The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’ (John 3: 8)
June is the month of long days, picnics and wildflowers as the great outdoors beckons. In the recent good weather, I was outside blowing dandelion seed heads with my granddaughter, it’s no wonder they are so prolific – it’s an irresistible pleasure and their means of spreading far and wide so effective. Did you know a single dandelion plant can produce over 5,000 seeds a year, traveling up to five miles from their origin? These seeds are uniquely designed for wind dispersal, they simply need the invisible force of air movement, whether that be from us, or nature!
The Greek word for wind is pneuma. This is also the word for spirit and breath. God’s Holy Spirit moves around and among us, unseen as the wind, yet effectively opening our eyes to the reality and beauty of our Creator God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
In this beautiful month of June, when we naturally spend more time outdoors, all of creation can speak to us of the splendour and nurture of God. It’s a nurture that we are asked to share, in our care of and love for the natural world, and there are many different and creative ways that we can demonstrate our care.
The Wildlife Trust says “Gardens are a vital resource for wildlife, providing corridors of green space between open countryside, allowing species to move about. In fact, the UK's gardens provide more space for nature than all the National Nature Reserves put together. So why not try leaving wilder areas in your garden, such as patches of buttercups in your lawn or nettles near your compost heap, to see who comes to visit?” and importantly, “Dandelions are an important early source of food for pollinators - so let them grow!”
The dandelion seed heads floating around in the wind remind me that just as the wind blows where it chooses, so too does the Holy Spirit of God blow where He wills. We often don’t know what lies ahead, but God does, and He provides for us, whatever season of life we are in, inspiring us to spread the Good News of God’s love far and wide.
That Good News includes demonstrating our love for the world that God created, the earth that God walked upon Himself in His Son Jesus Christ. Who taught us that the Father cares for each sparrow, each wild flower, and yet how much more he cares for us.
Do join us on 30th June at 10.30am for our Benefice Eco-Church service at Norbury Church as we consider how we can each play our part in protecting the natural environment, and tread more lightly on the earth, so that our footsteps are as unseen as the wind, yet as productive in enabling nature to prosper as the spreading of the dandelion seeds.
May you know the reality of the love of God in your lives this summer as you enjoy and live responsibly in this world He created.
Revd Alison Hudson, Rector