Pod Be With You

This week, Jesus gets out of the way - or tries to, anyway. The disciples are once again waiting on him to work wonders, and it becomes clear they will never step into what is next while he is still there. So, after promising them the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to lead them into their new season, he is taken up into heaven - and they still need to be booted away from that moment, as they were getting stuck staring at the clouds. How about us? What kind of distractions do we use to keep us from the work to which Jesus called us? What would Jesus think of a Church that worshipped him (which he didn't ask his followers to do) but didn't live what he taught (which he did)? 

What a week to be the Church! Here in Dundee, we're celebrating our 185th Anniversary, where we'll hear stories of our less-than-promising ancestors but grow in appreciation of the great legacy we have inherited. In Batavia, we're doing different church work: gathering for funerals and remembering the God in whom we live and move and have our being. In all this - in the blessed, the messy, the constancy and change - we look for the abiding love of God, who has seen us through this far, and will carry us into a faithful future. 

The Gospel of John never disappoints. And this week's passage is a big one, touching on grief, comfort, empowerment, unity, and the work of building something that will last. We're in John 14:1-14, with a short side quest to 1 Peter chapter 2, as we explore together all of these themes, and more.