Thought for the Month

	Inspired! Supporting Newcastle United is hard work — they seem to be determined to fail. So I greet the arrival of a new manager with scepticism. How can Keegan transform a team of dummies? But he does! They actually win a couple of matches, even against reasonable teams! They are inspired. Christians believe that God’s Holy Spirit inspired the first followers of Jesus with such enthusiasm and dedication that they took the gospel with them all over the then known world, achieving more than anyone could possibly have expected. Christians believe that the reason the Church has lasted all these two thousand years is because, in spite of all their failures and faults, God’s Spirit still enlivens and enlightens and inspires them. The Day of Pentecost (11^th May this year) celebrates that first gift of the Spirit — the birth of the Church if you like — and reminds us that with God all things are possible, and without him, nothing is. At the start of the Eucharistic prayer, the celebrant says to the congregation, “Lift up your hearts!” and we can lift them to the Lord because his inspiration turns our weakness into strength and our sadness into joy. Do join us for our worship, especially on the Day of Pentecost. Peter Wolfenden