God’s abiding love

  “Why are you standing there looking up into the sky?”  In this way, this Sunday’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, reports the two men dressed in white, challenging the disciples as they strained to catch one last glimpse of Jesus.  That period of history when Jesus walked among us was now ended.  Carrying on his mission was now up to those who were still in body on this earth.  That’s now you, and that’s now me!  What part are we choosing to play in promoting Jesus’ vision?  How are we really responding to this great challenge? 
 
       The story goes, that the church microphone had been crackling and shorting out all morning.  When the priest stepped up to the pulpit to read the Gospel, he thumped on the mike to test it out.  Then, bending close to it, he proclaimed in 
a loud voice, “There’s something wrong with this microphone!”  The congregation dutifully answered back, “And with your spirit.”   
 
       As followers of Jesus, we all have been challenged by his last instruction to “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Good News.”  Perhaps we are sometimes the faulty microphones.  Perhaps it would be good if someone would indeed reach out and tap us on the head to remind us of our duty to proclaim the Gospel.  Maybe we need to work on our own internal wiring to get the “juice” to flow properly.  Most of all we need to make a solid “connection” so that we can truly live and proclaim his message loud and clear!     
 
       Stepping out, or being pushed out, into the world to do whatever ministry we’ve been called to do is actually a treacherous thing.  It’s treacherous not because the world is a messy, unwelcoming, or even threatening place (though it sometimes may be).  It’s treacherous because we can only act and speak authentically if we do so in intimate connection to Jesus and to one another, and do it in love that is obvious to others and to the world.  And we know, such signs are not easily or even correctly read. 
 
       What is actually needed before we dare to speak or to act in God’s name is clear.  God’s abiding love is available to enfold, challenge and empower us.  If we embrace and truly live it, our voices and actions just might ring true!