RAMBLING RECTOR
I have borrowed the name of a strong and beautiful rose as the title for my reflection during the times when we cannot meet in the church building because of the current pandemic. I plan to offer you a short reflection each week, stemming from the impressions and inspiration I am discovering. It is my prayer that we all discover God more deeply in this time while we are ‘Together While Apart’.
BIBLE READING
Acts 2.1 to 4
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
REFLECTION
I hope you will have time this Sunday to read both our bible readings in full – the details are given in this Sunday’s edition of the Bexley Team News.
In my short Reflection, I wanted to focus on just these four verses from the Book of Acts. And the stand-out verse, I expect for all of us is… “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.”
The truth today is that we are not ‘together in one place’ much as we long to be. There is some frustration I know that we can go to the garden centre now, or the take-away, or even the beach, some of our children are going back to school or to nursery next week, but we as a congregation still cannot use our church buildings. Even to have our churches open for private, individual prayer seems too much to ask! (I will try and keep you updated as much as I can about how the situation develops.)
The account of the first Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit of God came as wind and fire on those gathered followers of Jesus, is traditionally a day of great celebration – it is the sometimes called the Birthday of the Church. For a short time, we cannot pray in one place, but we can still pray ‘together’ because we can know that others are praying in their homes. We cannot share bread and wine, but we share as brothers and sisters in Christ, held in his love and in the peace that passes all human understanding.
This weekend, I have invited St Barnabas families to do some Rainbow Ribbons – tying as many different coloured ribbons or streamers or strips of fabric as they can to a tree or fence outside their house. You might like to do the same as a reminder that the Holy Spirit still moves among us, inspiring and equipping us to share his love.