Watching for God

Beloved in Christ, 

I’m writing this as I make my way back to Minnesota after an intense stretch of travel. The cadence of hurrying up to wait, the irritable crowds, and the endless trickle of inconvenience, all makes me just want the journey to be over, and to be home. 

In the present pause, I’m sitting with the scripture lessons appointed for Sunday. Like a flight delay or an unexpected layover, the Holy Spirit interrupts Paul’s journey in Acts 16 to tell him there’s urgent preaching to be done in Macedonia. And in the gospel reading from John 14, Jesus promises the gift of the Holy Spirit to be an active companion, keeping them tethered by love to God’s very heart, teaching and revealing what they need as they travel along. Receiving the gift of that Spirit means paying attention, staying awake, and expecting God to show up with love, companionship, and guidance in our lives. 

But we often go through life the way I’m currently going through the Atlanta airport - so focused on some imagined relief we’ll find on the other side of the current challenge that we are numb to the Spirit who is always in front, behind, and beside us. Being a disciple of Jesus means rather than escaping from the challenge in front of us, or stretching toward the end of our journey, we softly open our hearts and spirits to whatever happens to be in front of us, beholding it with curiosity, looking for how God is revealing God's self to us, watching for Jesus walking alongside us. 

As the familiar Haitian proverb puts it, “beyond mountains there are mountains.” When we reach the end of one challenge, there’s always another waiting for us. What the world needs, and what we are called to, is hearts that have been softened by God’s love, made effervescent with Easter joy, and are on the watch for where the Spirit says there’s urgent good news to be shared, and love to be done in a hurting world. In this season of your journey, and ours together, how can you open your heart right now, and let love come and make its home with you?

Grace and Peace, 

The Right Rev. Craig Loya