Pentecost Praise
A service of
celebration
and renewal
Ely Cathedral
Pentecost Sunday
May 23rd at 7.30pm
To be led by the Bishop
of Huntingdon
Candidates for baptism and/or confirmation are invited to attend with the support of their parish priest, who is asked to contact the Precentor, Canon James Garrard, Ely Cathedral, Chapter House, The College, Ely, Cambs. CB7 4DL : 01353 660335 : j.garrard@cathedral.ely.anglican.org as soon as possible.
Resource, the Anglican Renewal resource group, have just sent round a newsletter full of encouragement. Now my mongrel churchmanship has as you probably know a charismatic side to it, and the strange phenomenon usually called Singing in Tongues has been a special part of it, linking as it does (for a mediaevalist anyway) with the way monkish musicians might jubilate or extend the lines of their chant with improvised praise.
So this story caught me eye – from a C of E Fresh Expression (well, quite a mature one now) in Willesden. It’s taken from Alison Morgan’s new book Doing what Jesus Did, with thanks to Matthew Grayshon.
A secretary, quiet, unobtrusive, a member of Oak Tree Anglican Fellowship in north London – suddenly in church one day her voice was heard rising above the hymn. As the hymn ended, she continued to sing. Everyone listened in silence. Eventually she finished and sat down. An Iranian came forward, visiting the church with his wife, and said that she had been singing a beautiful song in High Persian to ‘the prince of heaven’. ‘Who is the prince of heaven?’, he asked. Laughing, they explained. The Iranian committed his life to Christ. Afterwards he asked the secretary, ‘Where did you learn my language?’ He had been a university lecturer, and High Persian is used only amongst the highly educated. She of course had no knowledge of High Persian or anything like it; she was singing in the language of heaven.
You can ask lots of questions – and you can also let your heart be touched by such a moment of beauty.
A Bishop's Blog 