The best gift of all! The Holy Spirit

Acts 2: 1- 21

And just how amazed do you think the disciples would have been to find that they were speaking in different languages!

Can you imagine it now? What would people have said?

A great crowd of people at a special festival, tongues of flame start to appear from all around, mmmm… not looking to good. Someone by now would have called the police on their mobile.

“Come quick please, I think we have been tricked! This new band have sent fire into the crowd and now there are men who are talking in all sorts of different languages. You’ld better hurry!”

At the feast of Pentecost there were a group of about 200 followers, the disciples, and Mary, mother of Jesus and his brothers. A sound from Heaven, like a strong wind appeared and tongues like fire rested on them.

Peter, standing with the other 11 disciples, addressed the crowd. He interpreted the tongues as the fulfillment of God’s promise, described in Joel

Peter went on to baptise about 3000 people that day. They were from countries far and wide; they had the potential to cross cultural boundaries. They had the power and the spirit to take the word of God across the world.

The church and Christianity started here!

Rev’d Sue Martin Diocese of Norwich www faithgoeswalkabout.org

It follows a tradition that in the Middle Ages a ‘censing angel’ was hung in the cathedral on special occasions.

There is a real sense of spirit as the angel gently moves direction with the air and the words on her back follow her around and in the bright colours shine clearly from nearly wherever you stand.

The idea and creation are the work of Canon Peter Doll and Canon Phillip McFadyen and it was created by two Norfolk artists and Norwich school pupils. It will be the first time in hundreds of years a censing angel will hang in the place of its medieval counterpart.

“Angels act as messengers from heaven to earth, and are a reminder of the interconnections between heaven and earth,” said.Canon Peter Doll.

Artists Maz Jackson, from East Harling, and Joy Whiddett, from Trunch, worked with students from Norwich School and Notre Dame High School to design and make the angel

If you are in Norwich, visit the cathedral, spend a few minutes in peace, and look above you at the angel… you never know which direction it will facing.

Rev’d Sue Martin- Diocese of Norwich

House destroyed and living outside in a makeshift tent with tremors still continuing.

No help reached them yet!

Donations please via the main appeal charities.

Today begins the time when Jesus becomes passive in the final stages of his life, he starts at the supper with washing the disciples feet, an action to share the caring and love he held for his friends.

At the supper he told them that one of them would betray him, that on that night he would be handed over to the Jews and the Romans.

What kind of disbelief the disciples must have had.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, he watched and waited, he looked across the Kidron Valley to Jerusalem.

Listen to Thought for the Day with the Reverend Lucy Winkett.

He finds us where we are, not where we wish to be or even think we should be and hope to be, but where we are.

In this place, in this time and just as we are.That doesn’t’ mean we should not try to do all that we can in the right way, but an acceptance that we as humans are pretty frail, pretty easily led, pretty concerned about things of no real importance.

Isn’t that why we struggle, isn’t that why we come back to prayer and to church time and time and time again?

In John 8:1-11, Jesus was seeking some rest in the Mount of Olives. The Pharisees brought him a woman who had sinned and they were hoping that he would condemn her. What did he do? He asked for any there who had not sinned ever, to throw the first stone. They all walked away and he was left with the woman and asked her not to sin anymore.

Jesus accepts us as we are with our faults.

Reverend Sue Martin – Sermon for 3rd Sunday in Lent at St John’s Church King’s Lynn

Readings 2 Kings 9:1-10 Mark 9:2- 12

Our eyes are opened and at last we see.

Three tents or places look towards the heavens.

I have just come back from the Holy Land and and on Mount Tabor, walked in in the place where the Transfiguration happened.

What was it that Jesus was asking his disciples here? Why again, did he just take Peter, James and John? How amazed were they as they watched Jesus transform into dazzling brightness, How unbelievable that as the cloud descended there beside Jesus, stood Elijah and Moses?

Jesus took the three disciples there to try to open their eyes to what was happening.
Often in Jewish scriptures we hear of the ‘veil of ordinariness that normally prevents us from seeing the inside of a situation. This is a view and an insight into God’s kingdom, Jesus really did appear as the Messiah. The disciples were transfixed. They could see with their eyes wide open.

We often hear that there are layers and dimensions in this world. Usually we like to make sense of all that we see, hear and know and are familiar with. It is hard to take that leap of faith and enter a world of the unknown.

It’s a bit like being a child again, like exploring for instance the world of music, or the world of dance, looking through a telescope into the stars.

Rev’d Sue Martin – faithgoeswalkabout.org

We set out, as many do, into the middle of the Sea of Galilee, peaceful and calm, we had prayers we heard the story of the fishermen and the start of the disciples calling, we saw the geography of that place where Jesus began his work.

After the Bishop had said prayers, there were a few of us who started dancing, to the Jewish dance of Hava Nagila, with music from the crew. – Who would have thought it!! But as always dance was brilliant to express emotions and joy.

We held Eucharist by the shores, and to my amazement,the prayers for that day were for the parish were I now serve and first came to church in Ashwicken.

And towards the end of the day we renewed our baptisms in the River Jordan.

A glimpse into this journey of faith, go to holylandpilgrimage on this site to find out more about the journey.

Rev’d Sue Martin Diocese of Norwich

The streets of the Spanish capital are filled with children who are waiting to see the parade of the Three Kings or Magi bearing gifts in an annual tradition.

People dressed as fantasy figures on the floats hurled sweets down to the children, who cheer the ornately decorated floats.

The “Magi from the east” – Melchior, Gaspar and Balthasar are following a star to Bethlehem to give gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the newly born Jesus Christ.

If you look in the East sky at night this month, you will see Jupiter,shining brightly, low in the sky,an idea of what that star would have looked like, but multiplied by a magnitude of a thousand times brightness.

Epiphany – bringing light into the darkness.

Rev’d Sue Martin

Diocese of Norwich

In those days a decree went out from Emporer Augustus that all should be registered.

All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David.

He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.

While they were there, the time came for her to deliver the child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and she wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because their was no room for them at the inn.

Luke 2:1-8

One candle burns at the start of Advent, in St Clement’s Church, Terrington St Clement, a magnificent and pretty church in the Fens, sometimes called the Cathedral of the Fens.

The light shone in to the church as the south windows were filled with the sun’s low rays.

All out of darkness we have light….

A beautiful reminder that Advent is here and Christmas is on it’s way.

So let’s get ready!

Rev’d Sue Martin, Diocese of Norwich