Our ‘ministry of availability’ begins afresh each morning with our offering ourselves to the Lord for whatever ‘today’s adventure’ might bring.
Yesterday my expectation for the day was heightened knowing that for the year 2020, 6th October was ‘the middle of the feast’. The biblical types and shadows point to this day of each year being the day when Jesus will appear in fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles ( Jn.7:14)
This year I was only mildly disappointed : – )
I opened an email from a friend that began,
“….look what happened in Great Barrington this weekend!”
Then followed a link describing “The Great Barrington Declaration”.
Before getting to the significance of the DECLARATION itself, having highlighted the significance of the TIME, let me also highlight the significance of the PLACE – i. e. Great Barrington.
In the year 2001, Katherine Puleo from Worcester, MA., who lead the annual prayer breakfasts at the Massachusetts State Capital, heard The Flame song, which I has written ostensibly for Australia on the occasion of the 2000 Olympics. Katherine was convinced on hearing the song that it had also also been given for the US of A, and invited us to come to it’s ‘birthplace’ – New England.
The song begins,
“When our father’s joined in that Pilgrim band
They were searching for a promised land.”
and continues,
“Does the flame burn brighter in your hand than it burned
In the hand of your father when he said, ‘It’s your turn
Take the torch of faith, run throughout the land
Let the flame burn bright within you.'”
The Pilgrim Fathers had landed in 1620 at Plymouth Rock with a vision to pray “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on this part of earth, and then from this part of earth to the uttermost ends of the earth, as it is in heaven.”
On that first visit to New England I also had occasion to sing the song ‘O Ireland’ which concludes,
“O Ireland from whence the gospel light was shed
O Ireland the dove now hovers o’er your head
Only in Jesus could you ever be
One in heart completely free
And once again God’s love proclaim
A burning heart in Jesus name.”
The song is based on a vision attributed to St Patrick (also to St. Bridgit.) In the vision Patrick sees a map of Ireland aflame with the fire of God. The fire however dies down and the saint cries out to God, “Is this what is to become of the land? God says, “Look again”, and when Patrick looks again he sees embers in the north burst into flame, and the island once again being engulfed in the fire of God with flames and light going out to the north and the south, the east and the west!
As I sang that song I saw the same vision unfold for the USA with a rekindling of The Flame of God beginning again in the north
A few years ago Katherine died, however on that first visit we met another couple who pastor a church in New England. Over the years we have become close friends and visited many times. Collins and Cheryl Lein have stood in the gap faithfully for many years for the New England area and this nation.
Their church building is built at the site where a missionary from the Great Awakening brought the gospel to the local Native people. This was evangelism ‘done right’ as testified by the fact that the indigenous people requested that when they died they would be buried in a circle around the missionary’s grave, so that on the day of resurrection the first face they would see would be their beloved pastor!
The Leins (linen) stand, live and pray, wait for it…in GREAT BARRINGTON!
This little town of about 7,000 people ‘just happens’ to be the place where I believe a candle has just been lit in the midst of the present world darkness!
A few months ago when in Boston with Robin, Hilary and I had the opportunity to sing at Living God Fellowship’s ‘Covid’ outdoor service in the midst of the beautiful Berkshire Hills our own Great Barrington Declaration.
“And the whole of creation cries with one voice
Your Maker loves you
Rejoice! O Man Rejoice!”
Last weekend three world renowned professors of epidemiology from the Universities of Harvard, Stanford and Oxford England, met together at a house in Great Barrington
Their purpose was to propose an alternative approach to handling the “Covid crisis”, one based on honest science and morality.
The ‘collateral damage’ from the current draconian measures which they say have violated standard public health protocols has far outweighed any benefit in curtailing the virus. The one country that did not breach these protocols, Sweden, is now seen to be the ‘gold standard’ for management.
Dr Gupta said in a subsequent interview that because of this overreaction,
“130 MILLION will die of starvation alone……just let that sink in!”
Theirs sounds like a voice of sanity in the midst of the madness.
…….A flame of truth and a holy fire being rekindled in the midst of a corrupt world.
The King is Coming!
Please click below to read, and if you are led, sign, and fan into flame
…..The GREAT BARRINGTON DECLARATION.