Northfield Methodist Church

Dear Friends,

Today is that special day when we celebrate Pentecost - the gift of God's Holy Spirit poured out and made available to all. The Holy Spirit, who at various times and in various ways used to come to the prophets, is now among us!

The question always is: How can we now invite the Holy Spirit to come, visit and fill our lives? Together we will explore this question in our services today. We pray that this will not only be a 'head' thing, but will lead each one of us into a deeper experience of God's Spirit. Perhaps you can begin thinking about this question by reflecting on the following.

First of all, we need to ask the Father, consistently and persistently, to send us the Holy Spirit and actually expect the Father to answer. We need expectant faith, a faith full of expectancy.

Next, we need to be ready for change in our own lives. It is just not possible to invite the Holy Spirit to come, to visit, and to fill us on condition that the Spirit leaves us just as we were before. Whatever the Spirit touches, the Spirit changes.

Let me end with some words spoken by a bishop -
Without the Holy Spirit:
God is far away, Christ stays in the past, The Gospel is a dead letter, The church is simply an organisation, authority a matter of domination, mission a matter of propaganda, Christian living a slave morality
But with the Holy Spirit:
The risen Christ is here, The Gospel is the power of life, The Church shows forth the life of the Trinity, authority is liberating service, mission is Pentecost, human action is clarified.
Exciting stuff to think about..... and to experience!
The Ministry Team