Hans Guderian, Vice President of the European Baptist Federation, opened our Executive Committee meetings in Prague with a short devotional on “The Winds of Change are Blowing”. He reminded us all of the speech made by British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan to the South African Parliament in 1960 when he spoke about the “winds of change are blowing through Africa”, heralding, of course, the demise of colonialism in Africa and the creation of the independent nations of Africa. German Rock Band, the Scorpions, sang in 1990 about the “winds of change blowing down the Moskova River to Gorky Park where the children play” in the days when the winds of change- candles and prayers in Leipzig, velvet revolution in Prague – were leading to the demise of communism without, for the greater part, warfare and bloodshed.
Hans commented that within our European Baptist family we are experiencing winds of change at present through the challenges of the global economic chaos and with issues of migration and growing nationalism in some parts of Europe. How are we to deal with these changing winds?
Hans drew our attention to Ephesians 2, reflecting on three concentric circles. The widest circle gives us a sense of in all things offering praise to God. The middle circle is addressing those of us close to Christ about our responsibilities to anticipate and have a prospective attitude to those beyond the confines of the believing community to whom we have a responsibility. Ephesians 2 argues that in the inner circle we are engaged in important construction work going on – God is not finished with us yet !
– Keith
