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Marshalswick Baptist Free Church -
Nurture |
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In 1889, the date of 1st May was chosen by the International Socialist Congress, meeting in Paris, as the day on which to celebrate across the world the achievements and hopes of workers. May Day became particularly significant in Communist countries, and parades were held to praise political leaders and display military equipment such as tanks, missiles and planes. Before the collapse of communism in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Moscow - the capital of the then Soviet Union - held the greatest of all military parades. At the 1954 May Day Parade in Red Square in Moscow, American observers saw what they thought was a huge fleet of long-range nuclear bombers flying overhead, one by one. In fact there were only four bombers. Again and again each plane roared over Red Square and then flew over the horizon before travelling back round again, out of sight. As the four planes were equally spaced, they gave the impression of a huge fleet. During the following three years, America spent millions of dollars building fighter planes that could intercept what they thought were many nuclear bombers. Then it was discovered that the Soviet nuclear threat actually lay in missiles and so Western countries began to spend more and more , producing their own missiles. Thus, was the arms race born. For personal prayer: On this day Lord, we can celebrate many achievements of humanity as a whole, but never let us forget that each and every individual needs to be held in respect. We pray today for the unemployed and for those unable to work, and we ask you to give success for the work of poor hands. Amen. Adapted by Helen Little from ‘Praying each day of the year’, by Nicholas Hutchinson. God our Father, thank you for the May Day holiday and for the joy of spring and summertime. We thank you that people in many lands can have a day to be joyful in the midst of their busy lives. Let all people know the joy of Jesus in their hearts, bringing them happiness - not just for one day but all the time. Amen. Spotted by Helen Little. Conversations with Jesus could be confusing, as the woman from Samaria found when she met him at the well at Sychar. Offered ‘living water’, she completely missed the point. All she could think of was the practical problem of drawing water without a bucket. Nicodemus, the Pharisee who came secretly to Jesus by night, had the same problem. Although a ‘master if Israel’, a theologian and a teacher, he was a man who needed a rational explanation. To the challenge that ‘you must be born again’, all he could think of was how you ‘entered your mother’s womb a second time’. Jesus did not argue the point but simply looked for an illustration that might help Nicodemus to ‘connect’. The evening breeze was rustling through the trees, so Jesus said: “Listen to the wind, Nicodemus.”
Jesus made it easier for one steeped in Jewish tradition by pointing to the Hebrew word, ruach. It meant - as Nicodemus knew - both wind and spirit. It was a word full of significance - the breath of life; the elemental wind that sweeps the earth, and the Spirit of God. The Spirit, Jesus told Nicodemus, was like the wind, invisible yet unmistakable, imperceptible yet powerful, untouchable but real. It was an exciting image. Though unseen, the Spirit is always at work in the world. The Bible begins with an image of the Spirit ‘hovering over the waters’, bringing order out of chaos. It ends as ‘the Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!”’ Everything in between is the record of the Spirit of God, active in the world. The Spirit may come like a gentle breeze in comfort and encouragement. The Spirit may come to confront and challenge, or come with extraordinary power - as happened at the first Pentecost - to hesitant, perplexed disciples. What is the source of that Spirit? It is, in a true sense, a mystery. We do not know where the Spirit comes from, Jesus tells Nicodemus. What is more, we do not know where the Spirit, like the wind, is going. But we know its reality. We can hear the wind, feel it and even be blown over by it. The evidence of the Spirit is in changed lives; miracles of grace; situations revitalised. Flattened trees testify to the power of the wind. Transformed people testify to the power of the Spirit. ‘Quench not the Spirit,’ said Paul to the Thessalonians or, as William Barclay translates it: ‘You must not try to put a stop to the activity of the Spirit.’ As Jesus told Nicodemus: ‘The Spirit blows where it pleases.’ Here is a solemn warning to us all. ‘No act of Convocation or Assembly can circumscribe the Spirit’, declared the great Scottish preacher, James S Stewart. ‘No rooted personal prejudice (dare) patronise it.’ It is in this invisible, untouchable, unclassifiable divine energy that the possibility of change in the world and its people lies. No wonder the fervent cry of the ages is: ‘Come, Holy Spirit, come!’. By the Rev Dr Denis Duncan and previously published in The Daily Telegraph. Reproduced from Vision, the magazine of Alton Evangelical Church, Hampshire. There will always be some mystery about the Holy Spirit and his work. He is described in the Bible as wind, fire and water - all a little awesome at times but all essential to life. Yet the Spirit is not just a force or influence. He is a person described by Jesus as ‘another helper’. (Jn 14: 16-17) Everything that Jesus was to his disciples, the Spirit can be to us - except that he can live within us for ever. The Holy Spirit comes to: * Glorify Christ (Jn 16: 14) This helps us to know whether or not something is truly from the Spirit of God. * Unite believers (1 Cor 12: 12-13) True spiritual renewal never causes splits in a church, although it may reveal the splits that are already there beneath the surface. Lack of love and unity always grieves the Holy Spirit. (Eph 4: 30-32) * Work in our lives in many ways: * He shows us how sinful we are. (Jn
16: 8-9) Previously published in the magazine of St George’s Parish Church, Mossley. If you're not very good on directions, you're grateful for all the help you can get! If you're rich enough and can afford a sat nav, 'Tom-Tom' is ideal. I had the privilege recently of being in the car with someone who had borrowed one from a friend, so I was able to experience first hand its navigational skills getting me to Gatwick on time! I must admit, they are as good as I had heard they were. The Tom-Tom ‘lady’ would tell me which turning I needed on an approaching roundabout, and even knew that St Peters Close was a road and turning off the roundabout in town. It was very impressive. And yes, I understand that most, if not all, Tom-Toms have women speaking on them! What is it that men say about us women? Women drivers?! We're obviously good for something!
If you are a Christian, you have that privilege too. You have the Holy Spirit who is given to each person when they become a Christian. He's like our 'Tom-Tom'. He shows us the way and will help us navigate our way through life if we are prepared to listen to him. He will also warn us about possible dangers that we should avoid, by his regular promptings. We can choose to ignore him and choose to go our own way. At times, we make mistakes, but the Holy Spirit is always there ready to redirect us onto the correct path for our life. How comforting it is to know that we are never alone. Grasp this concept, and you can be a lot more laid back when things go drastically wrong. You know that, in the Holy Spirit, you have a constant guide and friend. Sometimes you don't hear his voice for a while but, maybe, the going is straight and so you don't need to 'turn off' from the path you are travelling at that time. But be assured, he is always there, always 'switched on' and knows which is the best way for you. Do you know the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life? Do you want to know which way to go? Don't travel life alone. Get the best help you can: the guidance of the Holy Spirit. If you want to find out more, speak to someone who has the 'Spiritual Tom-Tom' in their life. By Jo Gill. |
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