Every day is Pentecost: a call to celebrate and liberate

Eric Gaudion reflects on the joy of freedom after wartime occupation and the even greater freedom found in Christ.

Celebration and thanksgiving may sometimes be criticised as being ‘over the top’, but surely not by those who truly understand the miracle of being rescued by Jesus. If we were to really grasp that from which we have been delivered and the extent of his victory over our enemies – sin, death and hell – we would indeed celebrate like people set free. Such was the experience of the folk in my island home 80 years ago this month.

May 8 this year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe. On May 9 here in the Channel Islands, it is our annual celebration – Liberation Day. It marks the dawning of a new era of freedom and hope after the dark horrors of five years of Nazi occupation.

The Channel Islands was the only part of the British Isles to be invaded in 1940 and was expected at that time to be just a forerunner to the further conquest of mainland UK. Thankfully, by the mercy of God, that did not happen, and the lights which had gone out all over Europe according to Winston Churchill in one of his stirring speeches, were to be finally reignited five years later. But not without immense sacrifice and pain.

There were three Elim churches in Guernsey in the 1940s, as there are today, and their work and mission continued throughout the occupation despite great difficulties. There was widespread starvation in these islands, especially after D-Day when nearby France was liberated, and many civilians were shipped off by the occupiers to camps in Germany, including one of the two Elim pastors. The remaining leader of the Elim work, Pastor Gilbert Dunk, worked hard throughout the war years to alleviate suffering and bring the good news of the gospel to locals and German troops alike.

Liberation brought a joy beyond our understanding today. One eyewitness of the day that the British troops arrived said, “We joined hundreds of islanders singing popular patriotic songs near the harbour. The atmosphere was electric with excitement, laughter and tears. The cheering was deafening, kisses and hugs were being given to the troops as they marched through the crowds.” These were good British folk, renowned for their usual emotional restraint, but on this day of days all that went to the wind as they celebrated their freedom!

Among the crowds was Pastor Dunk, who recalled being pushed and jostled by the throng of very thin and poorly clad people, and struggling to stay upright in the heaving mass. As he did so he was grasped on the shoulder by a man he recognised as a local Methodist lay preacher, who called out to him above the din, quoting Matthew 21:42: “This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes.” It was the Lord’s doing, and came after long years of suffering, sacrifice and prayer, but our God of love had not forgotten them.

Celebration is a core aspect of Pentecostal spirituality. The things we celebrate reveal a piece of who we are, of what we value and believe in most. We have recently rejoiced in the Easter message, thanking God for the death and resurrection of the Lord. Now, in the month of May, let’s welcome with thanksgiving the coming of the Spirit, who on the day of Pentecost, equipped the church to become liberators, spreading everywhere the good news of freedom in Christ.

If those who follow football teams can fill huge stadia with resounding praise for 22 men or women kicking a ball around, then surely, we who owe our forgiveness and the gift of eternal life to Jesus, should shower upon him our ‘excitement, laughter and tears’ too. For Christians every day should be ‘Liberation Day’.

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.