Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Why do you stand here...?

Every think that being human is weird? I think that we long for the unknown but only whilts we remain secure in what's known and familiar. I think that when we're in a place of stability, we desire the unknown, but once we find ourselves in the unknown we look to what we know to be stable. Our hearts can be full of intent, our spirit can be drawn by faith to something greater than ourselves, yet our actions can remain unchanged. We believe for something different, some better, something miraculous, but something that comes via what we know and are comfortable with.
In Acts 1, The disciples suddenly found themselves in a moment of the unknown and the very unfamiliar. After having a routing conversation with the Lord, he was immediately taken on a cloud into heaven. For the first time in 3 years, Jesus was't there anymore! They'd been excited about 'change' for 3 years. From the moment Jesus began to preach, his message was this; "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near" (Mark 1:15).
But when the time for the arrival of the kingdom of God was at it's closest, the disciples were left looking to what they knew rather than what was to come
'They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."' (Acts 1:10-11).
According to Hebrews 12:2, their intent was good - 'Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith'. Trouble is, Jesus doesn't live in a cloud. Jesus doesn't operate in our past - no matter how immediate it might be. But Jesus opperates in our future. I imagine that the walk back to the upper room would have been the hardest 30 minutes of their life. Not because they were walking the kokoda track, but because for the first time in 3 years, something was radically different. But if they had remained fixed on a cloud, they would have missed the outpouring of the kingdom of God.
I'm in an unfamiliar place.
My heart is torn between two things - what I know and what i believe God has for me. I eagerly desire what he has for me, but my mind tells me that i will only find rest in what i've always known.
Perhaps the angel of the Lord has spoken...again..."why do you stand here looking into the sky?'

No comments: