The Big Christian Moments

The Christian seasons are often fronted by big key moments. Granted, we are not - in a Baptist Church, held in any shape by liturgical colours, but we mark the seasons rightly: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter,  Ascension, Pentecost, Harvest, and then back again. Churches with a more detailed liturgical calendar have a lot more to fill in between my list. And it was certainly the charge of my college Principal, who lectured us in worship, to make sure we marked the key seasonal moments. These are not "just another service", but significant moments to be experienced and journeyed through, not just by the minority, but by all in the church family.

It might be a struggle for you to put them in to an order of importance. Which would be top of your list? Would you put at the top the one beginning with "C" or would it be the one beginning with "E"? Would Pentecost feature highly because without the power of the Holy Spirit we are doomed in today's church? I actually love Advent and especially the whole season of it, and it really grates with me that in the secular world, Advent has been dropped and "C" seems to begin at best in late October and at worst it's already been enticed to you in a retail outlet that you regularly use. Or would you, plain and simply come down and say, "it's got to be Easter at the top, because without Easter, Jesus is still dead in the tomb!"

I'll leave you to argue and decide which is your order.

But here's my challenge: why are some staying away from these key Sundays when they are surely big moments in the Christian family year? Surely these big festival days are the moments when we should make greater effort to gather and join with our brothers and sisters in Christ and to hear the scriptures, sing the hymns and songs and celebrate together? We certainly live in more transient days and attendance at Sunday worship is perceived by some as more "take it or leave it". I understand that it's not possible to attend absolutely every Sunday, and there's visitors, or events, or recovery, and chores, or exhaustion etc etc, but the big festival days surely require a more intentional and committed approach?

Take Harvest, for a moment. Great harvest hymns to sing and to mark this moment of thankfulness for the Lord's provision, but the turn-out was somewhat measured frankly. Where were you? And Harvest is indeed changing, with less and less being displayed than the traditional harvest spreads of the past, even though ours was wonderful and beautiful - well done! But harvest is becoming harder and tighter. I forsee a time when we might struggle to display a harvest. Do we stop gathering for harvest worship and giving our thanks to God, because "frankly folks, harvest is just no longer viable anymore!"?

And would we do the same for some of the other seasons and "big Sundays" too?

No! Marking and worshipping through the Christian seasons is vital for our spiritual growth. And we send a message to the youth that these are vital and important, not optional.

Loose talk

The talk on the block is of end times! The Vice President of the US - JD himself, was interviewed by an American Christian channel about whether he thought the return of Christ was about to happen, and he essentially said that he thought that was likely, if it hasn't happened already. Certainly, it is reputed that some American Military Leaders were actively encouraged by Peter Hegseth, US Minister for War, to ensure that when in battle against Iran, that they make Armageddon happen, and thus the return of Christ take place. The suggestion that Jesus Christ is somehow under the summoning power of any human government, leaves me shaking my head. Something here about at best, mis-reading scripture, at worst choosing to intentionally manipulate it.

And yet, something else is before us, and is happening and if I'm honest, I'm a tad nervous about it.

The talk in the UK is of climate devastation and food interruption, significant price rises in the next year, and farmer's crops and harvests significantly reduced this summer. The El-nino of this summer is predicted to be repeated in 27, and alongside water shortages, the Iran war causing gas and petrol increases, plus the Russian-Ukanian war now closing in on Putin, some retaliatory action is now not just thought possible, but likely.

There are one or two or more in WBC, as elsewhere, who follow Peter Greig and one of my colleagues posted yesterday a somewhat disconcerting "Word" from him entitled "Prepare for War" from a time in March with 24-7 when he was in South Africa. I don't actually follow him, but it's better to know what is being said - right or wrong, than live in ignorance.

So what do we make of the days in which we live? The scripture calls us to "Be alert!" Actually 3 times in 1 Peter and once in Mark's Gospel. I think we need to hear this summons, and more so rather than sleep walk into future days.

Being alert surely leads to reflection and then to prayer and then action.

The way we are living is, once again, seemingly about to change, and not necessarily for the good. Harder, more challenging economic days are indeed ahead. Speaking personally, our grocery bills have gone vertical, our petrol costs too, our bank balances not what they were.

The Harvest Festival that we will share in a few weeks time, must surely take on board the changes we are facing - not as "out there somewhere" but for us, now! The lack of harvest is now tangible and real and it's right now an issue for us all.

It's simply not possible, let alone wise, to think that this Autumn and Winter is likely to be "normal". Something is happening that, at least for this moment, we're not sure what it's going to look like, or how it's going to affect us.

If this doesn't lead us out of any sleep walking and awaken us to prayer, then what will?

Pastor Sam