When the day of Pentecost came, they were all in one place’ (Acts 2:1). The opening verse of the story of Pentecost is a painful reminder of the place in which we find ourselves. Being together at Pentecost is more than the church celebrating its birthday; it’s a fundamental expression of pneumatology (that’s the doctrine of the Holy Spirit!) which teaches and reminds us that the Holy Spirit is a gift which is given to the whole church community. I take comfort in knowing that the same Spirit who was able to unite people of different languages on the first Pentecost will be able to unite people of different locations this Pentecost. Whilst the Holy Spirit is a gift to the whole church, we can also rejoice in this precious gift of God to each one of us.One of the blessings of lockdown for me has been the gift of a garden. I’ve noticed new life and colour emerge in a way which I never have before. The story of our salvation begins and ends in a garden. And between Eden and Paradise, there are some other significant gardens too. Alas, gardens don’t feature at Pentecost. The colours, however, in mine at present remind me of the gifts that we receive through the Holy Spirit on this birthday of the church: the ruby red rose reminds me of the ‘tongues of fire that separated and came to rest’ on each of the disciples at Pentecost, pouring upon them the inestimable love of the Godhead; the wild white wisteria recalls the Prayer Book name for this feast – Whitsunday – which reminds me of the work of the Spirit in baptism in cleansing us from sin by washing us white in the blood of the lamb; the poised purple peonies remind me of the royal status that is conferred upon us through water and the Spirit as we are reborn as children of the King of Kings - who sends his Spirit to comfort and protect us; and the glistening green growth in the trees and hedgerows remind me of the fruits of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control – which grow abundantly in the Kingdom of God.One of my favourite [non-Welsh] saints is St Seraphim of Sarov. He was born in the 18th century and is one of the most renowned saints of Russia. He said that ‘the principle aim of the Christian is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit’. Let’s all pray this Pentecost, dispersed though we may be, that we may daily increase in the Holy Spirit more and more for it only through the Spirit that we can become a Transforming Church, Transforming Lives. Archdeacon Paul
The Humbling of HumanityCovid-19 has caused an extraordinary change of behaviour in just a few months throughout the whole world – even the rich and the powerful. We once thought we could do anything and that our destiny was in our hands, now we are dazed and deeply uncomfortable with the uncertainty that Covid-19 has imposed on our way of life. We thought we were in charge; now we don’t know who is in charge. We have been humbled, profoundly humbled.But it is Ascension Day – through the year we celebrate the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus and today his ascension to the right hand of God, where he reigns sovereignly. God has placed all things under his feet - everything - “all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.”Who is in charge? Jesus, the Lord reigns.It is the common experience of many churches that more people are asking First Order questions – ‘Why am I here?’, ‘Who am I?’, ‘Who is in charge?’ etc. We should not be surprised when our delusions are stripped away, that we start seeking answers to the deep questions of life. And on Ascension Day, we can affirm to ourselves and proclaim to the cosmos with delight and reassurance – ‘Jesus, the Lord reigns!’. Let us pray that as the Church throughout the world celebrates Ascension Day, people will hear the Good News that the Lord reigns - our Cathedral will be broadcasting their service at 7pm tonight. I will be reminding myself of this beautiful truth many times over the coming days and using the Thy Kingdom Come prayer app praying that I may be able to answer someone’s question ‘Who is in charge?’.Peter Harwood
