Mediators of life
On Sunday, in Swansea, I was chatting with someone I hadn’t previously met. The subject turned to religious groups. The individual had a negative perception of Christians who identify as Evangelical and / or Pentecostal. I understood however as I know that community pretty well I found myself trying to assure her that there are good people within that tribe. Then on Tuesday, in Peterborough, I chatted with a Christian who identified as Evangelical and Pentecostal. In that conversation, I sought to persuade them that there is much to learn from others.
What is spiritual happens yet in a bid to bottle it we make a religion out of it. We do it with life we enjoy an experience and then we make it a routine.
It got me thinking further about those icons we hold up as teachers who show the way and we become followers. Rather than teachers they could be mediators of life, they show us what is possible.
The story of the dove coming upon Jesus at his baptism,
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. Matthew 3:16 New International Version (NIV)
and the tongues of fire at Pentecost come to mind as mediators of life,
They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. Act 2:3 NIV
Sure we can look at these ‘Greats’ for inspiration for how we can also become ‘mediators of life’. Life gives life to us and desires that we live it and become mediators of it. As God comes in the form of a dove or tongues of fire so he comes in human form and as a ‘mediator of life’ he comes through you to you and others.
g
