Talk by Helen Walley

Thursday 14 May is Ascension day, and we are also in the middle of Christian Aid week. Today is the start of 10 days of Thy Kingdom Come.  Both are important events that link well with this week’s readings.  Christian Aid week has been running since 1957.  This year they are drawing our attention to the work in Nairobi, Kenya to help mothers develop Urban farms. They are funding and teaching families how to grow vegetables, which they can also sell on to their neighbours.  They share methods that protect the environment and conserve water.  They are growing good, nutritious home-grown food which helps in practical ways to fight poverty and meet basic needs.  The second project we are invited to join with is Thy Kingdom come, which started in May 2016 as an initiative which calls Christians to pray especially, from Ascension Day until Pentecost Sunday, that more people will come to know Jesus.  So how do these two projects which care for body and soul link up with our bible passages? I am struck, first of all, by something that is said by the apostle Peter in his letter when he encourages those to whom he writes to gently explain the reason for their hope in Jesus.  This is where we start with Thy Kingdom come. We are encouraged to think of 5 people who we know, whose lives intertwine with ours, whether that be in our families, at school, college, in our work place, or among our friendships, for whom we can pray.  I have done this for 10 years now and it has been encouraging to have experienced opportunity for listening, conversation and sharing the hope that is within me, seeing family and friends coming closer to Jesus.  Sharing our faith can sometimes be challenging, so how do our readings today encourage us. First of all, Jesus promised his disciples he would send them a helper, an advocate and counsellor.  He says I will not leave you orphaned, but you will know the love of the Father. The promised Spirit will come to dwell in them, and help them. That promise extends to us too. Three things about the Holy Spirit that help us in our lives as Christians:

He comes to live in us and fills us afresh every day. He will teach us and work through us to enable us to follow Jesus.  This includes sharing the hope that is within each of us, the good news that Jesus brings, life in all its fullness. He helps us to overcome fear because he gives to us a peace that the world can’t give to us, and gives us the strength to push past fear and share our faith with family and friends. He is our guide and gives us specific wisdom to know what to say in difficult or unique situations. In Acts 17 Paul is in Athens where he found common ground with the people of Athens, by noticing that they had an altar to an unknown God, so introduced them to the God he knew and also quoted their own poets ‘In him we live and move and have our being’ – knowing this to be the truth about the God that he serves. Paul started with their familiar ideas and carefully explained the good news about God as creator and giver of life.  Paul was bold and yet respectful as to

 where they were and engaged with things they knew rather than dismissing them. So how might we share the hope that is within us? Always listen, take time to understand the spiritual hunger or the difficult issues of those around us.  Christian Aid have gone into the community in Nairobi, Kenya and listened to the difficulties of poverty and they have imparted skills to the women who can, not only grow their own crops now but also sell some of them in order to earn extra money as well as feeding their families. You will find more information about Christian Aid on this newsletter and also in this month’s magazine. Trust that the Lord promises, by His Spirit, to bring to our remembrance an aspect of our story and life with Jesus, or knowledge of him. I have found this many times, for example recently when visiting my sister in CCU a woman sat down next to Peter and I, shocked and distraught because her daughter had just been brought in very poorly, we listened and she asked us to pray. Trust God that he will enable us to find shared values, connection, common ground that opens doors for us to share more of the love of Jesus.  Someone once said, your friendship has provided a bridge over which Jesus walked into my life.

Has anyone ever asked you why you go to church or asked you why you believe?  Many people are seeking meaning.  Each of us has an authentic and unique story about how God has looked after us, how he has met us in our everyday lives, what he has done for us.  Both the things we know Jesus has done so that we can be in relationship with God and also the lived reality of how he has been there for us. So the challenge is what stories could we tell others about our hope in Jesus? Think now if there anyone you would like to tell about Jesus love?   Maybe you can write down a few names. And you might be surprised at the opportunities that God gives you to speak to those you love. Ask God to give you the confidence to speak to them with gentleness and respect. Remember he is t far from each one of us. In Him we live and move and have our being and that is gift for all.   

Helen Walley