All Saints’, Dorval
June 8, 2025
The 2023 bike blessing
And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
As most of you probably know, I commute to work by bicycle whenever I can. My route takes me from my apartment in Lachine along the lakeshore for about five kilometres. Once I’m in Dorval, I’m riding along Lakeshore Drive, but up to the Lachine border, I’m on a bicycle path in the park, and frequently just a stone’s throw from the riverbank.
This means that the wind is a major factor in the bicycle riding experience.
I have often complained that it frequently feels like there’s a headwind no matter what direction I’m riding. (A headwind is, of course, the kind that blows into your face and makes it more work to keep the bike moving.) But that’s an exaggeration. In general, the prevailing wind blows from west to east, coming off the lake, and so on a typical day, it takes more effort and energy to get from home to work than vice versa. Sometimes it’s just a breeze; sometimes, if the wind is particularly strong, it can take everything I have just to keep pushing the pedals until I cross the town border into Dorval and get into the shelter of the trees and buildings on Lakeshore Drive.
Conversely, sometimes I saddle up to go home and my heart rate barely budges for the whole trip, and I congratulate myself on how fit I’m getting until I realize that actually, I’ve just been coasting in front of a tailwind the whole way.
One day last summer, I was pedaling along beside the river with the wind gusting in my face, and I realized that the whole experience could be a fruitful metaphor for life in the Holy Spirit.
The association between wind and the Spirit goes far beyond the one verse from our Acts reading today – “And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.” The Greek word for “wind” in this passage, pnoes, is obviously related to pneuma, the word for “spirit”. In the very first verses of the Bible, in the first chapter of Genesis, God’s Spirit sweeps over the face of the primal waters – in fact, the Hebrew word ruach can be translated either “wind” or “spirit” (or “mind” or “breath”).
From the wind that drives back the Red Sea, to the whirlwind that lifts Elijah into heaven, to Jesus’ words to Nicodemus about the wind that blows where it wills, the association between the wind, and the wild and wondrous Spirit of God, is woven throughout the scriptures.
So what can the experience of riding a bike against a headwind – or with one! – teach us about how God’s Spirit works in the world and in our lives?
Certainly, life can often feel like we’re fighting a gale force wind blowing straight in our faces, trying to keep us from accomplishing anything. And maybe, if that feeling never lets up, it might be the Spirit trying to get across to us that we’re trying to go in the wrong direction. (To be clear – I do not think that the fact that there’s a literal headwind on my commute to work means that I’m in the wrong job!)
But when I’m battling the headwind on the lakeshore, I do frequently notice that at least when the wind is blowing, it means I’m not riding through clouds of tiny bugs (they’re getting blown away) and the wind is rapidly drying off the sweat that I generate from the exercise. (Unfortunately, the sweating persists after the exertion is over, and after I get to church, it’s a different story. This is why I keep deodorant in my desk drawer.)
The Spirit’s force may bring real challenges to our lives, but it also blows away the things that could pester or distract us; it refreshes us when the temperature heats up – and riding against the power of that wind certainly gives a workout to our hearts, lungs, and muscles, building strength and health in the long term!
Sometimes we have to move in the direction of a challenge, of an experience that we take on in response to God’s call, and that stretches us and helps us grow. And if the wind is fierce, at least it helps keep us cool as we do the work.
Sometimes, conversely, we’re moving back toward home, back toward comfort, ease, and rest, and the wind blows from behind us, helping carry us along.
I have often joked, when describing to people what it’s like to ride along the bike path when the wind is blowing hard off the river, that what I need on my bicycle is a sail, that I can trim to find the best angle and maybe even get some help from the wind rather than hindrance.
We’re familiar with the image of the sail in the context of the Holy Spirit’s movement from Bishop Gordon Light’s beloved hymn, “She comes sailing on the wind,” which we’ll sing in a few minutes (with the extra verse that I wrote a few years ago). Sails are remarkable technologies, and with a well-rigged boat you can in fact trim your sail and get surprisingly close to the wind, not quite in the actual direction the wind is coming from, but remarkably close to it.
We live in turbulent times. Sometimes it does feel like there’s a headwind in every direction and even with strenuous exertion we can’t make any progress. And just because the Spirit is consistently associated with the wind, doesn’t mean every wind is from the Spirit!
But it helps me, nevertheless – and perhaps it will help you: when I’m pedaling away on my bike – literally or metaphorically – and noticing just how hard I’m working, to notice also that the wind blowing around me is full of life and vigor, and blowing away the sweat and the bugs, and helping me get stronger to tackle it again tomorrow.
And then, on the way home, I coast, and admire the beautiful scenery, and look forward to a meal and a bath and a well-deserved rest.
Amen.
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