Nougat 2

Siblings

Have you ever found yourself in the middle of nowhere, lost and having no signposts? I’ve been there a few times. In those moments, having a generous local show up and offer good (read practical) directions; is nothing short of a blessing. As we continue to reflect on being sent, I invite us to see ourselves as the local guides to Christ. How so, you ask. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat

Acts 2:43 CEVDCI

[43] Everyone was amazed by the many miracles and wonders that the apostles worked.

Sent … as Signposts

There’s something to be said for effective signage. In some places, it’s literally old-fashioned signposts with arrows and mile markers. In others there are water/grain towers with the name of the town or city emblazoned for all to see. Some boast gardens with a monument of sorts, that establish to the wandering soul … you’re in this space. And the new- fashioned ones are powered by some kind of electricity, and are interactive so that navigation is easy IF one is spatially aware. All these are great, but if the wandering soul is unaware of where they wish to be, it could be problematic.

Point to Ponder

When last and in the middle of nowhere, or at a new mall and needing the restroom urgently, did you find signposts helpful?

Deeper Dive

The multitude gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate Shavuot – the Feast of Weeks at Pentecost – would not have considered themselves lost. They gathered, like devotees on a hajj to Mecca, to commemorate YHWH giving the Torah to Moses. Shavuot was also the season that marked the wheat harvest, and it was marked with the gifts of the firstfruits. They knew the way and the routine. It was all very familiar to them. Nothing in their tradition suggested that they were lost …

… Until they encountered those freshly anointed apostles.

Drawn into the spectacle of visible flames and audible tongues, the ‘visitors’ encountered something that stopped them in their tracks and restored them.

They heard a new Pentecost story. One also of redemption and grace, but it focused on YHWH’s son, Y’shua. The story was told in their own diasporic languages, accompanied by actions – miraculous signs, healings and other wonders – that signalled their importance to YHWH and Y’shua.

This was a different picture of God, as One Who loved them enough to take on their sin and offered them direct access. Through Y’shua, they were told, they no longer had to have someone bear their sins annually. Each could find and receive God’s grace for themselves at any time. They were the subject of God’s redemption story.

That’s what helped them to realise that they didn’t really have any idea of where they needed to be. They had been marking time and following tradition without having that personal relationship with God. The flames, miraculous signs, the customised language, and the messengers were much-needed signposts to their new destination.

So many people in our world today require signposts. With all the cares of life weighing them down, they need to hear that they matter. So many are literally dying for words of encouragement, hope and love that insist to them that there is another way. As ones who’ve personally experienced the joy of life in Christ, we are sent to point the way to hope, love, joy … a new life in Christ.

Let’s not get it twisted. We are signposts on the journey to God’s empire; we are not the destination. Nor is it OUR empire.

But

When we live transparent lives for God, under the influence of God’s Spirit; then Y’shua gets lifted up. And He’s promised that when He is lifted up, He will ensure that the wandering souls WILL find their way home (see John 12:32). That’s the nature of our calling – to help those who aren’t aware that they need directions find their way to Christ using one method or another. God’s Spirit powers us, so we can even be interactive signposts to Jesus.

Self-Check

What kind of signpost are we, and how effective are we at directing others to experience the joy of life in Christ?

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May all we seek be found in Christ