I had trouble publishing last week's blog and I just got it up today.  Please forgive my errors, as I learn something new.

This week, we are focusing on something that was absolutely new for the disciples, Christ's Ascension into Heaven.  Jesus went up into the clouds to go to Heaven to be seated at the right hand of the Father.  The disciples saw him rise and looked upward with awe.  Two men in white robes suddenly stood among them and asked, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky?" (NLT)

I love that question.  "Why are you standing here staring at the sky?"  It implies that we have more to do than look up at the clouds.  I think it also prepares us to realize that Christ is not in the clouds; he is with us through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. 

The disciples had been told to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to come upon them.  I suspect that waiting was difficult for this burly bunch.  They were men of action.  Yet, they had to wait because they could not be effective ministers of the Gospel in their own power.

How hard it is to wait!  I remember waiting in line for just about everything when I lived in the former Soviet Union.  Often, people stood in lines and did not know what they were waiting for at the end of the line.  They figured that if they discovered something that they could not use personally, then their friends and neighbors could use it.  People pulled together and shared what they could find.  This was especially evident in the Christian community.  It was a powerful witness.

We, too, have a powerful witness.  The way we live our lives is our witness to the world.  We must ask ourselves if we are standing and looking up into the sky or if we are putting flesh to our faith.  I hope and pray that we are embodying the Love of Christ.

Press on!

Pastor Linda