Message of the presidents of the World Council of Churches at
Pentecost 2017.
Acts 2:1 – "When the day of Pentecost had come, they were
all together in one place." Let us reflect deeply during Pentecost 2017 on
the meaning of being a “People of the Way” on a pilgrimage of justice and peace
as we find it in Acts 2:1-47.
When the day of Pentecost came, the followers of Jesus were all
in one place and of one accord. They, meaning the apostles with the women and
Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers, devoted themselves with singular
(homothumadon) purpose to prayer.
They were of one mind in anticipation. There was a oneness, a conjunction of fellowship
(association), minds and place. All were awaiting the fulfilment of the words
of Jesus, who had spoken to them about the coming of the Holy Spirit. The word “Pentecost”
is a Greek word signifying the fiftieth part of a thing, or the fiftieth in
order. Among the Jews it was applied to one of their three great feasts, which
began on the fiftieth day after Passover. Of all the feasts of the Jewish year,
it was the one that attracted the largest number of pilgrims from distant lands
and many nations. Therefore, many foreign pilgrims were assembled in Jerusalem
for the festival.
On the day of Pentecost, the promised gift of the Holy Spirit
was poured out on them – not on the apostles only, but on the whole 120 men and
women. Then Peter stood up with them, raised his voice and addressed those who
are Jews, that is, Jews by birth, as well as all others besides native-born
Jews, whether proselytes or strangers, who were abiding at Jerusalem. In the
early days of the church the believers in our Lord Jesus Christ were known as
people of "the Way" (Acts 9:2). The term seems to have been used as a
synonym for the disciples of Jesus five times (in Acts 19:9; 19:23; 22:4;
24:14; 24:22). And it refers to the way, as being the only one. Jesus is the
“way,” as well as the “truth” and the “life” (John 14:6). The followers of
Jesus were people on a pilgrimage. For them, pilgrimage included, among other things,
being a witness of the Risen One.
The word
pilgrimage is derived from the Latin word “peregrinus”,
meaning foreigner and “peregri”,
meaning abroad, referring to a traveller in foreign lands. St Augustine
describes a Christian spiritual journey as a kind of estrangement and exile.
The followers of our Lord were persecuted for His namesake. The way is a common
expression in Acts for the Christian religion. It is a metaphor for life and
conduct. The way of God and the way of life are seen as the only right and true
way. The first time the term Christian (which literally means “Christ Ones”)
was used in describing followers of Jesus was in Antioch, Syria (Acts 11:26:
“The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch”). The way refers to
their lifestyle, that is, the way of life they assumed. The Christians adopted
a special way or mode of life, building on Christ, in whom they had found the Way,
the Truth, the Life. Their lifestyle identified them as being followers of
Jesus Christ. Coram Deo is a Latin term
that means "before the face of God," or “in the presence of God.” To
live coram Deo is to live in the
grace of God, under the authority of God and to the glory of God. Christian
spirituality proposes an alternative understanding of the quality of life and
it encourages a prophetic and contemplative lifestyle. This is what Pentecost
is all about. It is about embracing a new life in Christ. In Christ, the Risen
One, a society was founded. Not on the law of self-interest and competition,
but on compassionate justice and self-denial. The distinguishing point by which
they were known from others was their conviction that Jesus was the Messiah.
They were
together – in one accord, sharing the same vision and mission in church
(praising, praying, sharing the Word of God) and community (sharing their
property or possessions, Acts 2:44 f.). For them having all things in common
referred not only to their belief in Jesus as the Son of God, but also that
their conduct should be in harmony with their confession, namely that Jesus is
the Christ, the Son of the living God.
To be on a
pilgrimage entails deep reflection about our personal conviction that Jesus is
the Lord as well as our moral obligation to heed the numerous issues of
socio-economic justice around us. Part of the church’s mission and humanity’s
responsibility is to protect God’s creation for future generations (Pope
Francis, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, no. 159).
We as people of
the way should stand where God is standing, even if it costs us our lives.
Today religious persecution is taking place across the globe. With profound sadness,
we recall many who lost their lives to persecution. But we are called to follow
in the footsteps of Jesus. This is our conviction. Christianity provides us a
way, a path to engage in church and society – to embody the way. The gift of
the Spirit shows its power, not only in tongues and prophecy, but also in our
lives and conduct. Following His way, may we live in anticipation of the coming
of the eternal reign of God.
The presidents of the World Council of Churches:
• Rev Dr Mary-Anne Plaatjies
van Huffel, Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa
• Rev Prof. Dr Sang Chang,
Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea
• Archbishop Anders Wejryd,
Church of Sweden
• Rev Gloria Nohemy Ulloa
Alvarado, Presbyterian Church in Colombia
• Bishop Mark MacDonald,
Anglican Church of Canada
• Rev Dr Mele’ana Puloka,
Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga
• H. B. John X, Patriarch of
the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and All the East
• H. H. Karekin II, The
Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians
Source: https://www.facebook.com/ma.vanhuffel/posts/10211617378102000
