After the resurrection, in Acts 1:1-8, the disciples were told to stay in Jerusalem and that they would be “baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Not understanding, they asked, “Will you restore the kingdom of Israel then? Will things go back to what they were?” To which Jesus said, “It is not for you to know.” Then comes a promise and an expanded call: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
We live in a time of great change and fear, and we are not sure what to do next. We have conversations like the disciples had: When will things get back to normal—whatever normal means to us? What are we supposed to do?
The disciples’ experience gives us some clues to the answers to our questions. They were told to wait in Jerusalem until the “power” came, but what is most interesting is that they were told to remain in Jerusalem together. Why? Because there is support in community in times of change and uncertainty. God has given us to each other for mutual support.
This message is excerpted from “Pentecost, Prayer and Power,’ a 2010 Women of the ELCA resource by Bonnie Belasic.
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