Pentecost by Canon Val
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful people,
and kindle in us the fire of your love.
Pentecost, a powerful moment in the life of the Church—the day the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, filling them with boldness, clarity, and unity. Commonly known as the "birthday of the Church" as it was on this day that the scattered followers of Christ were transformed into a unified, Spirit-empowered body, sent into the world to proclaim the Good News.
Today, Pentecost reminds us that the same Spirit given to the apostles is alive and at work in us. It is a call to renew our openness to God's presence, to recognize that we are not left alone but equipped and empowered to live as Christ’s witnesses. In a world too often wary of neighbours, divided and anxious, the gift of the Holy Spirit calls us into deeper unity, courage, and mission.
As we embrace the Spirit’s work through Word, sacrament, prayer, and community, may this Pentecost season rekindle our love for God, energize our service to others, and inspire us to be the Church—alive, bold, and filled with grace.
Pentecost Sunday reminds us that God, even when we least expect it, continues to give us strength, peace, guidance and courage. We see in this important day the gates of the kingdom being thrown open with great enthusiasm, to welcome in all of God’s family. Come, Holy Spirit.
Rest: A Sacred Command and Human Necessity
“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength.”— Isaiah 30:15
From the beginning, rest has been an important part of the rhythm of creation. After six days of crafting the heavens and the earth, God rested— not from weariness, but to bless time, to delight in what had been made, and to model for us a rhythm of work and worship, action and stillness.
A sabbath rest, whether it be on a particular day or moments carved out specifically for rest, is at its essence both a gift of grace and a part of the fullness of life God intends for us. To rest is not idleness but sacred pause—a time to stop striving, to regroup, to be renewed in God’s presence, and to remember both who we, and who we are becoming quite apart from those things that keep us so busy in life.
So, my hope for us all is that in the summer months ahead, we might find some moments to pause, allowing ourselves to do a little bit less and be a little more, trusting that our God will continue to sustain us in all things during these times.
Sabbath rest offers us a time to breathe again the Spirit’s wind, to be re-fired with love, and to re-enter the world not depleted, but filled. May we embrace God’s gift of rest, and through it, find joy, renewal, and communion.
“O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and confidence shall be our strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God.”
— BCP, p. 832
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
— Psalm 46:10