Hello Pentecost
FROM THE DESK OF IELA GALIANO-WILLIAMS
How are you with transitions? I must admit I'm somewhat rotten at them. New experiences are refreshing, but too much change at once is often difficult for me to digest.
As described in Acts 3, this Sunday marks the end of the Easter season and the beginning of Pentecost. If I had been in the room with the disciples when the Holy Spirit was made known I think my internal conversation with God might have gone somewhat like this…What is happening?! I had to adjust to changing careers when Jesus called me, then I had to process his death, then just as quickly he came back, then he ascended into heaven & now this?! Let's slow down…
Yet, I can't help but also ponder the kindness of Jesus. God's ministry needed to move forward, yet Jesus also stopped and spent physical time with the disciples after rising from the dead, allowing them to embody this brilliant truth. When it was time to return to the Father, God left them with the gift of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
In the midst of all this uncertainty and change, God was present.
Last Saturday in our TL2 class, we talked about how God speaks through both stability and change. Sometimes we are called to stay where we are, whether that's a job, a church, a friendship, or living situation. Other times, we are invited to step out into the unknown be that a move, a relationship, career change, or external shift.
When God invites the disciples to engage with the Holy Spirit they had the opportunity to either ignore it, or lean in and share God's voice with others. They chose to lean in, & scripture tells us in Acts 2:41 that “those who accepted [Peter's] message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”
This day is often seen as the beginning of the New Testament church, and all because the disciples said yes to something new with God and bravely shared their story. They trusted the God they knew.
I hope that like Mary after the birth of Jesus, they did get some time to sit and treasure these things in their hearts, but I am also inspired by their courage to trust God in countless new ways. It was often a messy, flawed journey, but God kept inviting, and they kept responding, and isn't that really what it is all about?
As this new season begins, what do you sense God inviting you into and how would you like to respond? Whether it is to stay, go, or somewhere in between, may you have ears to listen, eyes to see, and the courage to act.
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