“And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:22)
This weekend Fiona and I celebrate twenty years serving at St. Luke’s in Ramsgate. God has been at work during those twenty years. People have come to faith and others have found a Christian home and family within the church or been helped in their walk of discipleship. People come and go, but the Christian faith is not ultimately about filling a building. Rather, as the verse above says, it is about God building a community of people to fill it with his Holy Spirit. Let us pray for God to do that more and more in the future!
Does Twenty Years feel like a short time?
A number of people have said to me in the lead up to the twentieth anniversary, whether twenty years has felt like a short time? I have generally been answering, “No!”
I think the reason I answer, ‘No!’ is because a lot changes in twenty years. For example, twenty years before I came to St. Luke’s I was only 14. That means in the twenty years before coming to St. Luke’s, I had left home, done two degrees, spent five years teaching, got married, ordained and had three children. A lot can happen in twenty years!
And the last twenty years have seen big changes for us as a family as the children have grown through school and gone off to university.
Similarly, over the last twenty years, many of those who were at St. Luke’s when I arrived and still at school are now married, with careers and children. One or two are even preachers in their own right! Twenty years is almost the transition from one generation to the next.
Different phases of life
It has been interesting to reflect over the last twenty years. It is hard to remember what happened in what year, but more naturally, we tend to remember changes or moments, that bring in new phases of life, when life shifts gear from one way of living to another.
National Events bringing in new phases of life
And nationally there have also been significant changes over the last twenty years, that have led over time to transformations in people’s lives:
- 2004 – Facebook is launched and social media begins to grow into a major part of people’s lives.
- 2007 – First Smart Phones launched and access to the internet and social media is turbo charged.
- 2008- 2009, The financial crisis internationally and the closing of Pfizers, locally led to significant increases in deprivation in this area.
- 2016 – The vote for Brexit, which has changed our relationship with the rest of Europe.
- 2020 – The Covid Pandemic, the long term effects of which are unclear, but the short term effects of which we are only just recovering from.
It would be interesting to debate which of these changes in the last twenty years will have the biggest ongoing effect on our society or indeed the church. Also, whether the last twenty years will turn out to be an even more significant period, that moves our world not just from one phase to another, but one era to another.
Events in Church life bringing in new phases:
Looking back over twenty years as vicar at St. Luke’s, I think some of the key moments could include:
- 2005 – Introduction of small groups, although the style and make up of these groups has changed over the years, they have continued to be a key part of church life.
- 2009 – Start of Fusion Youth Group, which ran on Friday evenings for 10-18 year olds up until Covid.
- 2011- New toilets installed in the church. One member, Reg Richardson, said I would be the vicar remembered for installing the toilets.
- 2020 – Interruption of Covid, led to massive overnight changes, and the ending of some ministries at St. Luke’s, but also lead to services on YouTube, which still continues.
- 2021 – Partnership with St. George’s and the Start of Cafe4All, were perhaps two of the biggest changes as we come out of Covid.
But, I wonder if you are someone who has been at St. Luke’s for twenty years, whether the phases of church life revolve around the key members who come and go. Perhaps the fact I have been here for twenty years, means you feel that not much has changed, that church life has remained relatively stable.
Or perhaps you think back to the involvement of some of the other key leaders who have moved on and the changes that has brought, Joy Brenchley running the Women’s Fellowship, which became Tuesday Friendship Club, led by Fay Hatton. Or the period when Patrick Couch as Lay Reader and his wife Carol who used to run the Sunday Club, both of whom did a lot to keep St. Luke’s going before and when I arrived. Perhaps for people here now, the last three years will be remembered as the era, when Claire was curate.
Pentecost – Launch of a New Era
Well, what has all this to do with Pentecost? All of this talk of different phases in life or changes in era are just tiny examples of the most significant change in history.
Pentecost was the last in a series of dramatic events that launched a new era. The cross, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, followed by Pentecost, when he sent the Spirit on the church were like a stone landing in the pool of human history, which sent out ripples that are still impacting us today.
Pentecost itself, was a dramatic, but incredible moment, which effected the relatively insignificant gathering of 120 of Jesus’s followers who were still in Jerusalem. As they gathered together to pray early one morning, there was a strange rushing sound, then what was like tongues of fire separating out and landing on each of their heads. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and suddenly each was able to speak in a foreign language. Each of these foreign languages could be understood by someone from the international community of Jews that were gathering in Jerusalem for the festival.
This was clearly a miraculous work and sign of God. Those watching on were amazed and perplexed and asked,
“What does this mean?”
It was a good question! Peter gets up to answer and begins with a quote from Joel, an obscure Old Testament prophet.
The quote begins,
“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit…” (Acts 2:17)
The phrase, ‘In the last days…’ refers to an era. It does not say how many days, only that these are the last days, the era before God comes to finally wipe out evil and restore the earth.
Peter’s point is that these strange events show that this new era has started. They show that the Holy Spirit has been poured out on all the followers of Jesus. This is the fulfilment of Joel’s prophecy. We are now in the last days, the final key era in God’s plan.
Joel’s talk of wonders in heaven and signs on the earth are a figurative way of emphasizing that a new era has come, that something dramatic has changed on earth and in heaven. This is a seismic moment! Now everything is going to be different.
So, what has changed, what is different about this new era? Peter is quick to let his listeners know and he picks up on the last verse from his quote:
“And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
(Acts 2:21; Joel 2:32a; Romans 10:13)
Era of Jesus as Lord – 2:21, 36
Firstly, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on Jesus’s followers, shows that Jesus is now at God’s right hand. That Jesus rules, that Jesus is Lord.
In history, eras are often linked to those who are in power, the big movers and shakers of the time. So we might talk of the Elizabethan era, referring to the reign of Queen Elizabeth first, or the Napoleonic era, referring to the time when Napoleon ruled over large parts of Europe.
But, Peter says, that Pentecost shows that Jesus now rules on the throne in heaven. In his talk he argues that the resurrection of Jesus demonstrates that He is God’s promised king, who now rules at the right hand of God. His conclusion of the talk is:
“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36)
Unlike any human ruler, his rule is not limited to a few decades or a certain geographical area, his rule is eternal and universal. This is a bold claim for a Galilean fisherman speaking in a city on the fringe of the Roman Empire.
Yet, now most of the world now measures its years from the time of Jesus. We say we live in 2024, because it is meant to be 2024 years from the coming of Jesus. Before we took up this measuring system, people used to date the year, by who was ruling the empire at the time and how long they had been in power. Whether people like it or not, the fact that we measure our years from Jesus’ time, shows how massive an impact this crucified Jew has had on the world and that many people down the ages, say that is because he is now on the throne of heaven.
For us as Christians, when we look to Jesus’s rule, we can feel confident and secure that He is in charge no matter what happens, to us or our world.
What we need to be careful of as Christians, though, is not to allow church leaders or mentors to take the place of Jesus in our lives. Leaders will come and go – even ones who stay for over twenty years. They are far from perfect and will let you down. But we are not told to call on church leaders for salvation or even obey church leaders as our Lord. We are told to call on Jesus as our Lord.
Era of Salvation – 2:21, 38-39
Secondly, this is now the era of salvation, for those who call on Jesus as Lord, who align themselves with him and trust that his once and for all sacrifice on the cross will bring them forgiveness of sins.
Peter’s conclusion says:
“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36)
The people Peter was talking to were mainly not those who condemned Jesus to be crucified. Yet, he says that it is their responsibility. The reality of the human state is that we have so rejected God as our creator and lord and fallen so far into evil, that when his Son came as the most perfectly loving man, performing miracles of healing and preaching inspiring truths, the people called for him to be crucified. The cross revealed the true state of the human heart and how evil it is. We need saving from our sin.
When the people heard Peter, they cried out, “What shall we do?” Peter’s response comes in verses 38-39. He says,
‘Repent – accept that you need to change, that your evil heart needs dealing with –
and be baptised – align yourself with Jesus and his ways –
for the forgiveness of sins.’
How can God forgive the evil attitude that crucifies his Son? The rest of the Bible tells us, that the cross was also the means of salvation. Jesus took upon himself the full condemnation for all our evil, he paid the full debt for all our wrongdoing, so that we could be forgiven for our sins, become part of God’s people and live a better life following him. We can be saved when we call on the name of the Lord.
My hope is that as the result of what we as a church have been doing in the last twenty years is that people have been saved. The greatest joy of ministry is seeing people come to faith, the greatest sadness is when people seem to give up on that faith. What the new era of salvation shows us is that the mission of the church has to be about calling people to salvation. That was true that first Pentecost, it was true when I started at St. Luke’s and it is still true now.
Era of the Diverse People of God
Finally, Peter promises those who repent and are baptised will also receive the Holy Spirit.
Back in the prophecy of Joel in 2:17-18 it emphasizes the full diversity of people who will receive the Holy Spirit:
“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.” (Acts 2:17-18; Joel 2:28-29)
In verses 1,4 of Acts 2, Luke also emphasizes that all those who were together, the Twelve apostles, the men and the women all received the Spirit and all were empowered to speak about God. That is what prophecy is in its broadest sense, talking about God to the world around.
The fact that they were enabled to do this in different languages, also emphasizes the diversity of the church that would spring into life. This was not to merely be an encouragement or spiritual experience for this medium sized congregation, it was to be the empowerment of everyone to play a part in spreading the message about Jesus to the whole world. And that is what they did. And that is how the world has been transformed by Jesus.
There is a danger in celebrating my Twenty Years at St. Luke’s. It can overemphasize the importance of my ministry and so diminish the importance of the ministry of every person in our churches.
Just as the Spirit did not fall on Peter alone, although he did the main speech, but on all 120, so the church is not just about the vicar alone, but about every person. Young or old, male or female, whether in front of large crowds or quietly with one other person, we can all speak about Jesus.
But church is more than just about speaking about Jesus. The word of Christ disconnected from people and community that live for Christ loses its power. Just as those first 120 were empowered when they came together, it is so important that we continue to come together to build a community and lives into which God can pour out his Spirit and from which his word can go out in power.
In my twenty years at St. Luke’s I am really grateful to the many people, who have worked with me to help build such a continuity. Some of you have been here for the whole twenty years and faithfully served in a variety of ways often unseen, others have come and gone, but nonetheless helped us as a community.
Let’s pray that God continues to build us all up, that the next twenty years at St. Luke’s – during which time I can guarantee I will leave, God will use the church even more powerfully to bring many to accept Jesus as Lord and find salvation in him.
Yours in Christ,
Paul
St. George's Church Ramsgate 