#WatchAndPray Lent reflections - Week 4: Monday Week 4: Quiet This week we consider moments in the lives of the prophets when – even amidst terrible suffering and oppression – they encounter the divine presence. Black Spirituality is ancient, and in many ways can be related to the themes and worldviews of the Hebrew prophets we will encounter this week. Prayer for the Week God of our wilderness and despair, when our chaos is too loud to hear you, lead us to the quiet place. Open the ears of our hearts to hear you in the deepest of ways. Amen. Moses in the wilderness Week 4: Monday Reading Exodus 3.1-12 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.’ When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then he said, ‘Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ He said further, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the Lord said, ‘I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’ He said, ‘I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.’ Reflection Moses is the model upon which all within the prophetic tradition in Scripture is based – even Jesus. We know the general story of Moses, and we place him within the political and economic situation of his time, but we must pay attention to the deep quiet within the text. Moses spends his most powerful moments in the wilderness, or on a mountain top, alone with God. In Exodus 3 he moves beyond the wilderness, and there he encounters God in the presence of a burning bush. At this point Moses is a shameful man, and in many ways someone who is lost and confused. But in this quiet moment, he comes to see what he never had before. He comes to learn the divine name, shared for the first time in Scripture. His path – and the path of God’s people – is changed for ever. Watch When and where have you felt God moving you beyond your comfort zone? ...and pray for the curiosity and courage to seek God outside the ordinary. Copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2024.
Abiding with the Spirit Week 3: Weekend Reading John 16.1-15 ‘I have said these things to you to keep you from stumbling. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God. And they will do this because they have not known the Father or me. But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them. ‘I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, “Where are you going?” But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgement, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. ‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. Reflection We end the week with words Jesus speaks to his disciples in the Upper Room on the night before his crucifixion and death. Jesus promises that he will send the “Advocate”, the “Spirit of Truth” who will be active in the lives of the disciples and the Christians who will follow them. John’s Gospel generally uses the word “abiding” to speak about relationship with God. Also, when reading the Acts of the Apostles, the entire book details the untameable movement of the Holy Spirit. This “abiding” or “tarrying” with the Spirit – a key emphasis in Black Pentecostalism – requires us to be open to the unthinkable. For example, during the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles in 1906 to 1909, even white pastors came to learn from the Black leadership of the fellowship. Such openness to the Spirit’s guiding is vital to our discipleship today. Watch Take note of moments when you were surprised by life's outcomes. ...and pray for greater openness to God's surprises in life. Copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2024.
The indwelling Spirit Week 3: Friday Reading Acts 2.43-47 Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. Reflection The Spirit of God is mighty! Yes, the Spirit is Holy! But there is a deeper revelation about the Holy Spirit played out in the Acts of the Apostles. When we come to the end of Acts Chapter 2, the community of the first believers begin living in the world in a radically alternative way. They hold all things in common. They sell their possessions. They pray and worship together, breaking bread as Jesus taught them. They also were known for signs and wonders. Everyone was in awe of them. What has made the difference here? It is the fact that this early Christian community is indwelled by the Holy Spirit. People of the Holy Spirit live alternatively, in a way that is distinctive and filled with grace. They seek unity and seek to rebuild where life is most broken. Their hearts are overfilled with love, despite the cold heartlessness of the world. Watch Reflect on moments you might have felt the Holy Spirit within you. ...and pray for a clearer sense of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2024.
The Holy Spirit Week 3: Thursday Reading Acts 2.37-42 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?’ Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.’ And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’ So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Reflection In today’s reading we encounter the first converts to Peter’s message. We begin to see that they devote themselves to the teaching of the apostles, a central part of which is that upon repenting of their sins, believing in Jesus, and being baptised, they would receive the Holy Spirit. This emphasis on the Holy Spirit in these early moments of Christian history is vital for later doctrinal developments. We now stand on centuries of reflection which have rested on the fact that the Holy Spirit is indeed the third person of the Trinity. However, there is more to be done and more to understand about how the Spirit operates in the world. Black Spirituality reminds us that “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4.24). Watch Consider how your understanding of the Holy Spirit has developed over time. ...and pray for a stronger and deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit in your life. Copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2024.
