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Rector's Musing

May, 2012

What is Pentecost?

Sunday 27 May is Pentecost Sunday, the Sunday that used to be called Whitsun and after Christmas and Easter it is the most important Sunday of the year. But I wonder, "How many people know what Pentecost is really all about?"

Pentecost literally means fiftieth day. For forty days after Easter Jesus kept on appearing to people. He would often turn up at meal times and eat with his disciples, one time he even cooked them breakfast on a beach, and it wasn't only the twelve another time he appeared to more than 500 at once.

Then on Ascension Day he went back to heaven and didn't appear any more, and his followers waited and asked God to send them another helper, the Holy Spirit.

And that is what happened on the first Pentecost Sunday. It is the day we remember God first pouring out his Holy Spirit into Jesus followers (you can read about it in Acts 2 ). God poured his Holy power, the same power that had raised Jesus from death, into the apostles, so that over the next weeks, months and years as they drew on that power and worked in cooperation with God slowly but surely they changed the world for the better.

Now the amazing truth is that the same power is available today to all who ask God for it. Talking about the Holy Spirit Jesus said "ask and it will be given to you seek and you will find" and so on Sunday 27 May we will be reading again the story of the first Pentecost and asking God to refill us with his Holy Spirit. So that as he fills us brim full with his love, joy and peace so some of that love joy and peace will overflow from us into every conversation and hopefully once again, this time through us, God will change the world for the better.


Yours sincerely


Mike Saunders