Happy Birthday! by Susan Sanderson

Today (31^st May 2020) is the birthday of the Church. We may be unable to celebrate Pentecost or Whit Sunday as we have done in the past, but it remains one of the major festivals. (Eastern Orthodox churches will be celebrating a week later due to the difference in the calendars.)

I remember some Whit Sundays of former years. As a child I spent at least two visiting grandparents in Lancashire. We only visited them for a week once a year as the journey from Surrey was arduous. It featured several modes of transport including a journey from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly on a train with corridors and a steam locomotive before the Intercity trains arrived, cutting the journey time considerably.

School half-term holidays always coincided with Whit week at that time. At junior school we had a full week’s holiday. Later we began visiting in the summer holidays as we only had a few days for half term.

What I remember about these two visits was taking part in the Whit walks (possibly on the Monday) from the church, where Mum had been a worshipper. It was very confusing, being among lots of people I didn’t know and being included. I was embarrassed at the time, but now I realise how kind they were; we were their ‘extended church family’.

The first time I was particularly embarrassed. Most of the little girls had wicker baskets of flowers to carry in the procession, which also included the church’s banner on two poles carried by men, with six ribbons held by young girls, three each side. One little girl was crying and refused to carry her basket of flowers. Her mother gave it to me to carry instead. Would you have been embarrassed? The following year I held one of the ribbons – a great privilege.

So, back to Pentecost. The day the Holy Spirit was poured out as prophesied by Joel. An exciting day. What do we expect now?

Mementoes of my confirmation

When I (aged 13) was confirmed in an Anglo-Catholic church I am sure I received the Holy Spirit. However I didn’t absorb much relevant teaching about the implications of this at the time. It was while I was a student attending the evangelical ‘student’ church and belonging to the Christian Union that I learned that the Holy Spirit dwells in us. Studying Paul’s letter to the Ephesians with other girls in our hall of residence was a wonderful experience. A mission to students which was held during my first year was also very inspiring.

Perhaps for completeness I should mention that I haven’t been a lifelong churchgoer. There is a gap of about 7 years, which I included in a poem* I wrote a few years ago for writers’ group homework on the subject ‘seven’.

My prayer is that we writers and our readers may all be filled afresh with the Holy Spirit this Pentecost.

* Including this exceeds the word-limit! It first appeared in a Facebook Group.

A Branch of my Family Tree

Were it not for the date

being my Grandad’s birthday

(although I did not know beforehand)

the date of my confirmation

might have completely slipped my mind.

My Grandad was descended from shepherds,

fought in World War 1,

put his knowledge of explosives

to good use in a quarry back home

and grew flowers and vegetables

into old age, while caring for his wife.

I pledged my allegiance

to the Good Shepherd

on a Thursday evening,

the seventh of December

singing, “Firmly I believe and truly”.

This year sevens dominate the anniversary.

For two sevenths I followed

as best I could.

The next seventh I lost my way,

then I made a new start
in a new place

being welcomed into a new Church family.

If you are able to spare a little more time, I rewrote the story of Pentecost three years ago from the disciples' point of view. Comforter - the disciples' story.

Susan experiments with factual writing, fiction, humour and poetry.  She does not yet have a book to her name. Her interests include words, languages, music, knitting and crochet.  She has experience of the world of work, being a stay-at-home mum and an empty-nester.   She is active in her local community and Church, where she sings alto in the choir. She and her husband live in Cumbria. 

Follow her on Twitter @suesconsideredt

In April she participated in Blogging from A to Z on Sue's Trifles with the Easter story