06/01/2023

As we leave May and enter June, the Church has just celebrated Pentecost, what used to be called Whitsun. It marks the moment when 50 days after Easter the disciples received the gift of the Holy Spirit and became those that led not those who followed. It was a pretty chaotic scene, wind and licks of fire, and the Apostles learning they could speak all the languages of those visiting the city. The mitres Bishops wear is a reminder of the gift of the Spirit, that lick of flame on their head! The seeming chaos of the moment is important, just as our gardens are running away from us with life and growth and promise, sometimes even blessings can seem overwhelming. I have been lucky enough to baptize plenty of children this Spring, some in sibling pairs. No doubt their parents feel deeply blessed and possibly on occasions a little overwhelmed by their blessings. In baptism we all receive the gift of the Spirit, for whoever we are we need the strength and power of God to achieve all that we are called to. The Spirit often blows us where we didn’t expect to go, and children too change us in unexpected ways, and as we often discover chaos of this kind can be very good for us, it won’t ever be dull!