Words We Use

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty"

Revelation 1.8 (NIV)

"The Master declares, ‘I'm A to Z. I'm the god who is, the god who was, and the god about to arrive. I'm the Sovereign-Strong.’"

Revelation 1.8 (The Message)

My part time work requires that I spend time in one of Dorset’s delightful cathedral cities. Described as possessing the "charm of a medieval city with the vibrancy of modern life"– it is my favourite place for work and shopping as it lacks the ugliness of the monochrome High Street and those equally flavourless concrete shopping centres. Similarly the local people are courteous and characterize all that is good with local southern English life. Today was a little more special as it was the farmer’s market where one can buy wholesome local produce; some organic, unusual items like chicken sausages and English cheeses, all made from fresh, locally grown provisions. My only disappointed was the absence of the local wine stall that markets exceptionally good English wines, with an excellent underrated red that I use for my personal Communions. With its local craft markets, its globally famous trips to nearby Stonehenge, the city is a very good example of the blending of historical relevancy and contemporary life, into a fine lattice of past and present, with promise for the future.

That is until the preachers come out and I enter a time warp that transports me back to the nineteenth century. There were two today. Standing dolefully, somberly dressed, Bibles in hand, with their backs against the wall (of the Guildhall building) facing the kerbside and the passers-by. The in-between bicycle rack distanced them from the public; from being in touching contact and it seemed to symbolise their separation from the everyday world in which people lived. Today, was a very shortened message, lasting a few minutes. I heard the obligatory call to acknowledge one’s sins and to repent, with the promise of eternal life or damnation if one did not. I remembered my days in the evangelical and pentecostal church, where it was almost a necessary rite of passage to engage in street evangelism. It marked a significant religious milestone in one’s public declaration of being "saved" and being "born again". I remembered the palpitating heart as I summoned up enough courage to speak, to witness and to pass out tracts. The relief when it was over, was unimaginable, with the associated feeling of having passed the test and the assurance that God and the Church, would be so pleased with me. For a shy and introverted teenager it was quite an ordeal. Local folklore has it that one infamous local Vicar achieved notoriety by flying over a nearby housing estate in a light aircraft, proclaiming the ‘good news’ through a megaphone. He was allegedly taken to the Magistrates Court for disturbing the peace and successfully prosecuted!

One positive aspect of street preaching is that people have the choice of listening or moving away. In a crowded commuter train on the London Underground, there is no choice and that is one environment where I do draw the line. What always saddens me about street evangelism and in particular the two street preachers I saw today, was their style and presentation that ensured a depressing message. It was not one of hope but of guilt, fear and rejection. Their scriptural texts were punitive and reminiscent of the outdated King James version of the Bible. They used language that is unintelligible to most people who are unfamiliar with the culture of church-speak and traditional Christian doctrines. And their examples did not relate to everyday living or the twenty-first century. I had to resist a rising urge to translate what they were saying into modern English so people could really hear what Jesus’ teachings have to say to them. Telling folks to be "washed in the blood of Jesus" in this context, does not convey the liberating and revolutionary message that Christ shouted during his temporal life on this planet. He inspired and transformed millions of people through his demonstration that there is a better way; one of understanding of how we can live our lives with each other, in community through our relationship to the Divine. Jesus spoke within a particular cultural context within a particular period of history, but his message is eternal. Yet we use the rhetoric of the past to explain his relevance to the present and expect people to understand, as if contemporary language and symbolism was somehow less sacred.

God is past, present and future: we do not need to always use language from the past, to reveal God in the present, so that we can have hope and faith in the future.

Today was a reminder of where I have been, where I am today and where I want to be tomorrow.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son" - John 3:16-18 (NIV)

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him" - John 3:16-18 (The Message)

May the Holy Spirit of God remain timeless and be ever present in your life.

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