Many of us will maybe be looking at passages where Jesus met with the disciples after his resurrection. Jesus appears in locked rooms, on a journey along a road, by the waterside lighting a fire, as well as being with the disciples before he ascends back to heaven. We often take many things from these different encounters, but one of the key elements, which is often in my experience not focused on, is the fact that Jesus choses to be present.
To share his peace, to breathe upon the Disciples, to converse with them, to eat with them, he has to be present!! With them, where they are, not distracted, but right there, present and engaged.
As pioneers we have often heard, and maybe used the phrase, Missio Dei, the missional God. We journey with the Holy Spirit because we believe that God is missional and God is active through his spirit. But in the way that those early disciples recognised who Jesus was, as he was so present, do we recognise the presence of Jesus with us? Do we take the time, the intention to want to be, and recognise how we can be present with Jesus?
If I am honest, there have undoubtedly been times during my pioneering life, where I have engaged with people, but I have not asked in a prayerful manner, (Jesus where are you in this encounter?). (Jesus what are you wanting to say in this encounter?)
The encounters the disciples have with Jesus leave them with a passion, a transformation, an urgency that they cannot let go of. They received because they were present! They were transformed because they were present! They shared with others because they were present! Is the same true for each of us today?
I wonder how you know that Jesus is present with you? How are you aware of him with you, and aware of his voice speaking to you? Our activity flows out of our encounter with the living God, and what he has to say to us. So I wonder what your answer is to these 2 questions:
1: What is god saying?
2: What is my response?
As Jesus choses to be present with us, wanting to talk with us, I wonder what it looks like for each one of us to choose to be present, undistracted, focused upon him, what he wants, what he asks, and how he leads.
I know I still have a journey to go, but I continue to seek God, wanting that similar transformation that those early disciples had, that they didn’t just keep being present with Jesus to themselves, but knew they had to share that with others.
Andy Wilson
Lead Evangelist
Gloucester Centre of Mission
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