Unity
Yikes! We have arrived in June! It’s been 10 weeks since the UK Government announced lock down. This week has been full of both good and bad headlines...
SpaceX and NASA launched Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley up to ISS. Take That performed with Robbie Williams online (my wife was very happy). We are now allowed to meet with up to six other people in our gardens (maintaining social distancing, of course) and primary schools opened their doors to more pupils in some year groups.
However, this good news has been overshadowed by the protesting and violence that has erupted in cities across the US over the death of African-American George Floyd, after he was physically restrained by police in Minneapolis.
Thousands of people have taken to the streets and it feels to me like and coiled spring has been released. As an observer I am both shocked and saddened watching this. This has come at a time when churches all over the world have just celebrated Pentecost.
On that first day of Pentecost in Jerusalem (around 30AD) God the Holy Spirit filled a small group of ordinary Jesus followers who were then ‘empowered’ to speak in foreign languages saying how good God was...
“Now, at that time there were Jewish worshipers who had emigrated from many different lands to live in Jerusalem. When the people of the city heard the roaring sound, crowds came running to where it was coming from, stunned over what was happening, because each one could hear the disciples speaking in his or her own language. Bewildered, they said to one another, “Aren’t these all Galileans?””
The ‘Day of Pentecost’ is often described as the birth of the church. Right at the start, on this first day, some 2000 years ago, the church was about unity! Bringing people together has remained a vital part of the church. The Apostle Paul wrote that as Christians, ethnicity, class or gender are not important – we are all just people united in Jesus!
In these days of uncertainty and unrest I believe God is calling His church to be a lighthouse of unity again! We are about unity. We are about togetherness. We are about love. We are about hope. We are global. We are the family of God.
Also, why not check out our live stream service every Sunday at 10:30am, simply go to www.hopebasingstoke.org/livestream
Stay safe
God bless
Gary Bastin - Hope Community Church leader