This coming Sunday Christians around the world will be celebrating Pentecost, the time when we remember the coming of the Holy Spirit on the disciples. It is regarded as the birthday of the church, as the disciples and many others had the confidence to go to tell others about the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. So like any other birthday party we plan to celebrate with balloons and cake in church and YOU are invited to!
It’s not only an exciting weekend for the church, but for the Royal Family as they celebrate the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Thousands of people will be lining the streets of Windsor and of course those of us watching at home will all be waiting to see the dress!
However, as someone who has the responsibility and great privilege of marrying couples, my thoughts are with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. In an interview with the Telegraph last week, the Archbishop said: “I’m always nervous at weddings because it is such an important day for the couple – whoever they are. I’ve made a couple of cack-handed mistakes over the last couple of weddings I’ve been involved in and I’m thinking this is probably not a good moment to make it a hat-trick.”
As a curate my question is “How do you prepare yourself for the biggest wedding of the year?” Well when asked by presenter Lorna Bailey, the Archbishop said a line from grime artist Stormzy’s song, Blinded By Your Grace, was helping him in the run up to the nuptials.
Welby is quoted as saying: “There’s a line in that – ‘I stay prayed up and get the job done’ – I think that sort of sums it up.”
Of course praying is something we been encouraging everyone in our community to do during May. Having Christ Church open every day has enabled many people to come in and pray. We may never know how many people have already had a go at praying but what we do know is that it makes a difference.
In the New Testament, 1 Thessalonians 5:7 the apostle Paul commands’ Pray without ceasing’. This does not necessarily mean praying all the time, but developing an attitude of having God present in our lives so that whatever we face we can lift that situation, anxiety or problem to Him.
Whatever your worries, fears or concerns might be bring them to God in prayer. In Philippians 4:6, the apostle Paul commands us to stop being anxious and instead, “in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God”
So as the weekend approaches may we have the confidence to bring our requests, big or small to God. Talk to God, tell him what’s on our heart and then Be Still and wait for him to speak!
(Church remains open 9am – 9pm until this Sunday 20th May.)