ON Sunday, May 28, the Church of England celebrated Pentecost, the great feast day that marks 50 days since Jesus resurrected from the dead.
It marks 10 days since He ascended back into God’s kingdom.
It marks the day that the Holy Spirit came and rested upon and within each member of the church, inviting some 3,000 people to believe in Jesus for the first time.
There are about eight or nine thousand people living in Crediton, and I doubt there is space big enough to hold a third of us.
Even if there were, if suddenly 3,000 people were all in one space in Crediton, I would be worried about what was about to happen.
If we were in 1st Century Jerusalem, I would be very worried about this.
Jerusalem is a very crowded narrow city, that is difficult to walk around, which means news travels fast around it because of its compact size.
On the day of Pentecost thousands of people had travelled from all over the world to be in Jerusalem to be there on an important feast day.
It also happened to be 50 days since Jesus rose back to life from the dead.
On this day God did a wonderful thing.
He sent His Holy Spirit into the world, so that everyone everywhere was able to hear about the good work that Jesus did when He was alive; of how He healed the sick, raised the dead, gave good news to the poor, showed people a new way of living, a way that was loving and kind and just, that brought justice to the oppressed and set them free from it.
The news of Jesus spread like wildfire throughout Jerusalem, and it is still spreading throughout the world today.
The news is simple: God loves you; God only wants what is best for you; God hears you in your pain and wants to set you free.
The question is, do you want to know more. If so, do get in touch with me.
Rev Lewis Eden
Assistant Curate
Crediton Benefice Community