What did the Festival ever do for us?
by Guy Miller
I heard quoted a hilarious Monte Python sketch set in AD33 ish where the leader of the “Judean People's Front" (John Cleese) asks his followers; “what did the Roman’s ever do for us?” A historic, very irreverent, story of a group of rebels with anti-Roman feelings believing the world was better off before the Roman Empire arrived on the stage of history. After a pregnant pause one of the group answers “Aqueducts”? “Well, yes” comes the leader’s reply “but what else”? “Sanitation, roads, medicine, irrigation?” It is a hilarious laugh-out-loud moment.
My Christian life, as well as our families, have had many high points; times of wonderful God encounters, refreshing and encouragement and maybe most of these have been at bible festivals such as Stoneleigh, Westpoint and NewDay etc. With every invitation I have given privately, or more publicly to churches, I have found there will be at least one person asking “yes but what did the festival ever do for us?“ It is an important question to ask but also to hear the answer.
A few weeks ago, Heather and I met up with Mark and Bev Landreth Smith for a coffee and chat and I asked them this question. We were both blown away by their passion and articulated reasons. Let me list a few that I can remember:
These are amazing life-changing moments when our children and youth get saved, filled with the Spirit and step out in spiritual gifts. They experience something of God’s kingdom away from the peer pressure and conformity of their world.
They are times when everyone’s spiritual eyes are opened to Christ’s church in all its beauty, a body made up of the nations sharing together moments and building friendships that last a lifetime.
These can be moments of pastoral oasis, sitting under gifted teachers where God lifts the lid on areas he wants to change, and where many long-term pastoral issues get sorted.
They are times of incredible worship, the joy of being with 3000 plus believers in a meeting singing, praying, rejoicing where heaven touches earth and we hear the prophetic encouragement of our Father.
Finally, they are times of togetherness though admittedly hard for introverts, they do remind us that only in our togetherness can we fulfil God’s mission for our lives and churches. So we pray, we give, we prophesy, we release and we come back changed and equipped for the next chapter in our lives.
Now you, dear reader, add your own point or two and for any still wondering should I come to the Commission Festival 2023; I would say “Yes” a thousand times over. Indeed, I would urge all of our Commission Family, please don’t miss out.