A Thought For April
What is our expectation of church, or our Christian life? How do we expect to see God at work?
One Sunday afternoon recently I was walking our dog (Gemma) along the footpaths around Daglingworth Quarry and came across a group of young men in shorts and T-shirts. They were posing for a photograph prior to setting off on a 17km run. Gemma and the young men both wanted to say “hello” to each other, so we stopped for a chat. One of the group was wearing a cross on a chain around his neck, so after a bit I asked him if there was any special significance to it – from their demeanour, I was convinced there was. He replied along the lines of “Yes, Jesus Christ is my Lord”; I replied that I shared his faith in the Lord and was in fact, a local minister.
The group all attended a thriving, modern Anglican church in the North of Swindon. They invited me along to the services and mentioned that morning’s sermon on Jonah (with the message “You can’t run away from God!”). We had a lively and encouraging chat about our faith for some time. The encounter brought a considerable brightness to my day, giving me a real spiritual lift. It also reminded me that the Holy Spirit is still demonstrably very much active in the lives of people – especially the younger element. It was very refreshing and inspiring to meet up with a group of young men who were so full of the joy of knowing the Lord, and who had an openness and willingness to share their faith with a complete stranger (and his dog!). They had a very positive effect, simply through being their “Christian selves”.
Reflecting on my response to the encounter, it struck me that our expectation of God working can become somewhat limited. There are two likely causes (and resolutions) for this. In our rural parishes we are used to congregations that are small, towards the upper end of the age spectrum and sometimes quite traditional in worship. Having a focus on such parishes, our vision of Christ’s church can inevitably become narrowed. Possible remedies can be to take time out occasionally to attend a different style of service, or try and learn what God is doing in some of the inner-city churches. One of my ministerial colleagues attended the Churches Together “March of Witness” in Cirencester on Good Friday and found the enthusiasm and joy evident in the people uplifting (and not a little challenging).
The second cause of a limited vision can be that our personal traditions, preferences and possible prejudices may, in the words of Ian Anderson of the rock band Jethro Tull, “lock God in his golden cage”; that is, we positively close our minds to anything different from our preferred spiritual fare, and fail to see how God is working. While there is nothing wrong in having our our personal partialities, we must never allow them to prevent us seeing, and allowing, God to work in new ways. Changing our outlook may not be easy, but is possible with the God’s help, and is essential if we are to catch the wind of the Holy Spirit.
Our Benefice welcomes a new minister at the end of this month; there will undoubtedly be changes. May we all take the opportunity to examine our attitudes and reconsider our expectations of the way God will work with us, if we let Him. Let us look forward with hope.
Mark Venn