Whitsun or Pentecost as it is now called in the church. We were in Peterborough and that dawn invasion was a reminder of how the Holy Spirit entered the hearts of those early, disconsolate Christians. Luke tells us that the experience was like an inburst of wind and fire which changed their lives.
The day before we were in the small, beautiful Northamptonshire village of Cotterstock. Like Gainford, Cotterstock nestles in a river valley. There the similarity ends. The river Nene (pronounced Nen by the locals) ends its journey in The Wash. Here, it meanders through gently undulating meadows, picturesque Cotswold style villages and ancient market towns. The poet John Clare would have passed this way as he walked home from the asylum in Northampton to his home in Helpston.
St Andrew's church is a meadow's length away from the river. We were here to see Rita, a brand new treble bell, soon to join her five brothers and sisters in the tower. Rita was cast in memory of Rita Bond, the wife of a former colleague of mine, The Rev'd David Bond. It was a moving experience which brought back happy memories.
The Church had also commissioned a work of art by Bradford artist, Angela Wright, who works in wool. She had installed a stunning work, made entirely from spun wool, which represented the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Wool dropped from the altar like a waterfall and then spread into the sanctuary and the chancel. It was breathtaking in its simplicity and powerful in its interpretation. (see picture above)
As I began writing this piece, I heard the news of yet another terrorist atrocity, this time in London. That work of art in Cotterstock, reminded me of St Paul's list of the gifts of the Holy Spirit which he gave to the church in Galatia: 'the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.'
Pray for those gifts in our world.
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