At Pentecost we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit. The story in Acts 2 begins with the Spirit of God coming to rest on each of us and equipping us for ministry. It is a vision of everyone being invited into a life with Christ regardless of gender, class, status, language, cultural or religious identity. It is an image of a church where everyone’s gifts are noticed and valued.

As part of the mission and ministry review we have been discerning where the Holy Spirit is collectively calling us next.  There is always change in the church because there is life, but God’s spirit is always with us. However, we need to regularly check in to make sure we haven’t got caught up doing the same things over and over while the world has moved on! By paying attention to our individual gifts as well as our collective energy, we will get a clue as to how we can better be God’s hands and feet in the world (mission) and contribute to the common good. Our two signposts: embracing simplicity and deepening our faith and discipleship will also help guide us in answering those questions.

I see one of the invitations of simplicity as a way of making space for the Spirit. Making space for the Spirit is about noticing. It might be noticing when you stop listening or vague out or get defensive. It might involve pausing throughout the day, taking a breath, noticing your body and feeling your feet on the floor. It might involve saying a simple prayer of gratitude each morning. Maybe you’d like to gather a group together to support one another in your practice, or join the online meditation group. One of the things Christian meditation does is remind us that most of the time we are more caught up in our own churning thoughts, rather than listening and being present. Once we are more aware, we can discern the Spirit’s presence more easily, and where there is life giving energy.

Deepening our faith will help us stay on course with what it means to be a church. We can get so involved in the world, that we lose sight of what it means to be followers of Jesus. We come from a rich tradition of people who have also walked this path and by singing, learning and praying with ancient texts we touch into this.

This signpost is also an invitation to other kinds of practices like reading the Bible, discussing a faith / life topic with others over a meal or coffee. It can be going to an art gallery, or doing something fun together and reflecting on where God was in the experience. Perhaps there’s a small group of people you might read a book or watch a film with, or support one another in writing letters and advocating for justice.

The Holy Spirit gives us courage to open our hearts and show up honestly before God in prayer. As we practice that, we get better at doing it with each other. When we can show up honestly with each other and deepen our common purpose to learn more about the ways of Jesus through being more self-aware, eating, praying, loving and learning together, we will naturally start to embody the way of Jesus in our lives. This is the work of spiritual transformation and that brings more love, more peace and more justice into the world.

Rev Cath James
Minister of the Word