Minister’s Letter - for June
Dear Friends,
By the time you read this the church will have celebrated one of its most important events in the Christian calendar and that is the feast of Pentecost, the day when the holy spirit came to breathe new life into the disciples and all who were gathered in the town square on that first Pentecost morning, as recorded in the book of Acts.
On the first Pentecost Sunday, the Holy Spirit empowered the apostles, the spirit came down on them in the form of wind and fire. Wind and fire, symbols of power: wind has the power to move, to uproot, while fire has the power to ignite our souls and to keep us ablaze with the spirit.
The power that both wind and fire symbolise here is the power of God, here they symbolise the presence and action of God
The coming of the spirit enabled the disciples with the energy, the courage and the passion to get on with the task that Christ had given them to do. The holy spirit would help them, but he would not do it for them. However we must not think that the change in them came about in an instant, it was a slow, gradual thing, it was a growth process, and as we all know growth can be slow and painful.
As human beings, we all get fixed in ways of doing things, and this can be especially true in church life, and we do not easily let go of old ways, old habits and old attitudes are often difficult to change.
But I believe people change when they are given hope, when someone believes in them, and gives them a task to do. Change happens, when someone takes an interest in us, but above all we change when we are loved. The disciples were loved by Christ, just as we are also loved by God, and when people have trust and confidence in us, our spirits soar, and we feel empowered to take on new challenges.
We come out of our shells, and sometimes by the grace of God hidden energies can be released in us. A theologian once said, "the miracle of human change is the only real miracle".
As human beings, and particularly as Christians, we too need someone to empower us, so that we are able to take charge of our lives, this means being willing to change what needs to be changed. We especially need empowerment in order to witness to our Christian faith.
The power that changed the apostles is also available to us and if we just give it a chance, the Holy Spirit will energise us, strengthen our spirits so that we may continue to do our best to further God's kingdom, led by the Holy Spirit.
When the Holy Spirit enters our lives, though, we may not be able to tangibly perceive where the Holy Spirit comes from. We can if we pay attention, and look carefully enough we are able to see the effects of the spirit, and I believe this happens when we feel a new strength within us or an increase and a deeper commitment to our faith, or again a deeper ability to forgive others and not to bear grudges and resentments against other people.
The Holy Spirit leads, transforms and guides us, even though we are not entirely sure where the "spirit" is leading us.
Additionally, we don't know where the wind goes once it has passed, and so I believe it is the same with the Holy Spirit. If our lives are under the power and care of the Holy Spirit, we do not know where we will be led. The Holy Spirit leads us in the moment but does not usually show our whole future,
I believe as Christians we should be content to be led by the daily gentle presence of God, allowing ourselves to be moved here and there, but without being fickle in our faith, jumping from one thing to another without completing by the spirits help, the task that we set out to do. And that task, to the best of our ability, is to do God's work, in whatever way the spirit has chosen for us to do. This requires much trust, and on occasions abandoning what it is we thought it was, that God wanted us to do.
God's plans are not ours. God has his own time and schedule worked out for all of us if we but choose to follow and to listen to him.
One of the things as Christians is that we must try and reflect on the Holy Spirit in our lives, and work out what part it wants us to play in God's kingdom. Part of the problem with this is to try and discern whether or not we are being truly led by God, without losing track and going down various cul-de-sacs, which ultimately do not lead to anything, but confusion and frustration. I know I have been there!
As Christians, we must try and allow ourselves to be led and moved by the breath of God, so that we can anticipate great things in our lives, and ultimately be led by the Holy Spirit.
In the words of one of my favourite Pentecost hymns
“And so the yearning strong,
with which the soul will long,
shall far outpass the power of human telling.
for none can guess its grace,
till love create a place,
wherein the Holy spirit makes a dwelling”.
(Hymn 89, Come down O love Divine, Mission Praise)
Prayer
God of Power and love, in this our Pentecost season,
you sent the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, and with hearts on fire, they preached the Gospel to the World. May we too experience the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our World,
We ask this in Jesus Christ’s name.
Amen.
Yours in Christ
Peter
Dear Friends,
By the time you read this the church will have celebrated one of its most important events in the Christian calendar and that is the feast of Pentecost, the day when the holy spirit came to breathe new life into the disciples and all who were gathered in the town square on that first Pentecost morning, as recorded in the book of Acts.
On the first Pentecost Sunday, the Holy Spirit empowered the apostles, the spirit came down on them in the form of wind and fire. Wind and fire, symbols of power: wind has the power to move, to uproot, while fire has the power to ignite our souls and to keep us ablaze with the spirit.
The power that both wind and fire symbolise here is the power of God, here they symbolise the presence and action of God
The coming of the spirit enabled the disciples with the energy, the courage and the passion to get on with the task that Christ had given them to do. The holy spirit would help them, but he would not do it for them. However we must not think that the change in them came about in an instant, it was a slow, gradual thing, it was a growth process, and as we all know growth can be slow and painful.
As human beings, we all get fixed in ways of doing things, and this can be especially true in church life, and we do not easily let go of old ways, old habits and old attitudes are often difficult to change.
But I believe people change when they are given hope, when someone believes in them, and gives them a task to do. Change happens, when someone takes an interest in us, but above all we change when we are loved. The disciples were loved by Christ, just as we are also loved by God, and when people have trust and confidence in us, our spirits soar, and we feel empowered to take on new challenges.
We come out of our shells, and sometimes by the grace of God hidden energies can be released in us. A theologian once said, "the miracle of human change is the only real miracle".
As human beings, and particularly as Christians, we too need someone to empower us, so that we are able to take charge of our lives, this means being willing to change what needs to be changed. We especially need empowerment in order to witness to our Christian faith.
The power that changed the apostles is also available to us and if we just give it a chance, the Holy Spirit will energise us, strengthen our spirits so that we may continue to do our best to further God's kingdom, led by the Holy Spirit.
When the Holy Spirit enters our lives, though, we may not be able to tangibly perceive where the Holy Spirit comes from. We can if we pay attention, and look carefully enough we are able to see the effects of the spirit, and I believe this happens when we feel a new strength within us or an increase and a deeper commitment to our faith, or again a deeper ability to forgive others and not to bear grudges and resentments against other people.
The Holy Spirit leads, transforms and guides us, even though we are not entirely sure where the "spirit" is leading us.
Additionally, we don't know where the wind goes once it has passed, and so I believe it is the same with the Holy Spirit. If our lives are under the power and care of the Holy Spirit, we do not know where we will be led. The Holy Spirit leads us in the moment but does not usually show our whole future,
I believe as Christians we should be content to be led by the daily gentle presence of God, allowing ourselves to be moved here and there, but without being fickle in our faith, jumping from one thing to another without completing by the spirits help, the task that we set out to do. And that task, to the best of our ability, is to do God's work, in whatever way the spirit has chosen for us to do. This requires much trust, and on occasions abandoning what it is we thought it was, that God wanted us to do.
God's plans are not ours. God has his own time and schedule worked out for all of us if we but choose to follow and to listen to him.
One of the things as Christians is that we must try and reflect on the Holy Spirit in our lives, and work out what part it wants us to play in God's kingdom. Part of the problem with this is to try and discern whether or not we are being truly led by God, without losing track and going down various cul-de-sacs, which ultimately do not lead to anything, but confusion and frustration. I know I have been there!
As Christians, we must try and allow ourselves to be led and moved by the breath of God, so that we can anticipate great things in our lives, and ultimately be led by the Holy Spirit.
In the words of one of my favourite Pentecost hymns
“And so the yearning strong,
with which the soul will long,
shall far outpass the power of human telling.
for none can guess its grace,
till love create a place,
wherein the Holy spirit makes a dwelling”.
(Hymn 89, Come down O love Divine, Mission Praise)
Prayer
God of Power and love, in this our Pentecost season,
you sent the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, and with hearts on fire, they preached the Gospel to the World. May we too experience the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our World,
We ask this in Jesus Christ’s name.
Amen.
Yours in Christ
Peter
