Selah: Pause and Reflect

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church, 04 May 2021]

Unfortunately I cannot make any claim to the originality of the title of today’s thoughts but there are times when something borrowed can be just as helpful as something new. We do well to remember that there is often merit in revisiting old ideas, and the lessons they taught us, rather than always seeking new experiences. Furthermore, exploring new ideas is not itself a new idea!

For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing. [Acts 17 v21 NKJV]

The apostle Paul responded to the Athenians’ desire for something new by telling them about how the God that they worshipped as ‘Unknown’ had created the earth and made all the nations from one man. He then told them about the forthcoming judgement and Christ’s resurrection. In a scenario that was not new, some were convinced by his words, others mocked his ideas.

Talking of creation, the fourth of May is ‘World Naked Gardening Day’. Whilst there might be some benefit in the sun’s rays and vitamin D reaching parts that do not normally see them, I rather suspect that the thought of briars and brambles and even thorns on the roses might be something of a deterrent. However it does remind us of the Garden of Eden, free of weeds and tended by Adam and Eve in the form that God had created them.

On this date in 1415 the church reformers John Wycliffe and Jan Hus were condemned as heretics at the Council of Constance. They had not set out to attack the Catholic church but through their studies of the Bible the Holy Spirit had led them to realise that there were many practices in the church of that day that were not in accordance with the teachings with Scripture. They felt compelled to speak out against what they thought was wrong.

Can we talk about the Holy Spirit as a force? The word itself has several meanings: in addition to describing something that compels us, it can also be something that attracts us or the energy with which to achieve something. On that basis, yes, the Holy Spirit is a force.

Force can also refer to a group of people with a common objective, such as those who wish to serve the community in various ways. For example, the fourth of May is also the feast day of Saint Florian, a Christian martyr in Austria in the fourth century. Florian became a senior officer in the Roman army and is credited with setting up one of the first fire-fighting forces. He was martyred because he refused to endorse the persecution of Christians within his area of authority.

Another example of a potent force is a church united in prayer. The Church of England’s Book of Common Prayer includes the following benediction. It’s old but it has not lost any of its relevance.

May the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you always. Amen

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Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © the Author