Today’s devotion takes a look at post Easter Christians, the first and today.It can be hard to know whether friends in the congregation are really alright during a pandemic. When the only interaction you have is an occasional text message or post on facebook it is easy to lose connection. We were created for relationship and the kind experienced in the Garden. As we start to consider light at the end of the long dark tunnel of the past year, let us remember who we were a year ago.
Who and what were part of our lives?
What mattered then?
What matters now?
Who or what have we been missing?
And who or what have we not missed at all?
My fear in this time is that some relationships have been lost because there was no healthy way to foster them. Their importance has not diminished. Our access to them was diminished, and not by our choosing. What feeds your soul? What nourishes your life? Who makes you feel loved and valued? How have you adjusted your schedule, priorities and goals in 2021?Where do you see yourself one year from now?
Just over a year ago our churches were gaining ground, seeing new faces and getting excited about Easter. Now, twelve long months, too many painful, heartbreaking and inspiring experiences later I find myself wondering what the day of Pentecost will look like. Will it be as it says in Acts 2 verse 1 “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.” NRSV
Verses 43-47 come after the faith community came together regularly, making that connection a priority. And we see how God used that time to bring about wonders and signs that would no doubt confirm what they were learning together. It speaks to how they care for each other, actively seeking needs and filling them. Being of one mind does not mean they agree on everything. It means they share the same goals spelled out by Christ through scripture. They share the same desire to follow Christ and that will look different for each person. But more important than how I see it is how God sees it. I can’t see the future. I can’t see all of the people in the congregations regularly. I can’t see into their hearts and minds to know what they are each going through. But God does.
So can I rest in my not knowing and allow God to know first and best and let me in on things as needed? Yes. We have long shared the relationship of “God provides what I need when I need it” for many years and it has worked because it allows me to tend to what I need to daily without trying to tend to next week’s work today.
My anxiety about the future is a hindrance to today. May I adopt the “day by day” pace of the first Christians and be satisfied.
Dear God,
You are ever Present and knowing. You are everywhere and anywhere. Let us feel again your mighty power and presence. As it was in those days in Jerusalem when the disciples waited on the Lord, may we experience your generosity of Spirit and continued devotion. As it was when tongues of fire appeared to share the gospel with the world, so may it be again soon. Bring your people together, Lord, and send them…again. AMEN.
With hands to the plow,
Pastor Theresa