Thought for the Week

by the Rev Richard Watson, All Saints Church, Ilkley

DID you manage to see and experience the spectacular and thrilling Invictus Games on television last week? The competitors were service-men and women, who, in the course of their duties had suffered terrible injuries and loss of limbs. Many had thought that life would never be same again, yet largely through their determination and indomitable spirit they had bounced back to proclaim the victory of Spirit over adversity.

Last Sunday was Whit-Sunday when we recalled how the twelve apostles, who had been devastated by the crucifixion of Christ, received the courage and inspiration to proclaim to the massive crowds in Jerusalem, that their lives had been transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit. They bounced back, not in their own limited human strength, but in a power from beyond themselves. Their lives were transformed as the Spirit of God filled them with a zeal and passion to continue Christ’s work of proclaiming God’s loving purposes for mankind. That day marked a new beginning for the Christian Church, for over 3,000 men and women were added to their number that day.

Most spectacles that we experience however, eventually pass into the mists of memory and time as other more outstanding and superlative occasions replace them.

Not so the transforming events of the Day of Pentecost in AD33, when those early followers of Christ made their mark on the history of mankind and planet earth. The Christian Church across the world has, for nigh on two thousand years, celebrated in each successive year the dramatic and thrilling outpouring of the Spirit of God on His people, every Whitsuntide.

The Holy Spirit however does not only belong to history but is alive and with us today whenever we seek justice, to right wrongs, to pursue truth and freedom, to respond to need, to work for peace and reconciliation, and to bring healing and new life to injured and damaged lives.

This week we find ourselves in the middle of Christian Aid Week (from May 15-21) when we are particularly made aware of the practical outworking of the Gospel message of new life, renewed hope, and of our call to support those less fortunate than ourselves.

With the world’s refugee crisis showing no sign of being resolved, Christian Aid is continuing to bring relief to those affected by the scourge of war and human trafficking. Despite the despair that drives people from Syria and elsewhere to leave their homelands, their tenacity ,hope and spiritual drive remains undiminished in their search for sanctuary.

In the power of the Spirit, we are called to help to bring about transformation and healing in our world , and in our day.

The Invictus Games demonstrate the power of the Spirit….may we show that same spirit as we, with passion and zeal, as experienced on that Day of Pentecost, express our care and concern for those who are injured in whatever way, and who depend upon our generosity of God-given spirit today.