What Now?
Acts
1:1-11
Ephesians
1:17-23
Luke
24:46-53
Divine
Inspiration
This
morning, in the first reading which is from the Acts of the Apostles, the
apostles find themselves standing there, looking up to the sky as Jesus had
just been lifted up. And, I believe they
were probably thinking to themselves, “What now?” Imagine all that they had just experienced and
been through – from Jesus first coming on the scene, to their leaving their
jobs, following him, his dying and his return.
It’s as if they had lived an entire lifetime in a matter of a few short
months. And now, here they were, left
alone to look up at the sky and say, “What now?”
Well,
the “What now?” was that it was time to learn something new. For the apostles, it was time to learn how to
lead. Whether they knew it or not, they
had a job to do, and that job was to step up and start the church and lead more
people to God.
When
is the last time you learned something new?
I imagine some of us may feel like those apostles standing there,
looking up at the sky. We may be thinking,
“I’m tired, exhausted even, and I’ve lived an entire lifetime. Isn’t it time for me to just rest?” The answer to that is yes and no. It’s always important to rest and
recharge. But, we can’t stay in that
space all of our waking hours. We must
say to ourselves, “What now?” and learn something new. It can be anything – from coloring in one of
those new coloring books they have for adults, to getting some flowers, whether
fake or fresh, and arranging them in new and different combinations.
I
think that, often times, we have a tendency to think that if we haven’t learned
a skill by a certain age or point in life, that we’re not going to ever learn it. But, that’s not true!! It is never too late to learn a new
skill. There is so much to be gained
from it, from the new grooves you put in your brain to the deep sense of
fulfillment that comes from seeing the new creation come to life. Imagine how the apostles must have felt as
they saw people grow in their faith and the earliest church being to form. They probably had no idea they had it in
them. After all, it was Jesus who had
started it all and Jesus who had done all the miracles. They were just the loyal friends who had
helped and served and protected him.
But, no, they had an important role to play, too, and it was time for
them to step into it.
What
new role or phase or activity will you step into? What fun thing will you learn how to do? Are you still asking yourself, “What
now?” You have the ability to answer
that question. You need only to listen
to God, to that voice deep down inside your heart, to know how God is calling
you to answer that question.
Amen.
Readings
and Divine Inspiration from Sunday, May 8, 2016.
