“All these were constantly devoting
themselves to prayer…” (Acts 1:14a)
Believe it or not, we’re all the way to Easter
7. My how time flies when you’re locked-down during a pandemic! The First lesson
in the RCL for this Sunday (Acts 1:6-14) comes from Acts 1. Jesus is ascending
to sit at the right hand of the Father, and the disciples are standing around
looking at the clouds with their mouths hanging open (wouldn’t you?).
Nevertheless, before Jesus splits, the disciples have to ask him one more time
if this is the time when God will restore Israel to her former glory (They just
can’t seem to get this earthly kingdom thing out of their heads!). His answer
is basically, “Gosh, guys. I dunno. That’s up to my Dad. But you guys need to
wait here in Jerusalem because something really cool is about to happen.”
Now, I don’t know about you, but I’d find
that a rather disappointing answer. It’s so vague. It’s like asking Governor
Wolf when southeastern Pennsylvania will be open for business again. When can
we come back to church? Nobody knows the answer. We’re just told to wait.
So what do you do while you’re waiting?
Verse 14 tells us they devoted
themselves to prayer. Now, I’ll bet many of us have a lot more time for prayer
these days now that there’s no place for us to go during a pandemic. Still,
worry about the unknown, boredom, frustration, and members of your family doing
the rumba on your last nerves don’t exactly create an environment conducive to
prayer. But pray anyway.
Okay, Pastor, you say, what shall we pray
for? In the gospel lesson (John 17:1-11[i]) Jesus is just finishing his prayer. He asks his Father to
protect the saints, to keep them strong in the Word, and to keep them unified. He
might’ve been praying for us in our
current situation. He rather pointedly is not praying for the world (v. 9).
When you think about it, this makes a lot of sense. Why? Because the world will
never get better unless the saints of God are willing to make it better.
Perhaps our prayers at this time should
not be to change our circumstances but, rather, to change ourselves. Scientists, doctors, and government authorities will do
battle with the coronavirus. Our responsibility is to use this opportunity to
enter into a deeper relationship with God and with each other. Our job may well
be to cultivate empathy, gratitude, and a sense of purpose so we can really
know the joy Jesus prays for us to receive (v. 13).
What will happen to our congregation when
this pandemic finally subsides? Will we have one big “Welcome Back” mass and
then go back to business as usual? Or will this time be used to God’s glory?
Will we discover within ourselves a new sense of commitment as God’s people in
mission to the world? It’s something we should pray about, don’t you think?
May God bless you and keep us safe, secure
in the Word, and in contact with one another.
PS- For a video of this sermonette, click here.
PS- For a video of this sermonette, click here.
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