Weekly Reflection, Sunday, June 2, 2019
By: Bob Hetherington
What do you do in the meantime while you are waiting for something else to happen? What is important when we are in between things? So often it is hard to wait and be patient.
In the Church year on this Sunday, we stand in between the Feast of the Ascension, Jesus being raised to the right hand of God, and Pentecost, the pouring out of God’s Holy Spirit. Jesus is gone. What will happen next?
In the Gospel reading for today, John 17:20-26, we see Jesus praying for his disciples as he plans to take leave of them. He is preparing them for what will come next. He wants the Spirit which binds him and his Father together to be present in his disciples. Jesus is looking for a sense of unity of spirit. The mission for the followers of Jesus is to build relationships with others in the world so the same spirit of unity which exists between the Father and the Son may exist in all people. If it can happen the world will be a harmonious place.
The challenge is that the world is full of deep divisions. There are so many ways that people are separated from each other. It is beyond us to build bridges of understanding and appreciation on our own. This is why we need God’s Holy Spirit which is poured out in abundance at Pentecost. We depend on the work of God’s Holy Spirit to accomplish the mission of the Church.
In the Book of Common Prayer, we are reminded that the mission of the Church is to “restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.” This requires a ministry of bridge building and reaching out. Where does God want you to extend yourself? Where can you bring hope and encouragement in the face of brokenness and separation?
Pentecost is almost here. God has something amazing in store for each of us. In the power of God’s spirit all things are possible. Lean in.