Samaria, the Spirit and Simon Magus

Samaria, the Spirit and Simon Magus
Acts 8.4-25

As a bishop, one of the things I do quite a lot is to go round laying hands on people and praying for God’s holy spirit to come upon them. It is often a very moving and exciting time, not least at the Easter Vigil when we come in darkness into the great cathedral, led by the candle symbolizing the risen Jesus,and then, with lights coming on, loud playing on the organ and other instruments, and shouts of ‘Alleluia!’, we celebrate the resurrection. We renew the vows we made at our baptism; and then, sometimes pausing to baptize people as well, we welcome into our fellowship through confirmation (the laying on of the bishop’s hands, with prayer) those who had been baptized earlier, probably as infants, and who now want to make real for themselves the promises which had been made on their behalf some while before...

Taken from Acts for Everyone Part 1 by Tom Wright