The Holy Spirit.
Genesis 8:20 – 9:17
Acts 17:22-31
John 14:15-21
I wonder what would happen if an alien landed in this country; If they had a concept of God. Who would they think we worshipped? If they were like Paul, visitingAthens, an alien country, what would they conclude about us? Would they assume that we pray to our gods through small flat screens? Or by consuming intoxicating beverages? Or that we belong to different denominations named McDonalds or Costa or Starbucks? Who I wonder, would they say are our high priests? Celebrities? Or perhaps bankers with their bonuses? What would they conclude are the priorities of our religion? Losing weight? Having whiter teeth? Accumulating stuff? Or just being busy? We have quite a culture of busyness I think. There is quite a pressure on people to work hard. Achieve. Get on. And even when we retire we appear to be very busy; looking after grandchildren or parents or both. I’ve lost count of the number of retired people who tell me they’ve never been so busy.
The church is not immune to this pressure to be busy; to work harder; to get more people in; to grow the kingdom. We’ve learned some of the language of targets and action plans and strategies. The church is not immune to economic realities these days. Increasingly churches are having to pay their way. Figures for attendance and giving are pored over and compared. And clergy feel under pressure to work harder, because they want their church to survive and flourish; and because they are ministering to people who are working hard and feel they should too.
I quite like being busy. I like the buzz. I like the variety. There is always something to do. On the whole I feel I’m fairly efficient and I get a lot done. But this week has been different. This week I have not been very efficient. And that is usually a sign that I am tired. And that may be true. But a couple of things have happened that I could not control that meant that I got less done. One was that I went to meet someone at St Martin’s in the Bullring and they didn’t turn up. I stupidly didn’t have their mobile number and I waited for about an hour before going home. And in a way that time was wasted. But during that hour, as I was just hanging around, people came to talk to me. I was able to point people in the right direction and give advice.
A young mum was thinking about having her baby baptised. She had six godparents lined up but none of them were Christian. Would this be a problem?
On Thursday I went to a Mothers’ Union service in South Yardley. I’m the Diocesan Chaplain. I was already going to be late but with the rain and the traffic I was even later. I thought about turning back but I’d said I would be there so I carried on. I missed the service and just got there in time for the tea. I probably spent more time in the car than I did there and in some ways it was a waste of time. But attendance at the service hadn’t been very good and the ladies there were looking a bit sad. And it seemed to make a difference that someone from outside had made the effort to come, even though I was late. It was really good to chat with some of those ladies and hear about their faithfulness and their commitment.
In the world’s terms, I had not used my time very wisely. But in God’s terms I’m not so sure. It is said that the way to make God laugh is to tell him your plans. And sometimes we can be in danger of planning too much. Sometimes we just need to be. Sometimes we just need to loiter with intent. We need to be less fixed on the next thing we have to do and more attentive to the moment; to what is happening in front of us. The world is so busy; so distracted. We may need to be still; present, listening to what is really going on around us. And listening to the still small voice of calm within us; the Spirit of truth who abides in each one of us; the Advocate whom we welcome at Pentecost in a few weeks’ time.
I wonder what the Spirit looks like or feels like to you. I was trying to explain the Spirit to some toddlers at our Messy Church last week. And I talked about doves and fire and wind. The best thing I think I had to show them was an electric fan with some ribbons that fluttered when I turned it on.
But when I think of the Spirit I think about a great aunt I had who died in 2000. She had been christened Nellie Doris but she was not a Nellie or a Doris and was always known as Ann. She was what was known as a maiden aunt but she wasn’t at all stuffy. She had had a convent education which had put her off formal religion but she maintained a deep belief in God. She wasn’t easily pinned down on religion or politics.
More importantly, my great aunt was always there when we needed her. When my father was involved in a bad car accident she was on the next train to come and look after us. She was the one who kept the family communicating; kept us all in touch with each other. She was always generous with her gifts but somehow managed never to spoil us. And she was always open to new experiences. She had worked for the British Council and loved seeing people of different cultures and appearances. She thought punk rockers were wonderful. But most important of all she was a great listener and always had time for us. She seemed to bring out the best in us. Like any other person she wasn’t perfect. In many ways she wasn’t like the Holy Spirit at all. She wasn’t loud or disturbing. She didn’t dress outrageously or challenge us when we were complacent. But there was still something about her that makes me think of her when I think about the Holy Spirit. That openness to new things. That generosity and willingness to come when needed. Breaking down barriers and increasing understanding. And that willingness to listen. Really listen.
The world needs people like my great aunt. The world needs people like us to bring God’s spirit to bear on its life. In its busyness it needs people who can give time and space. People who can open things up rather than shut them down. People who can be generous and encourage others to be generous. People who can really listening. And help others to feel heard and understand what is going on inside of them. The world has many false gods. But it needs the God we know as much as ever. And we can help bring God to them because we are his offspring. In him we live and move and have our being. We abide in him and he abides in us.
Amen.
Rev’d Dr. Matthew Rhodes Area Dean.