Pentecost and the Global Day of Prayer

Sermon preached at 9.15 and 11am Eucharists at St Alphege, Solihull on the feast of Pentecost, 31/05/09.
Pentecost – Year B.

Readings: Act 2: 1-21 Roman 8: 22-27 John 15: 26-27a & 16: 4b-15


In April 2006 I visited South Africa. I was present for Freedom Day, when South Africa marks the anniversary of the first multi-racial elections held after the apartheid era. These were the elections of 27th April 1994, which led to the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as the country’s first black president. It was a watershed moment, almost like the birth of a new nation.
When I visited twelve years had gone by. Great progress had been made, but the scars of Apartheid were still clearly visible in society. I was interested to see that, generally speaking, the churches carried on serving the same communities that they served before the ending of apartheid. This meant that most churches continued to be either overwhelmingly white or overwhelmingly black. I was staying in the town of Walmer in Port Elizabeth, where there are two Anglican churches. The one in the posh suburbs was almost entirely white. The other was in the township and that was almost entirely black. Some efforts had been made to diversify the two congregations. In particular two black priests had been appointed to serve in the white church. This was a very important symbol of the churches desire to move beyond apartheid, but the truth was that it was very difficult to do so. The black and white community were separated by differences in language, education, wealth, history, tradition and location. For very natural and practical reasons it was very difficult to worship with the other community, and very few people did.
The differences I have just described were all within the Anglican Diocese, but the other thing that was noticeable about the Church in South Africa was that it has so many different church denominations. Within the white community it seemed that every different country of origin, be it British, Dutch, German or whatever, has its own church, related to its own denomination and with its own followers from that particular background. Within the black community it seemed that disputes and power struggles would frequently lead to the formation of new Church denominations. There were loads of them, many of them very small. As someone who is very interested in Church unity I found all these different denominations and different community affiliations very challenging.
But then I was amazed by a meeting I attended, organised by a group called Transforming Africa. This group called together Christians from all backgrounds to pray for Africa, and to pray for the world. At this particular meeting they were planning their local participation in a “Global Day of Prayer” at Pentecost. This Global Day of Prayer had grown rapidly from a vision received in Cape Town in the year 2000. It included a message of repentance and prayer, in preparation for a new and transforming presence of God in society. And what amazed me was that people from all the different Church denominations, and all the different communities came along and prayed together. Sometimes the prayer was in English, translated to Xhosa. Sometimes the prayer was in Xhosa translated to English. Sometimes the singing was African harmonies, sometimes it was western style hymns. Despite this all joined in, as best they could, and all were hospitable to the others. But the really striking thing about the meeting was the presence of the Holy Spirit. The vicar I was with said, “I always know the Holy Spirit is there because I can’t stop weeping.” Certainly, he was weeping. I wasn’t weeping, but I was completely chocked up. I could hardly speak. It was an overwhelming experience of fullness and richness and unity. I found myself transformed, and wanting to live this richer, fuller life.
In our first reading today we heard about the extraordinary day of Pentecost, which we often think of as the birthday of the church. For me, that meeting I attended in Africa was a little bit similar to the Day of Pentecost. It was similar, first of all, because of the great pouring out of the Holy Spirit, which all present must have felt and all must have been moved by. It was similar because it was a calling together of people from all different backgrounds. In Jerusalem that was Parthians, Medes and Elamites. In South Africa it was blacks and whites, Protestants and Catholics, institutional church and independent church. Another similarity was a breaking down of barriers and the building of unity. In Jerusalem all could understand the apostles, whatever their language and background. We are told later in the chapter that all the believers were together and held all things in common. In South Africa everything was translated, and there was a hospitable love, such that all felt included. Another similarity was the great impetus to repentance and rapid growth. In Jerusalem we know that 3,000 were added to the Church on the day of Pentecost. In South Africa, and worldwide, the Global Day of Prayer has continued to grow in an extraordinary way. Last year it arrived even in Solihull! And this year too, at our Churches Together Pentecost event, 4pm in Malvern Park, we shall pray the prayers of the Global Day of Prayer in union with millions of people, coming from almost every country of the world.
And I can’t help but be struck by the extraordinary power of the Holy Spirit who fuels this movement of repentance and prayer and spreads it throughout the world. And I can’t help wondering what God is preparing us for. It seems to me that in these times we need to be very attentive to the work of the Holy Spirit, and to co-operate fully with all that the Spirit seems to be doing. So this Pentecost, let’s listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit within us. If we can get to Malvern Park at 4pm for the Global Day of Prayer then let’s do that. Let’s work with the Spirit in loving one another, so that barriers are broken down and unity is built. And, as Paul advises in our second reading today, let’s allow the Spirit within us to intercede for us with sighs too deep for words. Then perhaps we shall have the courage to hope with patience for the things unseen and for the great redemption which is promised. Amen.