I recently did a wedding at one of our local churches. The couple had requested that the bells be rung as they left the church and this duly happened. At a wedding the couple get value for their money from the ringers; the peel lasts for a long time. And so it happened that the bells were still in full sound as I left the church, about 15 minutes after the service had finished. As I came to my car, I noticed a woman who lives close to the church, standing, listening to the bells. She was entranced by the sound, living simply in the moment as she heard them. She noticed me, dressed in my dog collar and obviously the vicar. She spoke; “I love the bells”. She explained she had always loved the bells since she was little. Then she embraced me and I blessed her.

The ringers, the wedding couple, had no idea that this was happening, that their actions and choices were bringing such pleasure to someone who was not even at the service. But God knew, the Holy Spirit, the comforter was working alongside the ringers, in and out of the church, to speak to those with ears to hear.