Invocation
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Word
“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.” Acts 2:1
Meditation
Today’s meditation is written by Koleen Barnes.
I write this optimistically and tentatively coming out of a year with more moments of aloneness than most. The last fifteen months of being thrust into this “new normal” seem surreal. As the world slowly starts opening back up, my brain feels as if it is trying to gloss over the rough patches.
In the beginning I missed the things that made my life normal. I missed going to the movies and late-night trips to Target. I missed baking because we couldn’t find flour and sugar. I missed going out to eat tacos when I really didn’t feel like fixing dinner.
In the beginning I was happy for the “down” time it gave us. I was pleased at the forced slow down and excited for a few free weekends at home with my spouse. I was thrilled not to have to go to those calendar-filler activities that none of us really enjoy.
Very quickly that excitement faded, and the things I was missing changed. I realized I wasn’t missing going to movies because of the blockbuster on screen. I could get that in my living room. I was missing the shared experience. I was missing seeing people’s faces in the grocery store. I was even missing the grumpy remarks of strangers when my cart was in their way. I was missing the human noise that filled my life. Everything public was too quiet.
It didn’t take long for me to start missing seeing customers at work. I ached to hug my friends. I longed to hold my family. During this time of isolation and grief, this shared time of longing, it seems that my eyes were opened to what was important.
As we slowly open our doors and step back into the world, it isn’t the calendar fillers we are all seeking, it is each other. We are desperately seeking connection with each other because it feels like a lifetime since we have had it. Our days are being filled not just with emails and messages of love and affirmations that things will get better, but actual plan making. The lights aren’t just specks at the end of the tunnel, they are here and they are your friends. Your family. They are strangers.
The church isn’t always a building or songs or sermons, it is seeing God in others. He shines brightest in how he brings us together. Putting the right people in the right places at the right time. As we come together and step into this light of community and breathe our first breaths empty of despair, we fall into the open arms of the community God has put into our lives. Martin Luther said it is dangerous to be alone. Our faith is strongest when shared with others, even if it is just through a friendly smile to a stranger at the grocery store.
Prayer: Lord, I pray that you show us how to see your light in others. I pray that as the world opens back up we do not fall into our old habits of filling our lives with the unimportant. I ask that you help us to remember your love in others and remind us to keep seeking them. Show us the community you have given us to help us when things are hard. Amen.
Prayer for the Spirit in my Life
- For the Holy Spirit to grow my faith, an ever more confident trust in God.
- For the Spirit to teach me the language of prayer.
- For the Spirit to make my unholy life more holy.
- For the Spirit to round my rough edges and conform me to God’s intention for my life.
Benediction
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (II Cor. 13:14)