples. Luke particularly emphasises the confidence they had that Jesus was really alive: as he gave ‘many convincing proofs’ that he was really alive.

Luke records for us one of many instructions Jesus gave in these 40 days after the resurrection. ‘Stay in Jerusalem and wait for the promised Holy Spirit.’

Luke also records a question that seems rather out of place to us: “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel”? Will Israel be free of Roman rule to live in the promised land? 

Jesus’ answer is, basically, no. This is not the time. This is not the time for the evil powers of the world to be broken and humbled. This is not the time for God’s people to be vindicated in the sight of the world. That day will come.

And Jesus’ focus is wider than Israel – Jesus’ work is not just the restoration of Israel, but the welcoming in of people from every people and language into the people of God as they believe the message of the apostles.

So Jesus says, wait for the Spirit, then go and tell the world about me. Be my witnesses. Testify to what you have seen and heard.

And then, before their eyes, Jesus is lifted up into the sky until he is out of sight. As Peter will say in chapter 2, he is ‘exalted to the right hand of the Father.’ He is taken into heaven to rule as king. But suddenly, the disciples’ gawking at the clouds is interrupted by two men. They tell them that Jesus will return in the same way that he has left. The ascension is temporary – one day, he will come on the clouds of heaven to judge the world, establish his kingdom and save his people.

So what good news that even the resurrection is not the end of the story. Having dealt with sin and overcome death, Jesus ascends to heaven. There he will be the head of a global church that is filled with the Spirit to witness to him. From there he will return in power and glory to put all things right.

May we hold on to this certain hope, resisting the lie that human effort will fix the world or that this life of pain and suffering is all that there is. We all know the struggle of waiting for a painful situation to be over, especially when the timing of that end is uncertain. But how much easier to endure when we know that this is not forever.

Jesus ascends to heaven and gives the Spirit, that means he is not restricted to one place on earth, as he was during his ministry. Now he is the head of a global church, made of people from every nation and language who have believed the message of his witnesses. How easy it is for us to look down at our feet and just focus on the next step rather than look around to see the landscape of all that God is doing in the world.

As we read on in Acts, we find that Jesus is intimately involved in the life of his church. So that when he confronts Paul on the road to Damascus he can say ‘why are you persecuting me’. In ascending to heaven, Jesus is not retreating from us or our pain. By the Holy Spirit Jesus is so close to his church that as we are persecuted, so is he. 

Now that Jesus is ascended to rule in heaven, the apostles are messengers from the King. The people of the world are not free to worship their own gods and live their own way. There is a king who is the rightful ruler over every person, and he is calling us all to trust and obey him.

Jesus has ascended to heaven to rule. Now he fills his people with his Spirit, sends us out to witness to him and prepares to return in glory and power.

May we be thankful for the gift of the Spirit.

May we be empowered to share the message about Jesus from here to the ends of the earth. 

May we be full of hope for the day that Jesus returns.

Let’s pray.

Father, thank you that we have such a wonderful saviour. We are so glad that Jesus died for us and rose to life and is now ruling in power from heaven. Help us to be thankful for the Spirit he gives to us. Empower us by that Spirit to tell people from every language and nation about our king. Fill us with hope for his return in power and glory to put all things right.
Amen.

Luke 24. 36-53

We have a phrase in the UK: “I’ll believe it when I see it”, or we describe something that is extreme as it having to be seen to be believed. Our culture has bound together the idea that things that are so incomprehensible or unbelievable must be seen by us as an individual to prove that they are true. That’s part of the reason why having a faith is so counter-cultural – how can we believe something that we cannot see, in the flesh, that we cannot touch and hold, that is not backed up by rigorous testing? Instead we are, as the writer of Hebrews put it: “sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”.

The disciples certainly found themselves faced with the incomprehensible and unbelievable in today’s passage – the risen Jesus. What I find encouraging about this passage is that the disciples needed to see Jesus to believe that he had really risen from the dead and the text does not shy away from this or from their doubts. 

The disciples are already gathered together and are talking about Simon and Cleopas having seen the risen Jesus on the road to Emmaus, they are probably confused, excited and fearful all at the same time. Then, out of nowhere, Jesus suddenly appears and says “peace be with you” – no knock at the door, no advance notice of his arrival.

Jesus knows exactly what their first thoughts are: that they are startled and terrified, that they are doubtful that it is really Him, that they must instead be seeing a ghost. We could see Jesus’ question to the disciples as frustrated: “why are you frightened and why do doubts arise in your hearts?”, after all Jesus did explain to them multiple times that the Son of Man would be raised on the third day, and here He is, as planned. Instead though, I see this question as bringing their emotions and feelings to the surface – He knows they are frightened (presumably some of them may have even outwardly shown it when he appeared in the room!) but He also knows their inmost being, that doubts are arising in their hearts, that the only reasonable explanation they have is that Jesus must be a ghost, so they doubt the story of Simon and Cleopas and they doubt what is before their eyes.

Where Jesus had previously vanished at the point of recognition in His appearance on the road to Emmaus, this time He stays put to allay their fears, disprove their doubts and give them instructions on what to do next. Jesus allows them to touch him, to physically feel that he is not a ghost, He shows them His hands and feet, where the wounds from the crucifixion would be obvious and apparent. 

Verse 41 then says “While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering”, the disciples still can’t get their heads around what they are seeing and what this means. If Jesus is really here and is not a ghost then what has happened? The wounds on his hands and feet show that He was crucified but, if he was, how is he now physically here? So many questions! Jesus knows that they are both excited at the prospect of this being true at the same time as not being sure if it is true, He eats a piece of fish to cement his physical existence and then opens their minds to understand the scriptures, to understand the words He spoke to them so many times when He was with them but they did not and could not fully understand at the time. He tells them that they are the witnesses that the scriptures are true, they have seen the suffering of the Messiah first hand and they have seen Him risen from the dead in person – they have witnessed the incomprehensible and unbelievable. 

This passage reminds me that it’s OK for us to have doubts, Jesus can cope with this and He can handle our honest thoughts. In fact, He is incredibly gracious with our doubts and disbelief. It also reminds me that we are not black and white as Christians – in general we are not either living totally in faith with no doubts, or totally in unbelief with no faith, instead the journey of faith is a complex grey where we are spurred on by our faith and wrestle with our doubts often side-by-side. We, like the disciples, can be in joy as well as still wondering and disbelieving. And it is encouraging that God chose to build His Church through people like these and chose to dwell within them by sending His Holy Spirit which we’ll come to in the devotionals over the next few days.

Let’s pray.

God, thank you for this passage where the unbelievable and miraculous was witnessed by the disciples. That you that this is what our hope is built on, that Jesus was raised from the dead and that repentance and the forgiveness of sins is available to us in His name. Thank you that the disciples were obedient in their witness and that we have their testimony to spur us on in our faith. Help us Lord where we have doubts or disbelief in our hearts, instead of trying to hide these from you or believing that we don’t have enough faith, help us to bring these doubts to you, to be honest in our thinking and reasoning. Alongside this, we pray for an increase in faith and an increase in our ability to trust in what we do not see.
Amen.

Luke 24.13-35

If I said to you ‘the Queen has arrived in Durham’, you probably wouldn’t believe me. You might ask if I actually saw her, what she looked like, what she was wearing. But if I only said ‘I saw her guards and her royal car’ you likely wouldn’t believe that the Queen was definitely here. Even though all the signs point to that assumption, why would she be here? You might even go to look at the scene and find it odd, but you wouldn’t change your daily routine just in case the Queen was, in fact, in Durham.

This is where we find two of Jesus’ followers as they walk on the road to Emmaus. They’ve been told that Jesus has risen and that two angels confirmed it, and your most trusted friends even saw his linen cloths. All signs, no certainty for you. Not enough to change your plan of going where you want to go.

But soon they’re in the physical company of a man who wants to involve himself in their journey and conversation. They cannot believe that this man has no idea what’s been going on, the huge political event that nearly caused riots and ended with a savage death sentence of an innocent. Verse 21 explains their forlorn: They had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel.

Hoped, not hope. They don’t feel hope anymore, it’s the third day when they hoped something was going to change, but they’re just going about their business still. Yes there have been some oddities surrounding the events at the tomb, but no certainty. It’s ironic that these followers of Jesus are explaining their hopelessness to Jesus’ face without realising it’s Him, but I think we do that as well.

How does this sentence end for you: I had hoped that He was the one to…

For me it’s been, I had hoped that He was the one to bring my friend to faith, I had hoped that He was the one to pull me out of a repetitive sin, I had hoped, and now I don’t.

Next, Jesus shows us three things:

1) We are foolish – foolish to give up hope

2) We are slow of heart to believe – we find it hard to believe in God or His works sometimes

3) What happened to make us lose hope was necessary – for some reason God allowed it or worked it that way, for a purpose. Perhaps to strengthen us, to reveal our faithlessness, to make us more reliant on him. Either way God will work it for good, for His glory, which is necessary

Next, He shows us, when we feel hopeless and forlorn, we should REMIND ourselves of all the scriptures, the things concerning Jesus. God’s word, God’s history, God’s working in the world is where we find hope.

After all this teaching, this incredible but seemingly random encounter, it looks like it’s coming to an end when it seems like they’re going separate ways. But the men want more, so they invite Jesus in. They invite him into one of the most precious and special places they can offer: the place where they’re staying, resting, eating. They invite Jesus to share with them, to join in a meal with them. This was special in those days, it showed fellowship, respect, and humility to share supplies.

Jesus went in and ate with them, and they with he.

It was only when Jesus blessed the food, and in association, blessed them that their eyes were opened to see it was really Jesus in front of them. Sometimes we can be introspective and focus on our own hurt and hopelessness, and sometimes we can read the scriptures passively without actually letting God in. But it’s when we invite God into the precious areas of our lives, when we share things with Him, that He blesses us with his presence and opens our eyes to what He’s been doing all along.

But then Jesus disappeared from the scene. I wonder if this is because it was no longer necessary for him to be with his followers physically. He had taught them what to do with hopelessness, he had blessed them, and he restored their faith and their hope in him because they saw the resurrected Jesus. And of course, they did what we all naturally do when we are taught, blessed, and restored by God – they went out and encouraged others. We can’t contain what wasn’t meant to be restrained, so they go and testify of the resurrected Jesus and His work to the disciples.

Let’s learn what this passage shows us about not losing hope, how to deal with it when we do, and how to respond when our hope is restored, which it will be when we encounter God.

Let’s pray:

Lord Jesus, thank you that you are the source of hope and with you, God, there is no room for hopelessness. Lord God, we are foolish and slow of heart to believe, help us not to be. Lord, change our hearts so that our first instinct in all situations is to trust and hope in you. Father help those who are struggling with hopelessness right now, help them to let you in when that’s difficult. And for those of us who are witnessing teaching, blessing and restoration from you now, help us to encourage one another, to encourage those who are struggling Lord. Thank you that because of your Holy Spirit, you are always with us, and you will always enter deeper into our hearts when we invite you in.
Amen.

Luke 24.1-12

‘Fake news.’

What a buzzword that has become in our world.

Add a hashtag, and it becomes an easy putdown to that irritating social media post. Nope – not having that – moving on! Add a question mark, and it becomes a concerned reply to that questionable article that your mum keeps sending to the family WhatsApp group. Where does that information come from, Mum, and how reliable is it?

In the end, it’s about trust. Do I trust the message? And do I trust the messenger?

That is what the followers of Jesus in Luke’s account of the resurrection are wrestling with. 

Who, and what, do I trust, when the world is falling apart and my heart is breaking and nothing, nothing seems to make sense anymore?

This is the devastated state in which the women return to the tomb. They have watched, from a distance, as Jesus – their rabbi, their Messiah – has been humiliated and crucified. They have seen his body laid, broken and defeated, in the tomb. In sorrow, they have prepared spices and ointments. They have rested on the Sabbath – although, you wonder how much rest they have actually had. And now they come, to mourn for Jesus, and to honour him in death.

And their world is turned upside down.

There is no body. Instead, the women find two men in dazzling clothes, who tell them that Jesus is risen, as he foretold.

The messengers are remarkable – miraculous, even. The message is no less so. 

Fake news? Or could it possibly, gloriously, incredibly, be true? 

Astounded, the women return and relay what has happened to the disciples – in hope? In belief? In fear? One thing is clear – whatever has happened, it is undeniably different to what they, in their grief, had anticipated. They journeyed to the tomb in the shadow of death – they return, with words of life.

The response – from those that they know and love, but from those that are as broken-hearted as they were? ‘An idle tale.’ It cannot be possible. Fake news. The disciples can believe neither the message, nor the messengers.

Something, though, has kindled in Peter. A spark of hope. He runs to the tomb – there are no angels, now, but the body is gone. Could it possibly be true? He leaves, amazed.

Who do you trust, Peter? What do you trust in?

Later in this chapter, Jesus will appear to his followers, literally embodying first-hand the evidence of the incredible miracle. But let us linger here, when he has not yet arrived. Where, in this moment – or in our own circumstances – or in our faith – do we stand?

Do we rejoice – believe and act upon the message of hope that is given to us? Do we close ourselves off, and say ‘some things are not possible’? Do we, like Peter, race to see for ourselves – to seek truth for the things that we cannot yet comprehend?

Who do we trust? What do we trust in?

Jesus’ followers in this passage must wait for him to appear to them in the flesh – and now, so must we. But as we look forward to Pentecost, let us be reminded of the truth that by the Holy Spirit within us, we can always turn to Him, come to Him, run to Him, as the women and Peter did thousands of years ago. Even when the Message seems remarkable, we can always turn to the Messenger, the Messiah – and ask for His aid, His wisdom, and His love.

Let’s pray.

God, in a world full of noise and claim and counter-claim, we long for truth. Help us to learn to hear, learn to know, and learn to trust Your still, small voice and the message of hope and life that it brings.
Amen.

John 16:16-33

Today we continue listening with the disciples to Jesus’ farewell discourse. Unlike when the disciples first heard it, though, we have the benefit of hindsight. Jesus was telling his disciples about how he would soon be returning to the Father, though he promised to send the Spirit, the Helper, who would somehow be better for them, when he did. The disciples were, quite understandably, struggling to comprehend what all of this would mean and were concerned that Jesus wouldn’t be with them much longer. Jesus says in 16:6, ‘but because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.’

In verses 16-33, however, Jesus promises that this sorrow will not last forever. Referring to his death and resurrection, he says he will go away for a little while, but then they will see him again. In verse 20, he says ‘truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy.’

While the world rejoices, while it seems to have triumphed and celebrates in its victory, the disciples will be left downcast in sorrowful defeat. But not for long. At the start of this passage, Jesus’ words to them rattle and hum in our ears. A little while, a little while, a little while. Like a musical leitmotif in an intricately crafted score, it calls to mind the significance of what has gone before and stirs our anticipation of what’s about to come. 

‘A little while’ is a phrase which recalls the promises of the prophets – multiple times God’s judgement on those who looked like they had triumphed in rebellion against him (Ps 37:10, Hos 1:4, Jer 51:33) and God’s salvation for his faithful people (Hag 2:6; Isa 10:25, 29:17-19, Ezek 11:16-17) is promised to be in ‘a little while’. 

Most poignantly for this moment perhaps, we should hear Judah’s song of victory from Isaiah 26 echoing in our ears: 

‘Like a woman with child,
who writhes and cries out in her pangs
when she is near her time,
so were we because of you, O Lord;
we were with child, we writhed,
but we gave birth only to wind.
We have won no victories on earth,
and no one is born to inhabit the world.

Isaiah 26.17-18

Judah admits her failure, she has failed as God’s agent of deliverance for the world. Yet, the hope of salvation, resurrection and glory is coming – in a little while. 

Your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise.
O dwellers in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
For your dew is a radiant dew,
and the earth will give birth to those long dead.
Come, my people, enter your chambers,
and shut your doors behind you;
hide yourselves for a little while
until the wrath is past. 

Isaiah 26.19-20

For a little while the disciples will not see Jesus, he will take God’s wrath upon himself at the cross and be shut up in a chamber, a stone rolled to shut the door behind him. But this time the birth pangs are not futile; this time the greatest victory is won. New creation is born. In a little while the wrath was past, the dead would live, for his corpse would rise and the dwellers in the dust would sing for joy! As the morning dew glistened on the first Easter Sunday it would surely be with a flood of vivid colour as Mary Magdalene’s world turned from grey grief to radiant joy as the risen Lord Jesus called her name. 

Jesus overcame the world at his resurrection. He is triumphant; risen, ascended and enthroned. 

That means, in verse 22, that our hearts may rejoice and no one will take this joy from us.

Have you ever had that feeling, as a moment of joy has swept over you, when suddenly a swell of fear rears up – ‘everything is going so well at the moment, something bad must be about to happen. Surely this is too good to be true.’ Apparently that feeling is more common than you might imagine. Brené Brown calls it ‘foreboding joy’. 

When our lives are limited to the immanent, when this world is all there is, joy is a dangerous place to be in, because the only way to go from there is down. But when our ultimate joy is lifted from the immanence of this world and set instead on what is imperishable, well, then we may have freedom to feel joy without fear now and even have peace in tribulation, for the only way for us to go is onward to final glory. The thread of our lives will at times pass through grief, but it is tied securely to the one enthroned in new creation – where our champion has gone, we will follow. By the Spirit he has given to us, there we are even now, united to him. (Eph 2:6)

In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul wrote ‘So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. 17 For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, 18 because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.’

Jesus promised that in the world the disciples would have tribulation. But take heart, for he has overcome the world. We have been given a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. (1 Peter 1:3-4). In him we have peace, with joy, through tribulation. 

Let’s pray.

Father, in this passage, Jesus says you love us because we have loved and believed in Jesus. And so we may approach you now, in him, directly. Thank you that in Jesus’ death and resurrection he overcame the world. Thank you that you have given us your Spirit and that we have a sure, certain, and secure hope in you – that nothing and no one can take this joy from us. Help us to rejoice in you today, knowing your peace even in the midst of our tribulations.
In Jesus name, amen. 

John 15.26-16.15

It was my first ever Brownie Pack Holiday. Sleeping away from home without my parents was quite the ordeal for little 7 year old me, in fact, I’m not sure it had ever happened before. I didn’t want my mum to go and leave me there. I was trying to be brave but my lip started to quiver and my eyes started to moisten. But of course, it was better for my mum to go. Although in the moment, I would have loved her to take me with her but I would have soon felt left out and upset. It was so much better that I stayed, because I soon forgot my worries and threw myself into the time away. It was for my good that my mum went away.

In the passage we read today, Jesus tells his disciples that He will be leaving them soon. They are filled with grief, sadness and fear at the idea of their beloved leader, mentor and friend leaving them so soon. They’d only had 3 years together, their ministry was thriving. People were being healed, demons cast out, the hungry fed. Surely there was so much yet to do. Why was Jesus leaving so soon?

Jesus says to the disciples: ‘is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.’ Jesus is going to leave them, but he promises to give them the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit.

It is a beautiful but mind blowing truth that we are better off now than the disciples were when they walked, talked, laughed, ate and served alongside the person of Jesus. They witnessed Jesus perform incredible miracles, they enjoyed intimate times in his presence, they were taught, encouraged and challenged by him face to face. And yet, it was good for them for Jesus to go away. Because they would receive the Holy Spirit.

Is that how it feels for you? I don’t know about you, but I’d leap at the opportunity to see Jesus doing his ministry, to even have a conversation with him, spend time eating a meal with Him. But the reality is, that, with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we are even closer to Jesus now than if we were reclining around the dinner table with Him. What a joy, what an incredible truth!

But Jesus doesn’t tell the disciples this to make them feel warm and fuzzy on the inside, rather than grieving for his soon departure. Jesus tells them this to keep them from stumbling. He warns them that they will be thrown out of the synagogue; that there will be a time when people will think that they are doing a service to God by killing them. He warns them that life is not going to be easy, far from it, but he promises them that they will have a Helper.

Jesus also says that the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit sheds light on the lies and deceptions of this world, and reveals that which is true. Jesus says that he will prove the world to be wrong about sin, righteousness and judgment. The Holy Spirit will guide the disciples into truth and He guides us into truth as well. Because ultimately, the Holy Spirit goes out from the Father and speaks only what He receives from the Son.

As we approach Pentecost, let’s take some time now to reflect on this incredible gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus has ascended, He has returned to the Father and is seated at His right hand. But that does not mean that we are alone. When we face trials and suffering in this life, we are equipped and sustained by the Holy Spirit. When we are clouded by the deceitfulness of the world, the Holy Spirit brings us to the truth. When we feel alone, overwhelmed or hopeless the Holy Spirit gives us comfort and peace. The Holy Spirit equips and empowers us to be Jesus’ hands and feet on this earth. What a privilege! What a joy!

Let’s pray together:

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Thank you that, with the Holy Spirit dwelling in each of us, you are closer to us than we could ever imagine. Thank you that you empower us and equip us to do your work here on earth. Where we have taken this for granted, where we have grown tired or weary, fill us afresh with the wonder and awe at this incredible truth. Fill us again with your Spirit and send us out to do your works.
In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

John 14.15-27 

As we approach Pentecost, we’re going to spend a few days reflecting on Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit to his disciples. But what is the Holy Spirit like?

I remember having trouble understanding the Holy Spirit’s role in my relationship with God growing up. I got that the Father was, well, like a Father. And I understood the Son, Jesus, to be a bit like an older brother – someone to follow and do what they say, and in him we are now children of God, like him. Of course Jesus is also our Saviour, but that concept was a bit harder to grasp as a kid. And then there was the Holy Spirit. The more vague one. I’d like to suggest today that the Holy Spirit is a bit like our best friend.

When I think of really great friends I think of those long evening chats where everything and anything can be discussed – where you share those weird school memories of playing with papier-mâché as well as your fears about the future and what life might look like in 15 years time. I think of the times I’ve knocked on a friends door but then also just walked straight in because their house is as familiar as my own. I also think of those friends who after I’ve said or done something stupid call me out on it – saying they know I can do better and praying together for more grace to change. Great friendships shape and mold us.

So in what way is the Holy Spirit like a best friend?

Jesus introduces the Holy Spirit to his disciples in today’s passage. He says another Advocate will come – a Helper – someone who will teach us and be with us forever. He calls him the Spirit of truth. This Helper and Spirit of truth will not be afraid to tell it like it is. There is no hiding of some parts of us that we’d rather no one would see when our new best friend here is nothing but truth. He will know us fully. He will be a faithful friend – with us forever – and he will help us become better than we are. The Bible calls this process sanctification – becoming holy – by the work of the Holy Spirit in us. 

I want you to notice the theme of love in this passage. Jesus begins by saying that if we love him we will keep his commandments. The way we show our commitment to him is by following what he said. Instantly I realise I’m not very good with that. How could I live up to the high calling that Jesus puts on my life? Just in the previous chapter Jesus has washed the disciples’ feet and given them the commandment of doing the same to one another – this humble servantship grates against the pride within me. 

I don’t know if I can do it.

But Jesus isn’t done talking yet. He goes on to say: ‘I will ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever.’ Another Helper is coming. I don’t have to do it on my own. And this helper is not just another coach on the sidelines or even a new rabbi. No, he will be in you. 

Jesus explains this theme in verses 20-23: ‘I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you’ 

It’s like we’re packed right in there with the trinity – like a stack of glasses – first the Father, then Jesus, then us, then the Holy Spirit – all in one stack on the shelf. Of course the reality is probably quite different to a stack of glasses, but it’s a good visual reminder for me that God actually wants to be that close and surround me on all sides and dwell within me. Verse 23 explains it like the Father and the Son making their home with us. What a picture of love. 

I hope I can make it homely for them. How do I do that? Again Jesus reminds me: ‘The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you.’ 

He is the one that will make me a home. 

By teaching me over and over again, patiently, what it means to love, what it means to lay down my life for others – what it means to be more like Jesus.

Everyday I need to listen to his teaching. Everyday I need reminding. By my faithful friend, the Holy Spirit, I will be shaped and molded into the image of God’s beloved Son. 

Today’s passage finishes with a peace blessing. Jesus says he does not give to us as the world gives. He gives his Holy Spirit. To be with us forever. What abundance of peace. 

Let’s pray.

Lord, thank you for sending your Spirit to be with us today and every day. Fill us anew with the Spirit of Love as you make us more like you. We love you, Lord Jesus.
Amen.

Revelation 20

Revelation chapter 20 enjoys an unenviable reputation as a controversial chapter. It consists of two scenes – the thousand year reign of Christ on earth with his saints and the Great Assize – the great courtroom scene of the final judgement all flesh.

To get this chapter we need key perspectives. First, doctrinally Revelation follows the same a pattern of eschatological events widely agreed in Scripture and confessed by all orthodox Christians in the Nicene Creed: the coming of Jesus, who appears as a rider on a white horse in Revelation 19; the resurrection of the dead and the judgement of the living and the dead (they’re here in Chapter 20) and the New Creation which begins in next chapter. But what Revelation chapter 20 does that is unique in the New Testament is place a thousand year reign of Christ on earth between the first resurrection of the righteous and the later resurrection of the unrighteous. Second comes Scripture’s big story. Combining the six plus one creation week of Genesis 1 with Psalm 90.4 (‘a day is a thousand years in your sight’) gave early believers the idea of a world-week: that the world will have six days or six thousand years of labour and then a glorious final day of Sabbath rest for 1000 years. After that (on the second Sunday of creation – the day of new creation) God will make a new world. Third Revelation follows the sequence of a key text – rather surprisingly in the book of Ezekiel. Revelation follows the sequence of Ezekiel’s final chapters: after the resurrection of the dead in Ezekiel 37 and before the new Jerusalem in chapter 40-48 there are two chapters that describe a war between God’s people and …here we go… Gog the prince of the land of Magog. Combine these three things and you get the doctrine that after the resurrection of God’s holy people at his return, they will reign with Jesus on earth for the 1000 years of its sabbath rest. Then with Satan’s release, all the final remnants of evil will be gathered together and simply be despatched in a final decisive divine conflagration.

The point of the thousand year rule of Christ on earth whilst Satan is bound is simple: imagine the world with Satan’s power is banished and with Jesus ruling with his people. Imagine if those who were oppressed, persecuted, and put to death, came to life and reigned with Jesus in his upside down kingdom. God has plans this chapter says, to renew the face of the earth in this way before creating new heavens and a new earth. If God did not give the world its Sabbath rest, He might be saying that this world is so problematic that it won’t fulfil God’s intention for it. It would simply need to be demolished to make way for a better world. And all your green theology based on valuing creation goes up the spout. No. God will first perfect this world so that we remember that this is the world that he looked at and said: ‘it is good’. This world will have its Shabbat – it’s Sabbath rest. Only then will God create again and make a place where we can live with Him forever. Message: God’s world is his good creation and he will not allow the evil that despoils it to have sway forever. The Lamb will take his great power and begin to reign. And the kingdoms of the world will become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ.

The message of the five verse judgement scene is stark and simple: God has legal authority over death and Hades: when he calls they must give up their dead to the author of life and only completely just judge. God remembers all our deeds in his book. No-one’s deeds are hidden forever. It’s a more moral world than most people imagine because our good and just God is the last and best authority.  There are no exceptions, no excuses and no escape. Not for anyone, not Hitler, not Stalin, not Pol Pot. Not me. That’s the bad news.

Interviewed on BBC radio Lord Hailsham, Quintin Hogg, lawyer, politician and former Lord Chancellor who knew quite a bit about courts was asked as an old man if he feared death. ‘No’ he said ‘but I fear judgment. I shall plead guilty and throw myself on the mercy of the court.’ The book of our deeds records only our filthy rags. But the other book, the second book, the book of life, the book of God’s mercy in Christ is what counts not our deeds. That’s the good news.

Lord, forgive us when we take your lovely world for granted and treat it as if we are its Lords, not stewards holding it in trust for you, who is its Lord and ours. And Lord, help us to remember that you both call us to account for our actions and lavish your mercy on us each day.
Amen