Weekly Update – 8th June

This Sunday we celebrate one of the church’s most important festivals – Pentecost – the coming of the Holy Spirit and its enabling power to the first disciples. This was the promised gift that Jesus told them would come, after he had ascended to Heaven. It is sometimes referred to as the birth of the Christian church, as empowered by the Holy Spirit, the disciples, but particularly Peter, were able to make impassioned speeches about who Jesus really was and what He had done for all believers by dying on the cross and rising again. The Holy Spirit gave them the gift of being able to talk in other languages so that all the visitors who were in Jerusalem at the time (some 15 different places are named in Acts 2:9-11), were able to understand what was being said and from this outpouring of the Spirit it says that 3000 new followers were baptized and added to this new way of living , following the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. A momentous day and a great reason to celebrate but one of the least recognized church festivals by secular society. Maybe because you need to be part of a worshipping Christian community to appreciate it’s true significance and the implications that it has for us today. It’s also not helped by the fact that the word Pentecost derives from the Greek meaning 50^th, ie it’s the 50^th day since Jesus’s resurrection on Easter Sunday. Many of you may remember when it was known as “Whitsun” and there was a Bank Holiday following the Sunday! Whitsun means “white Sunday” a reference linked to the Holy Ghost as the Holy Spirit was referred to in the past. I have to admit that thinking of the Holy Spirit as a “ghost” is not helpful to me personally, as it conjures up images of something ethereal floating around with no oomph or power – I’m not sure that the “Holy Ghost” would have inspired Peter to make the rousing speech that he did in Acts 2! The Holy Ghost certainly doesn’t fit with the dramatic images described in Acts 2:1-4 – pictures of fire and violent wind! How do you think of the Holy Spirit as something gentle or powerful? The Holy Spirit is a gift from God that keeps on giving as it produces fruits or gifts itself – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (Galatians 5:22-23). Not powerful sounding at all until you realise that these were the characteristics shown (and lived out) by Jesus himself, a revolutionary who changed lives and ultimately the world. We can play our part in this by opening our hearts this Pentecost and letting the power of the Holy Spirit inspire, encourage and empower us to show and share the Good News of Jesus with all those we meet.

Fiona