Today is the first Sunday after Trinity when we should be hearing the story of Jesus calling the tax-collector, Matthew.  Instead (in a rare break from observing the lectionary) we are hearing again the readings set for Pentecost.  Of course, these readings are worth hearing again but the reason for the repetition is that so many of us were away for the feast of Pentecost. 

As we are a parish named for the Holy Spirit, Pentecost, for us, is our patronal festival.  We are the people of the Holy Spirit and, as our readings make clear, the Holy Spirit is a gift which can only be received when we are gathered in community.

In both Acts 2:1-21 and John 20:19-23, the spirit comes when the disciples are gathered together, they receive it as a community.  The Spirit gives different gifts to different individuals so that together we may be the body of Christ in the world and together reflect the glory of God. 

These gifts are given to be used in and by the community of the faithful, through which God acts to recreate the world around us.  So, the arrival of the Holy Spirit in our readings echoes the work of the Spirit in the very beginning when  creation was brought into being: the rushing wind in Acts recalls the wind of the Spirit moving across the waters of chaos in Genesis 1; Jesus breathing the spirit of peace on his disciples in John repeats the action of God breathing life into a people of dust and earth in Genesis 2.

As we gather today to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit, we gather together to share food and fellowship and strengthen the bonds that unite us and we receive the Easter light, the light of Christ, as a symbol of our calling to take that light into the world and draw others into the beloved community  of God.

Today our Annual Parochial Council Meeting takes place within our morning worship.  The business part of this meeting is short: we elect those who will serve as our Church Wardens and on our Parish Church Council for the coming year. 

The APCM gives us the opportunity to give thanks for all who have served our community in the past year; to declare our support for those who will serve us going forward; and to ask for God’s blessing on their work. 

In place of the sermon we will have a speed summary of what we have been up to in the last year. 

As we look back at 2025 and look forward to the year ahead we have a chance to reflect on what it means for each of us to be part of Christ’s church.  In John 17:1-11, Jesus prays that his disciples may have eternal life which he describes, not as life after death or life at the end of time but as a relationship with him and with God:

“And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”  

Christ’s gift to the church, life in all its fullness, is found in the depth of our relationships, not only with God but also with one another; so Jesus prays “that they may be one, as we are one.”

In the year ahead may those relationships increase and strengthen  as we seek to become a beloved community bring Christ to the world.

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