Dear Friends across our Team Ministry,

This month (24th May) we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles at Pentecost. We pray that the same Spirit should rule and govern all human life. But the Spirit of God was always moving. In Genesis chapter 1 we read that the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. God the Holy Spirit, Creator of the heavens and the earth..

Some years ago I remember writing a Magazine Letter which I entitled "The Pale Blue Dot". I quoted an article about the Voyager 1 spacecraft as it flew six billion kilometres from the earth. Carl Sagan, the astrophysicist and astronomer, asked that the Voyager's camera be rotated to photograph the direction from which it had come. What we now saw was a small pale blue dot suspended in a sunbeam. Carl Sagan's comments were poetic and inspirational. "This is where we live ", he said, "On a blue dot. That's here, that's home, that's us. On it everyone you love; everyone you know; everyone you've ever heard of; every human being who ever was, lived out their lives on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena ".

In these days of space exploration, rocket trips around the moon and international space stations, many people wonder if there is life out there on other planets. It is entirely feasible that the God the Creator would have more than one project in this vast cosmic arena than our one pale blue dot.

I am reminded of a Sydney Carter song which has always fascinated me. I used to have it on a 7inch 45rpm vinyl sung by Donald Swann. You can still hear it and get the full lyrics on line if you wish, (just Google, "Every Star Shall Sing a Corol"). Here, I just quote two verses:-

"Who can tell what other cradle

High above the Milky Way,

Still may rock the King of Heaven

On another Christmas Day.

Who can tell what other body

He will hallow as His own.

I will praise the Son of Mary,

Brother of my blood and bone".

If this is the case, it is to be hoped that they have made a better job of their planet than the human race have made, so far, on planet Earth.

St. John 4 : 24 tells us that "God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship in Spirit and in truth". In the world today we are aware, more than ever, of a corresponding spirit of evil which gets into the hearts and minds of many human beings. Terrorism, genocide, knife crime and murder are reported daily in the news, on a grand scale - (and sometimes even into the hearts of young children).

Even Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan, into believing that he could be supreme over all the nations of the world. Some of our world leaders today ought to be saying to themselves, "Get thee behind me Satan ". We must continue to pray that this may happen -- that they may see the error of their ways and turn their thoughts to God the Holy Spirit - the Spirit of love, joy and peace.

May God's Spirit of peace be with you all, in this Season of Pentecost and always.