I missed the Pentecost Eucharist last Sunday morning with its wonderful readings about the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, the varieties of gifts, services and activities of the Spirit, and how Jesus had breathed on the disciples saying ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’. In the evening alongside pilgrims in Charing Parish Church, we were reminded that Pentecost is the birthday of the church with the ongoing promise of all the gifts.
The Pilgrimage, 4 days walking from St Martin’s to Canterbury, run by The Connection, raises funds for their work with rough sleepers. An eclectic mix of pilgrims and helpers from all over the country and the world, all walks of life and with a variety of reasons for being there, represents a microcosm of society at its best.
Across 8 churches, 5 halls, a monastery, and a Friends Meeting House, a hundred or more volunteers had baked, made sandwiches, opened venues and in one case, on a chilly afternoon, lit a very welcome log fire. Pilgrims supported each other through good humour to keep going, climb styles, negotiate rough terrain, provide much needed medical attention to sore and blistered feet, make tea, encourage, buy trainers for a fellow pilgrim, and faithfully keep the whole show on the road with detailed administration and organisation.
I didn’t miss Pentecost Sunday at all, I was living in it, seeing the birthday gifts, services and activities at work through so many acts of kindness and generosity.
In Canterbury Cathedral at the end of the journey, pilgrims shared their experiences, one likening the pilgrimage to the Emmaus Road, where the disciples found Christ walking with them, encouraging us to see Christ in all we meet. Christ journeys with us, present in the companions we journey with, wherever we travel, on pilgrimage and in life. The promise of Pentecost remains with us today.
Mel Adams
