Pentecost 2025 St Andrew’s Milngavie
Today we celebrated the feast of Pentecost, Whit Sunday accompanied by Hugh.
Thank you to everyone who supported the Flower and Music Festival on Saturday. It was a great occasion. The church looked super with many incredible flower displays donated from various Milngavie churches. The pupils of the Haydock Music School provided excellent musical accompaniment, rounded off superbly with a lovely quartet by Geoff and Penny and two guest players. £345 was collected to Water Aid.
A very big thank you to Helen, Robin and Mary Lou for organising such a successful community event, it was much appreciated by everyone who attended.
Next Saturday 14th June Church walk to Kilcreggan. Meet at Gourock pier for 11.30 ferry to Kilcreggan. Train leaves Milngavie at 9.36, change at Partick for Glasgow Central dep 10.35, arrive Gourock 11.15. Parking is available near the ferry terminal. Buy ticket on boat, £4.60 single.
At Kilcreggan, we will have a picnic, walk along quiet shore road any distance up to 2 miles and back same way. Tea in cafe. Boat sails hourly, we will probably take the 4pm, arriving at Milngavie by train at 6pm. If driving , the Erskine Bridge is quickest route. All welcome.
This Week
Tuesday 10am – Prayer Group in the Garden Room
Thursday 10am – Said Holy Communion followed by coffee in Friendship House.
Readings for next Sunday – Trinity Sunday – Proverbs 8:1-4,22-31 Romans 5:1-5 John 16:12-15
Today’s readings – Acts 2:1-22 Romans 8 :14- 17 John 14:8-17(25-27)
There is nothing like a great church service to commemorate a special occasion.This summer has seen many such gatherings.
At the beginning of May, during an uplifting and inspiring service in the cathedral, we celebrated the consecration of our new bishop.
Also at the beginning of May Westminster Abbey was the scene of a national service of remembrance as we commemorated 80 years since the end of the WW2 in Europe.
On a smaller scale on Ascension Day the NWRC of the diocese celebrated a Sung Eucharist with the aid of a magnificent choir.
Two weeks ago, in the simplicity of a small rural church in Invernessshire family and friends gathered for the lovely wedding of our eldest son Richard and Sarah.
Later this month there will be another celebration of Holy Matrimony in this church as we celebrate the marriage of kate and Alan.
I’m sure most people would agree that there is something magical, uplifting and special about such ceremonial acts of worship, even for those who rarely, if ever, attend. All the trappings are usually there: music, rituals, processions, elaborate robes, glorious flower arrangements, choirs in full voice and organs playing with all the stops pulled out. The congregation in their best clothes. Everybody and everything look festive.
Such is the scene for most weddings, ordinations, confirmations and even baptisms. But beyond the finery and finesse, at the heart of all these services is a Holy Sacrament. There are the sacraments of ordination, consecration, marriage, baptism and for the monarchy the coronation.
At these most holy acts of worship the Holy Spirit is earnestly prayed for and call down, in other words invoked, upon the soul of the recipient, to enable, enrich and equip him or her for the task and vocation ahead.
That is the function of a sacrament. In true sacramental nature spiritual transformation occurs through a tangible vehicle. Its baptism its water, in ordination and consecration it’s through anointing, in marriage through the blessing and exchanging of rings, at a coronation through a crown.
So, amid all the pomp and ceremony, flowers and pretty frocks a true holy mystery is occurring bringing spiritual transformation and renewal.
At his consecration, Bishop Nick received the power of the Holy Sprit to enable and enrich him in his ministry, to underpin his soul, to equip him for the task of bishop.
Today is Whit Sunday or Pentecost, the day we celebrate the pouring out of the Holy spirit upon the first apostles and disciples. And what a scene that was! The HS may not have appeared in a conventional act of worship, but it certainly had a drama of its own with fire and thousands speaking in tongues – it was no ordinary event! And its effect was extraordinary!
God doesn’t appear solely in the mundane!
“Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house…. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Acts 2:2-4
The very energy and life of God was being given to them; but no one can receive the spirit of God and remain unchanged. The disciples discovered they were able to speak in foreign tongues. They found a courage they had never known before in preaching the Good News. With the energy of God flowing through them they showed new life and growth in a way that, only weeks before, would have seemed like a dream.
This new life of the Spirit had come to the apostles when they were at their lowest ebb, shut away in a room, paralysed by fear, confused and disillusioned.
As we continue to face the uncertainty of our earthly lives, our prayer this Pentecost is that we may also receive afresh the gift of the Spirit; that it may enlighten and renew our souls, bringing us courage and hope as it did to the apostles. God does not expect us to function alone in this life. Through the spirit he is with us. It is this Spirit which has sustained God’s people throughout many centuries especially in times of adversity, plague and war.
Today we celebrate the power of the Holy Spirit which is prayed for most earnestly at services of major importance but also is prayed for daily and received weekly in the bread and wine which we share at the Eucharist reminding us, through the Holy Mysteries, of Christ presence with us and his abiding love for us today and always.