23rd May, 2021

​My dear friends,

The following message about the present tragic situation in Gaza has been posted by our St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group:
 
‘The current conflict in Gaza has left Palestinians facing a humanitarian crisis. It has resulted in thousands of people being displaced after losing their homes, businesses and livelihoods. At the time of writing, we are hopeful that the temporary ceasefire agreed on 20th May will endure, but we continue to focus on supporting those that require both urgent and ongoing treatment. Our hospital in Gaza is the only charitable provider of eye care in the region. We are determined to treat every injured person who comes to us, and we urgently need your help so that we can provide these patients with eye care over and above our usual charitable work. All funds raised from this emergency appeal will treat displaced Gazans who cannot afford to make a financial contribution towards our sight-saving treatment. Your support will allow us to sustain our existing services whilst responding to the increased need of the people in Gaza.’
 
The present situation in the Holy Land is heart breaking. Donations may be made via the St John Eye Hospital website. Alternatively, if you contact me, I can pass on your donation for you.
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            Last Tuesday I had my second Covid-19 jab at Bishops Stortford and had a lovely chat with a lady who had joined St John in order to help during the present emergency. I very much hope that she and many of the others who have so generously given of their time and services to St John will continue in the organisation after the easing of the Covid-19 pandemic. My own experience, as I said to the lady, is that after being ordained to the priesthood, becoming involved with St John is one of the best things I have done in my life. Pro fide, pro utilitate hominem – For the faith, for the benefit of humanity.
With my continued prayers and all good wishes,

​                                             The Rev. Dr  ROBERT BEAKEN, County Chaplain
PENTECOST – 23rd MAY 2021.
 
Account of Pentecost: Acts, chapter 2, verses 1-21
Gospel: St John, chapter 15, verses 26-27, chapter 16, verse 4b -1
Looking back to my time as a theological student – a long while ago now – I was a bit unsure about Pentecost. I was confused by St Luke’s account of Pentecost in the Acts of the Apostles, which I didn’t really understand. Well, of course, no-one really understands Pentecost, apart from God Himself; but you might say that over the years I have come to have a deeper appreciation of Pentecost – and there is much to appreciate.

            Let me begin by considering some of the kingdoms that surrounded ancient Israel. This might sound a bit odd, but bear with me – it will all make perfect sense. Imagine you were going to see the king of Babylon, or Assyria, or the Egyptian Pharoah – someone of that sort. You would be led through a series of ante-chambers in the royal palace, until you finally came to the throne room and the royal presence. The king would be seated on his throne, up a few steps, surrounded by his principal courtiers and palace guards. You would throw yourself down upon the ground in front of him – indeed, you might have to prostrate yourself several times. If you were lucky, you might be invited to stand or kneel. You would not look at the monarch in the face. You’d state your business succinctly and most respectfully, and then listen to what the monarch had to say. You’d hope he hadn’t got out of the right side of the bed, and didn’t have a thumping headache or a hangover – because you’d hope he would go easy on you, and grant you your request. You wouldn’t want him to hand you over to the torturers, or order you to be banished or executed. At the end of the audience, you’d reverse out, without turning your back on him, and then you’d scuttle out of the palace as fast as you could, hoping that it would be a long time before you returned.

            Now, the point behind all this is that Babylonians, Assyrians, Egyptians and a host of other ancient peoples regarded their gods in much the same way as they regarded their monarchs. If you were a Babylonian, say, you wouldn’t say you had a warm relationship with your gods. You treated them with great reverence, hoped they’d look favourably upon you, and you certainly didn’t want to irritate them, for fear of what might follow. Once you’d made your offering in their temple, you scarpered and most probably didn’t give the gods a huge deal of thought. I daresay there are plenty of people in contemporary England who think of our God, God the Holy Trinity, in more or less those terms.

            Now, the experience of Christ’s disciples in the upper room at Pentecost turns this pagan image of a distant, somewhat frightening god on its head. I don’t think we are intended by St Luke, who wrote the account of Pentecost, to take his words too literally; rather, he is painting a picture in words; and, if you like, doing his best to describe that which is beyond description. In a nutshell, at Pentecost God the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples in a new and wonderful way. The Holy Spirit is the part of God who – roughly speaking – does all the work.

            The significance of Pentecost for us is that the Holy Spirit extends the work of Jesus Christ into our lives. Now, when Jesus trod the earth of Palestine, if you wanted to find him, you had to trudge up to Lake Galilee or down to Jerusalem. He could only be in one place at a time. Since Pentecost, the Holy Spirit is everywhere. If we want Jesus, all we have to do is pray to him.

            As I said, the Holy Spirit is the part of God who does all the work. So, he has been busy inside us since the very first second of our conception. He loves us, more than we can possibly imagine; and he wants above all else to guide us to Jesus, and help us into a loving relationship with the Son of God that will lead us into Heaven. He is alongside us, watching over us, guiding and inspiring us, every second of every day of our lives.

            And a final thought. I said that when we were imaging visiting the king of Assyria or whoever, that one would address the king very respectfully. Well, on the whole we should address God respectfully – for He is the Creator and we are the created. But, if I had to come down on one side or the other, I’d say that it is more important in our private prayers to be entirely natural with Him. If we are angry, or hurt, or worried, or fed up because something nasty has happened to a good person and we really don’t understand, we should tell God: He won’t mind. It is also good when we remember to count our blessings, to thank God and tell Him just how much we love Him.

Jesus, you’ll remember, taught us to call God Abba, which means something like Daddy. That is a pointer to the sort of intimate relationship God seeks to have with us, His children. We are able to enjoy such a close and intimate relationship precisely because of Pentecost, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all who follow Jesus