The power of change
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) was a Polish genius.
Accomplished in many sciences, he is famous for one particular discovery.
In 1530, he published his revolutionary paper showing that the Sun was the centre of the universe, rather the Earth.
The Earth simply orbited the Sun in our solar system.
His radical discovery was harshly criticized, especially within the ranks of the new reformation movement.
That was all the more surprising and disappointing since the reformation movement itself was an equally radical change in Christendom.
In other words, there are historical occasions when radical changes take place. Is our present generation at such a juncture?
In 70 AD, the Jewish War against the Romans ended with the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and, with it, the temple.
The end of the siege was accompanied by indescribable atrocities by the Roman soldiers under Titus, their general.
In 129 AD, Hadrian, the Roman emperor, decided to rebuild Jerusalem, but he changed the name of the city from Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina.
He also built a temple to the god of Rome in the place where the Herod’s temple had stood.
His actions provoked a second revolt in 132 AD, called the Bar Kokhba Revolt, named after its leader Bar Kokhba.
It was crushed in 135 AD. Hadrian decided to destroy the Jewish people. The temple and city were banned to the Jews.The temple religion of sacrificial animals under the priesthood disappeared. Judaism itself nearly disappeared
That Judaism survived was due to a brave root and branch transformation effected by the Jewish people.
Instead of worshipping in the temple, they concentrated their worship in the synagogues.
Instead of a religion expressing itself in animal sacrifice, the people now gathered under the word of God in the law and the prophets.
Instead of a religion managed and controlled by an elite priesthood, the leaders in the synagogues were rabbis trained in the law and the word of God.
We must appreciate what this meant for the Jewish people.
The sight of the temple meant the presence of their God, the God of Israel.
The significance of the temple reached back 1,000 to the time of Solomon. Now it was gone with no hope of its restoration.
But they showed enormous courage in changing their religious practices, thereby saving Judaism.
Now, back to Pentecost and the working of the Holy Spirit .
Remember, Jesus said:‘The Holy Spirit takes what is mine and makes it yours.’
So we must ask ourselves,‘What is Jesus ,through the Holy Spirit, telling today’s church?’
Is the church being constrained by the Lord Jesus to effect a root and branch change as radical as the one undertaken by these Jewish people?
Many of us may wonder what is happening to the church we love and have supported all our life.
The church where we were married and where our children were baptized.
Is that Christian witness orientated around a church building now sealed in the past?
Will the church of tomorrow be unrecognisably different?
Will we have the courage to embrace such changes?
Remember, covid has already brought radical changes to other sections in our community.
Working from home has become a established feature.
While students at secondary school and university levels have experienced radical changes to their education, changes that will definitely affect their future careers.
But, perhaps you have been confronted by a radical change in your own personal life.
Perhaps things have changed drastically for you due to covid or through that unwelcomed illness.
What we took for granted has suddenly become uncertain.
Jesus cannot give us another job. But he can provide the inner resolve of mind and spirit to see us through these threatening times.
‘Having our life by the mercy of God we do not lose heart’(2 Corinthians 4.1)
A prayer for uncertain times. ‘Gentle Father God, I feel so uncertain. My little world has been shaken and what I took for granted has been upset. Please give me the courage to confront an uncertain future. Give me the inner strength to make new and far reaching decisions. Please give me the inner peace in knowing Jesus is by my side. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.’