Hello again
No doubt you are all expecting something inspirational this Easter season, something about the dynamic power of new life in Christ, and naturally, I am pleased to oblige! Albeit in my unconventional way, which alas, may not suit everyone, but here goes…!
First, we need a bit of Greek, then we need a LOT of hand-held vacuum cleaner (see last week’s article…)
The Greek is dunamis, which is the NT word of power. I get very excited about this. (I also get very excited about the NT word for life – zoe – but then, I am pretty excitable. I nearly got arrested in a petrol station once, getting excited about that…)
We all, of course, already know quite a lot of Greek, as so many words we use are rooted there – in this case, dynamo, dynamic, dynamite, and so on. That’s power! Raw, explosive, unbridled, almost supernatural power.
Lords and kings in the Bible exercise such power: “…for thine is the kingdom, the “dynamis” (power) and the glory…” Thus, ultimate power (of course) belongs to God alone.
The word is also used in the NT for the ‘mighty acts’ and ‘miracles’ of Christ. That sort of power!
At this point in the Easter Gospel narrative, we have Jesus’ resurrection, and appearance to all sorts of people – mostly friends and disciples – and quite a few of them promptly display some pretty dubious faith credentials.
But now they have seen the risen Lord, and hopefully done a quick faith re-engineering exercise, what else is lacking? Go sell all you have? No, some of them had done that already. What else for us to become a bona fide disciple of Christ, and exponent of resurrection NT life?
“Wait” says Christ, and you will receive…? Our old friend ‘dynamin’ – power from on high, in the form of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8) That’s what they lack – the power of the Holy Spirit. The power of God Himself.
Wow!
Bring on Pentecost, that’s what I say.
But we are not quite there yet.
For the present, remember all those frustrated non-New Age men I was sharing my concerns with last week? Because we are always working, and never mowing the grass, or fixing things in the house, and feeling very small when someone else – often a wife or partner – has to do those tasks?
Ah-ha! The solution! Men (and women!) – combine the two ideas! Purchase the most powerful (there’s that word again) hand-held cordless vacuum you can find.
Now comes the power.
It only takes a moment to clean those car carpet mats, and all of a sudden, you are not driving around in a cesspit anymore!
A few crumbs on the stair carpet. Kazam – gone in a satisfying moment. And from such a high traffic and visual area too!
This exciting space-gun carbine even has a high moral compass – instead of shooting people, it cleans up dirt and makes the world better!
What is there not to like?
Cobwebs beware. I have turned myself from hopeless web-victim, staring helplessly up at the ceiling coving, into an insatiable dust-hunter, actually looking for more disgusting long thin strands of cobweb tyranny to suction up, and disappointed whena patch of ceiling remains clear and clean!
It’s not really to do with vacuums – as you may have gathered by now. More a question of transformed self-identity – from hapless victim to world conquering, powerful believer.
May God continue to bring transforming power into our lives, as we wait on Him this Easter season.
All praise to the risen – powerful – Christ.
See you soon.