St Luke's Church Eccleshill - Articles from "The Link"

The gift of perseverance

“Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy's will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.”

... a senior devil writing to a junior one,
in “The Screwtape Letters” C S Lewis 1948.

God the Son came down to earth for a brief ministry of 33 years, nearly 2000 years ago - but when he left and went back to his Father he sent the Holy Spirit who is with us today. The Holy Spirit gives us various different gifts, and we’re looking at his ministry in our readings in Sunday services (from 1 Corinthians 12-14).

Some of these gifts are spectacular: miracles, healings, speaking in tongues and interpretation of them, and prophecy - says Paul. Some of them are more “main-line” in the church today: apostleship, preaching, teaching, evangelism, helping others, administration. But some of the most important ones are the ones which Paul almost takes for granted, and doesn’t put in the “lists” of gifts we read in his letters.

The Spirit is the one who works in our hearts to make us sure that we really are the children of God (Romans 8:16), and so makes us able to call God our own father (or ‘daddy’ as Paul actually says). He’s the one who helps us to pray when we’re so stunned that we can’t find the words, and he makes us sure God knows what we mean when we run out of words and simply groan with sighs to deep to express (Romans 8:26).

It is possible for us to feel very guilty about the fact that something has happened in our lives which knocks us off-course in prayer and discipline and bible reading - and in such times we can feel that we are letting God down and failing him in our discipleship. Many people simply stop churchgoing when they face a personal disaster: they don’t exactly stop believing, but they do stop being able to face God and his people Sunday by Sunday. Has God really abandoned them in these times?

No, I don’t believe so, but I do believe we need to recognise that God has given us his Holy Spirit to keep us in the bad times as well as the good times. One of the Holy Spirit’s gifts is “Yorkshire grit” (if I can put it like that). The song which says “we shall walk through the darkest night, setting our faces like flint, we’ll walk into the light” (based on Isaiah 50:8) has an attitude to teach us.

John Hartley

	*St Luke's Church, Eccleshill - The Link* magazine** The Link is published monthly at 40p (Senior Citizens 35p), and we deliver free within the parish and post copies (at the reader's expense) to those who request it. Please contact us if you would like a free copy for a trial period. February 2007, Page 1.
Home Page. Index of articles: by subject, by date. In this issue: (February 2007) Perseverance, Confirmation, Electoral Roll, Weddings. Other letters from the vicar.	The gift of perseverance “Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy's will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.” ... a senior devil writing to a junior one, in “The Screwtape Letters” C S Lewis 1948. God the Son came down to earth for a brief ministry of 33 years, nearly 2000 years ago - but when he left and went back to his Father he sent the Holy Spirit who is with us today. The Holy Spirit gives us various different gifts, and we’re looking at his ministry in our readings in Sunday services (from 1 Corinthians 12-14). Some of these gifts are spectacular: miracles, healings, speaking in tongues and interpretation of them, and prophecy - says Paul. Some of them are more “main-line” in the church today: apostleship, preaching, teaching, evangelism, helping others, administration. But some of the most important ones are the ones which Paul almost takes for granted, and doesn’t put in the “lists” of gifts we read in his letters. The Spirit is the one who works in our hearts to make us sure that we really are the children of God (Romans 8:16), and so makes us able to call God our own father (or ‘daddy’ as Paul actually says). He’s the one who helps us to pray when we’re so stunned that we can’t find the words, and he makes us sure God knows what we mean when we run out of words and simply groan with sighs to deep to express (Romans 8:26). It is possible for us to feel very guilty about the fact that something has happened in our lives which knocks us off-course in prayer and discipline and bible reading - and in such times we can feel that we are letting God down and failing him in our discipleship. Many people simply stop churchgoing when they face a personal disaster: they don’t exactly stop believing, but they do stop being able to face God and his people Sunday by Sunday. Has God really abandoned them in these times? No, I don’t believe so, but I do believe we need to recognise that God has given us his Holy Spirit to keep us in the bad times as well as the good times. One of the Holy Spirit’s gifts is “Yorkshire grit” (if I can put it like that). The song which says “we shall walk through the darkest night, setting our faces like flint, we’ll walk into the light” (based on Isaiah 50:8) has an attitude to teach us. John Hartley
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