Introductory Letter
Hello to my St. Matthew’s family,
Pentecost is an amazing time where we remember the Holy Spirit’s work in and around us and how the Holy Spirit’s work leads to renewal and new life.
You might remember such biblical moments as:
The Spirit hovering over the face of the deep - the uncreated and unordered cosmos - soon to join in God’s work to create order and life. (Genesis 1:2)
The artist and craftsman of God’s dwelling place - the Tabernacle - was inspired by the Holy Spirit moving in Him. (Exodus 35:31)
The 70 elders of early Israel, join in Moses’ leadership as the Holy Spirit gives them voice to prophecy (Numbers 11:25)
God breathes his Spirit of life into a field of dry bones when all seems to be empty, loss and death (Ezekial 37:10)
As Jesus ascends into heaven, his Holy Spirit descends like fire and a mighty wind dwelling in his disciples (Acts 2:2-4)
The disciples move out and across the world inspired, empowered by the Holy Spirit to do the work of God in magnificent and splendid ways. (The book of Acts and others)
This snap shot of biblical examples gives us an impression of how God’s Holy Spirit works and how he wants to move in us. The Holy Spirit is the breath of God, His invisible presence that creates order, and the breath that gives us life. The Holy Spirit has the immense capacity to change everything and point it towards life, creativity and order and that is what He wants to do in us.
We as a church are praying for Spiritual Renewal, because we know it is something that God wants. It is something he is already working towards, but we also know that our prayers are effective. Our prayers join in the work of God and what’s more we have heard if we ask anything IN JESUS’ NAME it will be given to us. We are asking for Spiritual renewal ultimately because we want Jesus’ name to be known and shared. We want the world to be transformed by the order, life, creativity and love of the Holy Spirit so that all of our hearts might be changed by Jesus’ heart. Spiritual renewal means everything we see in our little snapshot of passages, so it means a world changed for good. We know that we and the world desperately need this.
It is my challenge to each of us to continually pray for Spiritual Renewal. If you don’t know what to pray feel free to repeat, “Come Holy Spirit, come”. Of course it goes deeper than this. One of the biggest things is that we need to make space for the Holy Spirit. Prayer is a part of this, but there is a lot more, taking times of purpose rest meditating on the Holy Spirit, walking with the Holy Spirit on your mind, leaving space in our daily lives for Him to act, speak and guide, and speaking of Him to others. All of these are examples of ways we make space for others in our lives, but making space for the Holy Spirit is far more important, especially if life, creativity and order are bound to him. What follows as we come to know the Holy Spirit is a courageous and faithful stepping out to live into what the Holy Spirit is already doing.
“What is Love?” - A new sermon series. This Pentecost we are dwelling on God as love, with a particular focus on how the Father’s love for the Son is so profound and beautiful that it has an identity of its own which is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit with us is the Father’s love for the Son that He has now extended to us. God’s love, the Holy Spirit, is so powerful that it changes everything. It looks different than what we see in the world, because it is making a new world. By the end it is my hope that we will understand this love and know it intimately.
Summer is just around the corner and with it comes so much joy and peace (which in its true and lasting form is a fruit of the Spirit). As we make room and time to enjoy what God has given us, let us not forget His gift, His presence and his Love - The Holy Spirit which upholds everything, dwells with us and is always trying to draw closer. Let us put him into our plans, into our habits, into our moments inbetween. We want nothing less than the renewal of the world and that starts with the renewal of our lives. So we prayer: “Come Holy Spirit, come”.
Your brother in the love of Christ,
Rev. Philip Stonhouse
