‘Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.’
Genesis 1.2 (NIV-UK)
Dear friends,
Let me introduce myself as the new United Reformed Church Minister at Queen Street Whittlesey. I’ve been around the wider area for nearly 4 years now as the Minister at St Andrew’s URC in Netherton, and at Spalding and Stamford URCs, where I continue to work.
I’m now officially Inducted to Queen Street, and also to Westgate New Church, with a joyous service on 24th May. It also happened to be Pentecost Sunday.
Pentecost Sunday is called the birthday of the Church, because it’s from then, that the disciples were given power to go and preach the good news. It was a new way for them to be. Their lives were never the same having met Jesus and followed Him, but now something different had taken place. They no longer held back out of fear, but were able to boldly go out, despite the consequences - and there were many if you read the pages of the book of Acts in the Bible and the following letters.
I chose the above verse, because we often forget that, although this was a new experience for the believers who gathered together after the resurrection and before Pentecost, the Holy Spirit, God’s Spirit, was there at the beginning of time. It was the Spirit hovering over the dark and formless earth, there ready to create, and it was God speaking a word that brought creation into being.
That creative Spirit of God has been around ever since: creating, recreating, sustaining, as well as living in God’s people to help us follow Jesus in our lives. We can therefore see the Spirit’s work in the world around us today. When we pray for different situations in the world, or for creation, it’s the Spirit working away, working through others, prompting others to act, working through different people and cultures.
It may often despair at all that is happening in the world. Yet God is all-seeing and all-knowing God, and we believe that the whole world is in God’s hands. We’re called to be faithful in prayer for our world, to allow the Spirit to work through us in the situations nearer home where we might be able to make a difference.
May God bless you and yours, Clare <><