THE SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
(Sunday after Ascension Day)
15th May 2026
Greetings,
On Thursday, we celebrated The Ascension and it was lovely to do so with a good congregation and vibrant singing from the Choir. We are now in the midst of that final ten days of the Easter Season, Ascensiontide, which, in spite of the busyness of events and the chaos of the world, is a time that invites stillness, reflection and waiting. We wait in imitation of the Apostles who, after Jesus' departure, waited joyfully and prayerfully for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. They had no idea what the Spirit's impact would be, only that they would empowered in some way as witnesses to God's Kingdom as Jesus had promised.
Waiting is not something that many of us are good at. Indeed, it gets harder as the digital age generates the expectation that things will happen at the push of a button, and when we do have to wait, on an NHS list, for example, the experience is often one of mounting frustration. Socially, we are conditioned more and more to think of waiting time as wasted time. And I think this gives a special urgency to Ascensiontide. It really does cut against the grain, reminding us that the whole of our vocation as Christians is really about waiting, waiting for the fulfilment of God's Kingdom. It calls for the cultivation of those spiritual virtues of patience, hope and expectation. Perhaps we can reap the benefits of this season by taking time each day to pause, be still and reflective, and, when faced with the tedium of queueing or the frustration of delay, to pray quietly in our own heart, Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
May the peace of the risen and ascended Lord be with you.
Charles Booth
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