The disciples have been through a lot. They experienced the rollercoaster of the Easter season, from the trauma and tragedy of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, to the triumph of Easter Sunday and the empty tomb. Jesus has met with them, taught them, and cooked for them, and now he is about to return to the Father. I imagine that they had a lot of questions about what comes next, how will this all work out, and who is going to guide them.
But Jesus left his followers with instructions; they would go out and share the Good News with others, but first they had to wait, to be ready, for what comes next. The Holy Spirit, the Advocate, was coming, and through the Holy Spirit’s presence with them, they would see God’s kingdom spread from across their country to all the corners of the world. That’s the plan. As a community of followers of Christ, they were called to help people come to faith in Jesus, support each other as they grow in that faith, and live out their faith in the places and relationships God was sending them into, to love God and care for those around them.
We will be using the time from Ascension Day on Thursday 14 May, till Pentecost Sunday 24 May (called Ascensiontide) as an opportunity to actively wait on God, to pray together and to reflect on where God is calling us as a church, through prayer events and activities. On Saturday 16 May, from 7pm in the church hall, we will be having our Annual Parochial Church Meeting and sharing where we are in our church vision process. Like the disciples, we will spend time in prayer and worship, waiting on God and reflecting on the path ahead for us as a church over the coming years, before celebrating Pentecost together, the coming of the Holy Spirit and the formation of the church community.
We, too, will have questions about what God wants us to do as a church, how we will go about this, and where the needed resources will come from. This Ascension tide is an opportunity to ask for God’s guidance and wisdom, while being reminded that the Holy Spirit is at work in us and through us, and that we are called to step out in faith, through the power of the Holy Spirit, praising and worshipping God our creator, in the power of the risen Christ. The journey may well be bumpy, with sharp turns and unexpected twists, surprises and hidden delights, as it was for the early church. But God will be with us, as we seek His path for our church community, relying on the Lord’s strength, this Ascensiontide and beyond.
Revd Alec Gill
This article originally appeared in the St John’s Messenger. If you would like to discuss contributing a future article please contact news@valebenefice.org.uk.
