Be Present (AI90D)

ACTS IN 90 DAYS

A reading for Tuesday, May 5, 2020: Acts 1:6-11.

"...you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Most of us are more comfortable knowing the ending, especially in times of uncertainty. Have you ever been reading a really good book or watching a great movie, and been tempted to read the last few pages or fast forward to the ending?

The resurrected Jesus is together with the early apostles. They had certainly lived through a time of great challenge. Each of these early followers of Jesus had watched his arrest, his trial, his crucifixion, and then were astounded by his resurrection. Now in the middle of the story, (remember this is volume two of the story) they want to know the ending.

"Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" For generations, prophets had foretold the coming the Messiah. He would be the one to return power and glory to the nation of God's people. Is this the ending we can expect, the apostles want to know?

But Jesus warns them simply to be present in their moment in time. Soon, says the Lord, you will receive the Spirit. When the Spirit of God is with you, you will be able to witness to all that Jesus was already accomplishing. Watch and listen. Be with others in my name. Be my witnesses, says Jesus.

We might hear the same today. We have the same Spirit of God and the same call to be witnesses. Be present. We don't yet know the ending, because we still live in the middle of the story all these generations later. But we can continue to watch and listen for the all the ways God is all around us in every moment.

Those early apostles then saw Jesus ascend into heaven, and heard the voice of angels reassuring them that God would be faithful until the end with the return of Jesus. We too might be amazed at the things we are able to see with our eyes and feel in our hearts when we are present with the Spirit of God, listening with others and witnessing to Jesus Christ.

Lord, we are grateful for the gift of the Spirit. Open our eyes and our hearts this day to what you are doing all around us in this our moment of the story. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.