Cathedral Life Weekly Pentecost, 23Rd May 2021

Cathedral Life Weekly Pentecost, 23rd May 2021

Pentecost

Sunday marks fifty days after Easter and we celebrate it with the feast of Pentecost. As a Jewish festival, Pentecost (Shavuot) was originally a thanksgiving for the first fruits of the wheat harvest and later became associated with remembering the Law, that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. For Christians, it marks the day when the Holy Spirit came upon the gathered believers. It is often described as “the birthday of the church”.

I wonder what images you have of the Holy Spirit? In art, the Holy Spirit is sometimes represented as a dove – as described in the baptism of Jesus. In the book of Acts, when the Spirit comes down upon the believers, there are tongues of flame and a violent wind. At the very beginning of creation, the book of Genesis describes a “wind from God” hovering or sweeping over the unformed waters. In Hebrew, the Spirit is usually also feminine.

In some translations (of the passage in John where Jesus is talking to his disciples as he bids them farewell), the Holy Spirit is described as a “comforter”. Other translators use “advocate”.

In the days between Ascension and Pentecost we have been waiting for the gift of the Holy Spirit. In a sense, we already know what to expect; we have been here before. But Pentecost reminds us that the Holy Spirit is not always as predictable as we might like to believe.

There are several lists of the gifts or fruits of the Holy Spirit, appearing in three of the letters to the church – the epistles to the Romans, Ephesians and Corinthians. The prophet Isaiah also describes the way in which the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon the “shoot that springs out of the stock of Jesse”. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Wisdom, understanding, right judgement, knowledge, courage, reverence and wonder are the gifts. Gifts in administration, apostleship, discernment, encouragement, evangelism, faith, giving, hospitality, knowledge, leadership, pastoring, prophecy, teaching, showing mercy and wisdom are some of the Spirit-given gifts that we are given and called to exercise in the building up of the body of Christ.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit moves with great gentleness – just as we picture the dove to be. And yet there are times when the Spirit moves with might and power – as in the violent wind of Pentecost.

We need both. There are times when we need to be shaken up and blown about and take notice of the Voice of the Lord. There are times when we simply need to rest in the presence of God’s holiness, allowing God to speak peace to us. Most of all, we need the Spirit to help us discern God’s voice in the midst of the many that call us. What is God saying to us as a church? How is He calling us to change? What do we need to retain and what must we let go? There are no easy answers to this. Conflict has always been a part of the conversation between Christians. We may not agree.

Contact Us: Cathedral Office, 53 New Street, Chelmsford CM1 1TY. Tel: 01245 294492 Website: chelmsfordcathedral.org.uk Facebook @chelmsfordcathedral Twitter: @ccathedral Safeguarding Officer: Lisa Blaco tel: 07902 225131 email: [email protected] Cathedral Life Weekly Pentecost, 23rd May 2021

The image of the Holy Spirit that is staying with me this Pentecost is the image that sits above the South ambo in the cathedral. It is an image of seven doves (representing the gifts of the Holy Spirit) intertwined with the cross. As you look more closely, you see that the doves move around the cross, in a series of flight poses. It is a strikingly dynamic picture of the Holy Spirit. What this says to me is that the Spirit is constantly moving and shaping God’s people, starting from the cross. Never far away from those who suffer, the Holy Spirit remains with God’s people, as the “advocate” that Jesus describes. Calling us all uniquely as individuals, we are nevertheless all members of that one body, for which he gave his all.

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.

Canon Alison Kennedy

Services this Sunday:

Sunday 23rd May 7.45am Morning Prayer Livestreamed from the Church at Home Nicholas Henshall, Dean of group on Facebook Chelmsford 8.45am Breakfast with the Bible Via zoom (contact Canon Imogen for code)

10.30am Cathedral Eucharist You are welcome to attend in person. Presiding: Canon Ivor Moody Livestreamed on our Facebook page Preaching: Canon Alison Kennedy @chelmsfordcathedral Zoom Coffee: 11.30am Meeting ID: 894 9109 5348 Passcode: 631194 10.30am Junior Church in Guy Harlings Please book a free place using the link here. Garden https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/junior- church-in-the-garden-tickets-155780017225

3.00pm Muddy Church See the website for details https://www.chelmsfordcathedral.org.uk/exploring-faith/children- and-family-ministry 3.30pm Choral Evensong You are welcome to attend in person. It is Preaching: Gary Fleming also livestreamed on YouTube accessible live on the Cathedral website. Regular Worship | Chelmsford Cathedral

Pray with Us:

Today is Anglican Communion Sunday. Pray for all members of the Anglican Communion around the world.

Please pray for The Anglican Church of Melanesia Please pray for Canon Ivor Moody and workplace chaplaincy Please pray for Mary Bradford, Rita James, Pam Sharpe and all those in need of our prayers.

Daily Gospel Readings for this week and for use in your prayers:

Monday: Mark 10. 17 - 27 Thursday: Mark 10. 46 - end Tuesday: Mark 10. 28 - 31 Friday: Mark 11. 11 - 26 Wednesday: Mark 10. 32 - 45 Saturday Mark 11. 27 - end

Study with Us: 23rd May, The Day of Pentecost

Acts 2.1-21 Psalm 104.26-37 John 15.26-27; 16.4b-15

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. Today we celebrate the great day of Pentecost, when Christ filled the Church with the power of his Spirit and sent his followers out into the world to bring his peace, joy and mercy to all. Pentecost was one of the great pilgrim feasts of Judaism – which is why in the first reading there are so many people from different countries in Jerusalem. In Judaism, Pentecost celebrates the giving of the Law. For Christians it celebrates the giving of the Spirit.

The First Reading tells the story of what happened on the first Pentecost. With the advent of the Holy Spirit, the disciples are filled with its power and the Church is born. The barrier of language between peoples is removed as the whole community hears the wonders of God’s message. The atmosphere is one of an exuberant and joyful new beginning. The Psalm celebrates the whole of creation as bearing imprint of the Creator. God’s Spirit is also the Spirit of renewal of life. In the Gospel, Jesus promises that the Spirit – the “Paraclete” as John refers to the Spirit – will come, and continue to be with them. “Paraclete” is often interpreted to mean “comforter” but its core meaning is taken directly from the courts: it means “advocate” – the one who stands beside us in court to plead our case. Jesus invites those who follow him to begin to witness to the fullness of the Father’s message of love, This week, let us pray for ourselves and for the Christian Church. We ask for a sense of rediscovery of what it means to be the people of God, and that our hearts and minds might be open to the Spirit of truth.

News:

Annual Meeting: This Saturday, 22 May at 9.30 am live on Zoom. Here is the zoom code and you can join the meeting shortly before it begins at 9.30am. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81114212293?pwd=M0JOTll3dkxibjYzTDJsK2hRYkFSZz09 Although we will be leading the meeting via Zoom from the Cathedral, anyone who wishes to be present in the building is of course welcome. The meeting will start at 9.30 am and will finish by 11 am at the latest. All the documents are on display in the Cathedral and on the website Annual Meeting Chelmsford Cathedral | Chelmsford Cathedral

Sunday coffee: from today onwards we will be serving coffee and tea in the Cathedral grounds after the 10.30 am Eucharist. Please BRING YOUR OWN CUP! This is also the final week of coffee on zoom. Many thanks to Yvonne for organising this time together. The link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89491095348?pwd=Sy9VbTZlWXFxcHVmQmxaOU1BbzNOQT09 Meeting ID: 894 9109 5348 Passcode: 631194 Singing: we are now allowed to sing together outside! From this Sunday onwards we will go outside at the end of the service and sing a hymn. A little step along the way as we begin to journey through a new landscape.

We are delighted to welcome the choir of St. Margaret of Antioch’s, Lee, to the Cathedral this Saturday to sing Evensong. The service is open to the public.

Welcome to Worship at Chelmsford Cathedral: The Cathedral is now open once again for public worship, and congregations are welcome to come and join in both “live” in the building and through our live streaming on-line. There is no need to book ahead and we seek to accommodate everyone who comes along to the Cathedral Eucharist at 10.30 am every Sunday and the simple

celebration at 10.30 am on Thursdays. You are also welcome to come along to Evensong on Sundays at 3.30 pm and on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 5.15 pm. We continue to stream the Daily Prayer at 7.45 am and Choral Evensong is streamed live at 5.15 pm on Thursdays and Fridays, and at 3.30 pm on Sundays. You can find these on the Cathedral’s Facebook page and YouTube, and via the website. As we move forward and restrictions lift, we will be establishing a full round of Sunday worship and daily prayer – please visit the Cathedral’s new website regularly in order to keep up with developments, and you can also sign up to receive the Dean’s weekly letter.

Groups and Events

Breakfast with the Bible: A Focus on Justice: We have some excellent guest speakers for our Easter programme. Following on from our series on Mercy we are looking at justice in the Bible. This week, we will be hearing from The Revd Jackie-Dee Thornton (23rd May). All on zoom Sundays, 8.30am for 8.45am, please contact Imogen for the code. [email protected]

Eastern Cathedrals’ online event

Living our faith requires us to live in a way that supports and respects all aspects of God's creation. Food is obviously relevant to us all, and farming is a key part of life in East Anglia and the wider eastern region, contributing significantly to food production both locally and beyond. Five cathedrals in the east of England are holding a Sustainable Living conference via zoom on Saturday 12th June from 10am until 12.30pm. Attendance is free and anyone interested in creating a more sustainable living environment is welcome to attend. The focus for the first conference is ‘Food and Farming’. The event will be opened by Bishop Graham Usher, the Church of England’s lead on the environment. Please click on the link to obtain your free ticket. https://www.sustaininggodscreation.org/

Can you help to take the baton in the Chelmsford to St Albans leg of the Cathedral Cycle Relay on Sunday 13th June? We are looking for cyclists to ride all or part of the route in a relay within the relay. The route follows existing cycle trails or minor roads for much of the way. We are limited to riding in groups of no more than 6 because of Covid-19 regulations. So, for instance a young family could ride the first few miles through Central Park perhaps to Writtle, where another group would take over. Someone else might want to drive to a meeting point and take over for the last stretch. The really keen can cycle the full 48 miles! Sponsorship would be an option. To control numbers, participants need to register. To find out how, contact Caroline, treasurer@chelmsford cathedral.org.uk If you cannot ride on the 13th but are free on the 12th, she can put you in touch with Bury St Edmunds whose team will be coming to us. The Cathedrals Cycle Route is a new initiative to promote greener travel and mental and physical wellbeing.

On-line Giving: if you would like to donate to support the mission and ministry of the Cathedral through these challenging times, please visit the Cathedral website. Towards the bottom of the home page you will see a heading “Supporting your Cathedral”. Simply click the link in the paragraph below to make your donation. If you would like to make a regular donation, go to www.parishgiving.co.uk, enter Chelmsford Cathedral in the search box, click the donate button, and follow the online instructions to set up a direct debit.