Minister's Letter June

Dear Friends,

 

As I write this, I am watching the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, as huge crowds gather on The Mall and outside Buckingham Palace to watch the Trooping of the Colour, the flypast and other events over the next few days.  We have our own celebrations in Hayes, with the Beacon Lighting, street parties, and in church, as we celebrate our Church Anniversary this Sunday, and our Jubilee Parade Service next week.

 

However you feel about the Royal Family, you can’t help but be moved by the footage of the Queen on the balcony, surrounded by her family, clearly enjoying the celebrations.  No other monarch in history has reached this milestone, has served their country for so long and so well – she has kept the promises she made to the country and commonwealth as a young woman, guided by her commitment and by her faith.  This is a moment to look back to her reign, but also to reflect on the future, as the Queen gradually hands on the baton to the next generation, to those who will come next.   

This is a moment for us all to pause and reflect.  To celebrate together after the lockdowns and restrictions of the last couple of years; to look back on what we have each achieved in our lives; and to look forward to the future as individuals and as a church, as we mark our Anniversary and reflect on what God might have in store for us next.

 

Pentecost is an ideal time to do this, as we remember the day when life changed for the Apostles, as they were filled with the Holy Spirit for the first time.  As the breath of God overwhelmed them, and flames surrounded them, they were filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking in different languages and able to share the love of God with everyone they met.  

 

Those flames continue to burn in each one of us today, filling us with the Holy Spirit, inspiring and guiding us, encouraging us to live lives of faith, hope and love, as we walk the way of Jesus today and every day.

 

What is the Holy Spirit saying to you?  What is God calling us to do in the next stage of our life together as Hayes Free Church?  Who are the people of other cultures and languages that we need to reach out to? Take a moment to reflect, to imagine, and to dream ….

A prayer from the Church of Scotland (Daily Prayer for 26^th May):

 

May the mind of the Father inspire and renew us.

May the Word of Life invigorate us with new faith and hope.

May the Spirit breathe fresh vision into expectant hearts.

And, may the grace and the mercy, the peace and the love

of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with and within us,

this day and evermore.

Amen

 

with love and blessings,

Alison