Today’s readings seem to offer two very different accounts of the gift of the Holy Spirit – the moment in St John’s Gospel when Jesus breathes on his disciples and the dramatic experience of Pentecost, the rushing, mighty wind, the tongues of fire and the great outburst of energy and enthusiasm which impelled the disciples to go out and tell as many people as possible the good news of Jesus Christ.

Why two accounts? I don’t think that they are contradictory. A careful reading suggests that they are part of a process. They are also, I think complementary.

First the...

Why do you stand looking up towards heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven (Acts 1: 11)

Where do we go from here? How often have we asked that question ourselves or been asked it by others over the years? There is a real honesty there.

In this year’s programme for the Edinburgh International Festival, its new Festival Director, Nicola Benedetti, writes “Even as a child, when asked about my biggest inspirations, I would never give the expected list of virtuoso violinists...

Introit acclamation:

Hail the day that sees him rise! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, for forty days we have been celebrating with joyful hearts the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, his bursting from the tomb and his defeat of the power of sin and death. He appeared to his disciples many times and told them about the Kingdom of God. Today we recall how he left this earth and returned to his Father, ascending into heaven to take his throne over all dominions and powers. Trusting in his reign over all creation, and submitting to his...

“ … and this is my solemn vow”

  Marriage Liturgy 2006

Today’s celebrations are linked  by one of those words I have just read from the Scottish Marriage Liturgy. The link is the word ‘Vow’ and the action it implies.

Today, A and G will affirm the vows they made to each other at their wedding 20 years ago. Yesterday the King vowed to serve his people as sovereign for the rest of his life. Vows and the making of vows are important.

A vow is something most of us will make of our own accord and of our...

Have you ever wondered why our church’s dedication is to the Good Shepherd, rather than just the Church of the Shepherd? The Psalmist felt no need to qualify the title in that way.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…”

The obvious answer to my question is that our dedication is based on one of the seven “I am” statements in St John’s Gospel.

“I am the Good Shepherd”.

And today’s Gospel contains another of the “I am” statements:

“I am the gate for the sheep”

St John portrays Jesus as a man with a mastery of metaphors...