PENTECOSTActs 2: 1-21 John 15: 26-27.16: 4b-15We are approaching another Bank Holiday weekend as the end of May nears. People dashing off in different directions to have a few days of sunshine, they hope, as spring fades away into the background and summer takes its place. It is also one of the major festivals in the Church year. Pentecost, or Whitsunday, is marked as a day of special significance and until 1972 used to be the Bank Holiday weekend.The disciples were gathered together when, all of a sudden, we read of sound like a rush of a violent wind filling the house where they were. Tongues of flame appeared around them and rested on each one of them. The disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit.It is as if the Holy Spirit came into existence at that time. That is not so. God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Always was, always is, and always will be. It is the moment of Pentecost that sees the Holy Spirit becoming dominant in the Church.The Holy Spirit plays an active role in giving to the disciples courage to face the trials that they will face. It gave them power to go ahead. For us today we receive the same Holy Spirit in our lives. We are give courage to meet dangerous situations. We have the power to cope with the trials of life. In addition eloquence when needed and the joy of Christian life are all to be seen as the work of the Holy Spirit.Elsewhere in the Acts of the Apostles (5:32) we learn how the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey him. The measure of the Holy Spirit which we may possess depends upon the type of person that we are. If we are trying to do the will of God, hearing his word and fashioning our life around what we hear and learn, then we will experience more and more of the wonder of the Holy Spirit. We will see it at work all around us. We will be able to share some of the feeling, the experience, that the disciples felt in the days of the early Church. To the disciples the early Church was a Church filled with the Holy Spirit and that was the source of its power.Going back to the early Church try to imagine the scene. The disciples were meeting, partly in fear of the Romans, and possibly discussing amongst themselves what their future would be. All of a sudden there was a sound and flames appeared. It must have been both a terrifying experience and a mystifying one.To visit a foreign country it helps to be able to understand a little of the language of that land. Simple words like ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ are essential as is also ‘may I have a cup of tea’. To be in a room surrounded by people speaking in different languages can be quite confusing. But to the disciples they were given the power to understand what was being said. It was a gift of the Holy Spirit which was greatly treasured and which was to serve them well in their ministry. If a message, in this case the Good News, is to passed on to people it is far better to be passed on in a language that is understood by the listeners. A person walking into the room filled with the disciples speaking in different languages may well think that the room was filled with drunkards. But, probably for the first time the disciples were hearing the word of God which went straight into their hearts in ways that they could fully understand. Such is the power of the Holy Spirit.Today we recognise that power and give thanks in our worship. That same Holy Spirit is working within us. Leading our lives following the teaching of God and following the way of his Son we will find our life empowered as the Holy Spirit works within us.Collect for PentecostGod, who as at this timetaught the hearts of your faithful peopleby sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit:grant us by the same Spiritto have a right judgement in all thingsand evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort;through the merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.
Sixth Sunday of EasterActs 10: 44-end John 15: 9-17It is strange how things take place which we cannot account for. Something unexpected and which we can find no reason for it happening. We are at a loss to understand. Today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles relates to us another one of these happenings, and as ever, Peter is in the middle of everything.Peter was speaking to an assembly of Jewish believers. Not just Jewish believers but there were also some Gentiles present too. As Peter spoke to all who were gathered there the Holy Spirit descended upon them all. Not just to the Jewish believers but to the Gentiles too. The Jews were amazed to hear the Gentiles speaking in tongues. Not just general conversation but they were glorifying God. Here, if anything more was needed, was proof of God bestowing upon all people his love and the gift of the Holy Spirit.The Gentiles were baptised there and then by Peter. They were being baptised into the Christian Church by the Christian Church. Peter was not acting as an individual but as the Church in receiving these new converts. The same is happening today as people approach the font to be baptised. It is not the vicar or priest who is receiving the child, or even adult, into the congregation. They are being received by the whole Christian Church on behalf of Jesus Christ.Adults who come forward to be baptised into the church are frequently encouraged to go one step further and follow up their baptism by Confirmation. They have received the gift of the Holy Spirit through baptism but in confirmation the Holy Spirit is strengthened. The preparation to confirmation is a series of confirmation classes. Through these classes the various elements of the church are looked at, parts of the Bible are explained, the place of the Christian in the church is expounded. In many instances the newly initiated seeks to continue their exploration of the Christian faith. It is as if the Holy Spirit grabs them and directs them along their pathway. In the gospel reading we read of just this happening.After the baptism of the assembled crowd they did not want to leave it just as that. Peter was invited to stay with them for several days. The reason must be to hear more about their faith. Just as our newly confirmed clamour to learn more so too did the newly baptised all those years go.To seek for knowledge is only natural, and what can be more natural than to seek to learn more about our Maker. As the early Christians, newly baptised, asked Peter to stay with them in order to learn more, so too do the newly confirmed. They have realised that, by taking on this church membership it is not the culmination of a desire to be baptised, but it is the start of a new road. It is the beginning of this stage of the growth of the faith that we hold in our hearts.Collect for the Sixth Sunday of EasterGod our redeemer,you have delivered us from the power of darknessand brought us into the kingdom of your Son:grant, that as by his death he has recalled us to life,so by his continual presence in us he may raise us to eternal joy;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.
Acts 8: 26 – end John 15: 1-8Once upon a time, and this is not a fairy tale, I grew a vine. In reality it already existed in one of the gardens we had on one of our house moves. The vine actually produced grapes, none of which were particularly good, and the vine survived to when we moved. As far as I know the vine still exists.The vine needs special care and I was a complete novice in this field. Which of the branches did need pruning, which remained, which bore fruit, and which were destined for the fire. The gospel reading gives us some clues about how to tend for a vine. Branches which bear no fruit are removed and cast to one side. In this reading we can learn of how to be a faithful Christian. Such people are nurtured and live alongside Jesus. His words live within us, and in so doing we are attracted towards Jesus himself. We become one with him. However, if we are like the useless branches bearing no fruit and which are chopped off and cast to one side we can be likened to those who stop their ears to the words of Jesus. They might be aware of the word of the Lord being spoken but it goes no further. It is as if the sound is filtered out. On the other hand there are those who hear the word of the Lord. Yes, they do listen. They take what they have heard away from church. Then, after a short while something else crops up and those words are replaced. We may have heard the words and given them some thought, but there is no staying power. Lip service may be given but there is no follow-up. The words eventually are washed over us to disappear.No, we walk away from church, fired up by hearing words of wisdom. We step out into the world determined to do our best, to carry ourselves as true followers of Christ, not to be ashamed to confess our love of him, our allegiance to his name. That is so true. That is taking our faith out into the world, as missionaries determined to do our best. But then, we face a difficulty. Not everything is going the way we would like. The course that we have chosen does not fit the pattern that lies before us. We step away from our resolve. Immediately we become like the useless branches.The wood of the vine has very little use when chopped from the main wood. It is too soft for much use. It cannot be used as the wood that had to be taken to the Temple for the altar fires. The only thing that could be done to the wood was to gather it into bundles and burn it. It was to this end that Jesus compared some of his followers to. Some of them were true and faithful at all times. Others were like the wood that is cut off from the vine to be burnt.To be like the useful wood. Wood that grows and produces fruit, we have to take fully on-board Jesus. As he told us, if we abide in him, and if his words abide in us, then all we need to do is ask for whatever we wish and it will be done for us. it is in this that God is glorified. By praising God we will bear much fruit. We will become true disciples of Jesus.Collect for the Fifth Sunday of EasterAlmighty God,who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christhave overcome death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life:grant that, as by your grace going before us you put into our minds good desires,so by your continual helpwe may bring them to good effect;through Jesus Christ our risen Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.
Third Sunday of Easter Acts 3: 12-19 Luke 24: 36b-48There are many causes for us to enter into shock. A sudden surprise gift, an unexpectedly high bill arriving, a most unlikely person appearing on your doorstep. This morning, in the gospel reading from Luke, we read how the disciples were startled and terrified at the appearance of Jesus. He was dead. He was the last person that they would expect to stand before them.Jesus saw their state and said to them to reassure them, ‘Look at my hands and feet; touch me and see’. He showed them his hands and feet where the marks of his crucifixion would be very evident. The disciples were still a little unsure and Jesus could see this. He asked for something to eat. He was given some broiled fish which he ate in their presence.The disciples were still perturbed. This could not be happening. Jesus, their teacher, set about explaining everything to them. Right from the beginning he set the scene and worked his way forwards. He finished by saying, ‘repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations’.Jesus then ‘opened their minds’ so that they could understand the events leading up to his death on the Cross. He said, ‘You are witnesses of these things’. The disciples were to leave Jerusalem and to preach to all nations in the name of Jesus. The message – repentance and forgiveness of sins.It was an urgent task for the disciples. The upper room was not to be the ending place of their encounter with Jesus. Rather it would be the beginning. Here the Church was being born and sent out to every nation. Here is the world-wide mission of the Church. Behind them are the days of sorrow, the days of depression. Instead, the days of joy and happiness are being launched.Those days continued throughout the following centuries, right up to today. We do not know of the date and time of the Second Coming of the Lord. What we do know is that we need to be prepared. Our souls must be cleansed from sin, we need to have repented before the Lord. Then we can join with all of the Church, in shouting with joy, of the Resurrection of Christ. In so doing we are joining with all of the Church in taking the message forward. Alleluia Christ is Risen! AlleluiaCollect for the Third Sunday of EasterAlmighty Father,who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples with the sight of the risen Lord:give us such knowledge of his presence with us,that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen lifeand serve you continually in righteousness and truth;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.
