50 days after Jesus returned from the grave his followers were gathered together, still afraid that the religious and legal types would continue to place “the greater good” of the nation over the value of individual lives.
Then something wonderful happened.
The stories of the acts of the apostles contain many amazing moments. Some of them may stretch our ability to believe. Perhaps, though, one of the most difficult things for us to imagine around two thousand years later is how the ordinary everyday lives of people began to be affected in almost invisible ways.
Building on individual and group experiences where Jesus met with his friends a community began to develop. Like yeast rising in dough making bread easier to eat, or salt bringing out the flavour in food, the presence and awareness of the Holy Spirit is felt throughout the community.
What does this feel like? Can you imagine what it would be like to be part of a massive outpouring of love within a commonwealth of friends. Not driven for a greater good or cultists sacrificing to win the favour of, or bring back the presence of an alien being – but a community of friends who know the mind of their saviour. The god who is with us, and in the coffee and biscuits we share when we meet each other.
This section of text is where the words on the bunting come from.
