CONFUSED... HOW WILL WE KNOW?

As the quarantines begin to lift, we find ourselves in a peculiar position:
Do we or Don’t we?

Worship can begin but churches are scratching their heads.  Do we or Don’t we?  We’re all trying to figure it out.  As pastors and church leadership are trying to make the best decisions to reopen the churches, everyone else is trying to make their own decision.  How will we know when to return for worship?

These feelings aren’t too much unlike the feelings that Jesus’ followers experienced following the resurrection.  Jesus had instructed his followers to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit as recorded in the Book of Acts: “Jesus ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father….saying, ’You will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not too many days from now.’” (Acts 1:4-5, NRSV).

Take a moment to consider this Scripture passage.  Jesus’ followers essentially sheltered in place, not knowing when or how their “waiting” would be resolved.  We can imagine that they asked one another, “How will we know when this ‘Holy Spirit’ arrives?”  Would the arrival be something small and subtle or would this “sign” be something big and powerful?  Jesus’ followers didn’t realize that they would wait almost two months for their sign to arrive in the form of Pentecost, an incredible sign of God’s love and power.  

In our current environment, we’re stuck with the similar question of, “How will we know?”  It would be nice if we were waiting on our own “Pentecost," making it obvious for everyone. But that’s not the case.  Instead, we’re scratching our heads, looking for a sign, and trying to figure out how we will “KNOW” when it’s our time to return to church and daily life.

Rest assured, God knows what you and I are currently experiencing, even better than us.  God is with us each time we call upon His name and also each time that we don’t.  But, if we will give our question to God, God will provide each of us with the answer we need. God's answer might be big and powerful or small and subtle, and the specific answer we receive may not be the same answer that someone else receives.  But at least one more thing is certain:  God's answer for you and me is right, and if that means either of us needs to wait a little longer, then it’s okay.  God is with us.

Still confused?  Me, too.  Let’s give it to God!

“But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”  (Isaiah 40:31, NRSV).