As we move from celebrating Easter to celebrating Pentecost we move from the Story of Jesus to the Story of the Church. As we do so we are aware that we have a part to play, for Jesus has ascended into heaven and is no longer physically present. God worked mightily through Jesus. He now chooses to work through those who gather in his name, that is, through his church. One summary of our task is the proclamation (through word and deed) that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Each of us proclaims something by what we do and say. I pray that we may proclaim liberty (Leviticus 25) and freedom (Luke 4); eternal life (1 John 1) and hope (Colossians 1); and judgement (Revelation 14) laced with mercy (Jonah 3), in such a way that we make connections (Acts 2) with those we meet, particularly the un-churched (Acts 17). I hope and pray that we will be faithful to the messages contained in the following texts:
In Leviticus 25:1-17 (Thu 3 May) the people of Israel are instructed to “Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan”. Our proclamation will be social and political.
In Luke 4:14-21 we hear Jesus’ proclamation of good news to the poor “He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” Our proclamation will be good news to those in need.
In 1 John 1 (Thu 10 May) John proclaims the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” Our proclamation will have eternal consequences.
In Colossians 1:15-29 Paul proclaims Christ in us, the hope of Glory, “admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ”. We are part of our proclamation, for Christ is in us. Our proclamation will give hope to others.
In Acts 1:6-11 (Thu 17 May) Jesus ascends to heaven and says that his disciples will “be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The last thing Jesus said to his disciples (as recorded by Luke) was that they would be his witnesses. As his disciples we too are his witnesses
In Revelation 14:6-14 we meet an angel who has the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth— to every nation, tribe, language and people “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water”. The good news is not toothless, banal, sickly-sweet-nice or unimportant. The fear of the Lord is not only the beginning of wisdom but also a key part of the eternal gospel that we proclaim. Once we have heard the eternal Gospel, we are called to worship God faithfully and not worship anyone else.
In Jonah 3 and 4 (Thu 24May) Jonah proclaims God’s judgement, the Ninevites believed and repented, and God then has compassion and does not execute judgement, much to Jonah’s displeasure. Although our proclamation includes judgement, we need always to proclaim it with a view to bringing about repentance.
In Acts 2, Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd and finished his proclamation with “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ”. We learn from the earlier part of his proclamation how he tries to make a connection with those he is speaking to and lead them to the point at which they ask “what must we do” The Holy Spirit was poured out (The provision of the Holy Spirit is not in small drops - the problem is not with supply, but with demand) in fire (This reminds us of the fire on Sinai, and God’s subsequent promise to “put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts”) on those who gathered (if we wish to encounter God we are encouraged to do this together) so that they could proclaim (The Holy Spirit is given so that we can tell others about Jesus, not primarily to make us feel good) the wonders of God (We have a wonderful God, and we need to dwell on this) our sin (We need to be clear that there is something in Jesus which people reject) and God’s victory (The resurrection is key to our proclamation).
In Acts 17:16-34 (Thu 31 May). The ability to communicate truths to those who are un-churched is demonstrated by Paul in Athens where is able to finish up saying that “he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”