Bishop John has written a message for our diocese for Pentecost. The bishop says;
“Pentecost is a feast of unity, hope and new beginnings. The Spirit of God brings unity at Pentecost. There were people from different cultures and linguistic background; many of them could not tolerate each other. The power of God broke all those barriers. But what we might forget is the fact that the Spirit creates this united community through a subversive act. The spirit upsets the existing unity!
The story suggests that there was some sense of unity before the Spirit acted. The disciples were together at the beginning of the story, apparently in quite an orderly fashion but towards the end of the story there is confusion! We must also notice that those who witnessed the event inevitably had some sort of common language because they were able to communicate with each other (Acts 2:12). The empire and conquest had already brought some unity, giving a common language. Pentecost subverted this unity which already existed and brought about a new kind of unity that respected diversity and differences.
In order to bring about true unity and real peace what currently appears to be unity and peace will have to be subverted. In a world of injustice and inequalities, status quo in most cases offers peace to the privileged ones only and what is considered to be peace is peripheral and superficial. It is only the subversive power of the Spirit of God that can equip us with the true gifts of unity, hope and peace.
The current challenges we face as a diocese, deanery and parishes can feel like the unity and peace is being disrupted. But I believe that is the disruption that God needs in his church as he moves us towards new realities and a new future.
I pray we remain open to the disruptive and subversive work of the Spirit in our midst as the diocesan family. We may have uncertainties that can dampen our hope. But God is not giving up on us. He might be enabling us to work in a different way than before. As we let the Spirit break down the barriers, we might feel disruption. But it is the same Spirit into whom we were all baptised. The work of the Spirit in our midst, re-creating us in Christ, uniting us, equipping us and sending us out has never ceased. Come Holy Spirit, and renew our hearts and the heart of the earth!”
The Revd Dr John Perumbalath
Bishop of Liverpool
Join our traditional celebration of Pentecost
3pm on Sunday 28 May 2023
Bishop John will be preaching at this year's Two Cathedrals' Celebration of Pentecost The celebrations begin this year at Liverpool Cathedral and finish at the Metropolitan Cathedral. Attendees are invited to wear national dress and carry flags on this year's Pentecost walk.