Swept Away

The Spirit of God has been described as being like the gentle presence of a dove, but also like a whirlwind. A shaping and transforming power, shaking and rearranging the spiritual landscape. Pentecost invites us to consider the accounts of God’s power in the creation narratives in Genesis and to think again how God is making a way for mankind to return to a new garden.

We are aware being ‘swept away’ can be wonderful but it can also be tragic. Someone can be swept away in a loving embrace, but something shameful can be swept under the carpet. You can be swept away looking at stars stretching out as far as the eye can see - and whole neighbourhoods and livelihoods can be swept away in a terrible storm. We want to concentrate this month on the creative constructive power of God at work in our lives - yet we need to be aware of the destructive negative powers that try to destroy God’s creation. We will never fully understand the existence of evil in the world, but we are called to believe that the cross of Christ has ultimately defeated the power of evil. Perhaps we can never be free from an element of disturbance and questioning in this life.

When something is swept up - it causes a disturbance which creates something new. A tsunami is an example of how the landscape itself can be swept up and a whole new vista is created. The old maps no longer relate to the new landscape that has been brought about by the tsunami.

In reflecting upon Geneses and creation, then upon the Acts account of Pentecost, something new and dynamic is created. The Spirit sweeps over the void of nothingness before the creation of the world and brings meaning out of chaos, now He sweeps through a broken creation and the church is created as the agent to bring about his Kingdom (Ephesians 2. 10).

This month we are exploring themes of creation and reclaiming what has been lost, what we thought was wasted. We are being invited to explore the way God can use our brokenness to allow us to become the ones who bring health and healing to others

Like a potter, God sweeps up all the broken pieces, and folds them back into creation (see Jeremiah 18: 1-17).