Whitsun - the Day of the Spirit

28 Apr 2023 • Articles

Jesus described the Holy Spirit, saying, "The wind blows where it chooses, you hear the sound but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes." Jesus said that we need to be born again, through water and the Spirit, and to be rooted in him as a vine is rooted in good soil, so we would bear lasting fruit.

The old saying, 'March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers' is true about more than just the weather. During March Christians were blowing away the dust from their souls as they examined their lives during Lent. April began with Holy Week, and Good Friday may have brought tears of sorrow and repentance to faithful Christians as they thought of how even the best of us sometimes let Jesus down, and how our Saviour died on the cross to free us from the results of selfishness and sin. Then came Easter Day and the joy of Eastertide as the sunshine returned to our lives and we celebrated Jesus, the Son of God, returning to our world in the resurrection.

On Ascension Day, which will be remembered on 18th May this year, Jesus ascended to his throne in heaven, taking his place again at his Father's side. Then, on 28th May, the Church will be celebrating Whit Sunday, the Feast of Pentecost, the day on which the Holy Spirit blew courage and strength into the disciples' hearts, enriching the souls of these faithful believers. The Holy Spirit can come to us, too, creating the flowers of God's goodness, grace and glory, and the fruits of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and truth, which come from those beautiful flowers, will grow in us, for the gardener is Jesus.

With every blessing for your soul this spring-time,

Ann