Commissioned or out of Commission?

" So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?"   He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.   But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."   When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. " Acts 1:6-9  NRSV

At Jesus' ascension he commissions the disciples to go and be witnesses...to the ends of the earth.  I've always been so grateful for this particular verse, because if Jesus had only said tell the people in Jerusalem and Judea (which would have made sense to most), then I wonder if I'd have ever heard of Jesus, or fallen in love with this Lord of my life.  To the ends of the earth...yes-- across space and time and continents eventually the witness was spread.

In my 'pre-illness' life, I heard this verse and found myself fired up to continue to spread the good news.  I found myself challenged in a positive way to tell others about Jesus.  I realize many, many of the scriptures I've encountered in my studies and in my ministry had much to say to me and to others about being active in the faith and moving forward-- being commissioned to share.  In these past months, I've started to question what this commissioning means in real terms for my life now.  As someone who doesn't know if I'll have the strength or energy to make it through even the most uneventful days, the idea of being commissioned to witness to the ends of the earth is mind-boggling, and often overwhelming.

How could I possibly be commissioned to continue to witness to Jesus?  The continuing illness has more often left me feeling out of commission.  The real limits and changes in my physical and mental abilities have made me question my  limits and abilities for ministry. 

And yet I see this scene of Jesus' ascension with new eyes. What kinds of limits must the disciples have felt when Jesus ascended?  They had been following him and now he was being taken to heaven to become Lord of creation...what could they possibly do to be part of his mission now?

What can you and I do to be part of God's healing and life giving work now, when we pray for healing ourselves and wrestle with the challenges of daily life? 

What the disciples faced wasn't easy, but the Holy Spirit guided them, encouraged them and inspired them to carry out the mission to which they were called. It didn't look like anything that had been done before...

 What you and I face isn't easy...for us or those around us, but we are not orphaned.  The Holy Spirit...the very breath of God...seeks to work in us, will guide us, encourage us and inspire us to carry out the mission to which you and I are called.  It likely won't look like what we've done before ( and may very well not look like what any others have done before), but just as the Holy Spirit opened up new lands and new opportunities to witness to God's saving grace in Jesus, in this chronic illness territory the Holy Spirit opens up new opportunities and 'lands' in which to witness God's saving grace. 

The way we try to face tests and treatments with hope and kindness  is a witness to God's grace; the way we may have more time and opportunity to listen to our children and their friends may open up a new land and new people which haven't heard of God's love; the creative and inventive and just-plain-persistent ways that we don't allow 'obstacles' to stop us witnesses to the hope and Grace of God. 

Those who were watching the disciples may have suspected that it was the end of the road for them, but it was truly just the beginning.

Those who watch us may suspect that we are at the end of our road and are out of commission... but what they don't understand is that God works wonders with those who are in new territories, and particularly those who seem to be finished by the world's standards.  The world's endings truly turn out to be beginnings in the hands of our loving and creative God. 

So, today, particularly if you are feeling 'out of commission'--  as I suspect I will later this afternoon (yes, I am up at midnight and posting this...but that's a bit of a fun story for another day :-)  ...if you are feeling out of commission, look up, and know that you have been entrusted with important tasks in this chronic illness terrain...tasks that perhaps only you can make now BECAUSE you are in this territory.  Look for the opportunities that God sets in your path, and know that God is a God of new beginnings.

Creative, loving God, today I may feel finished and wondering what I can do because of long-term health issues.  Remind me that 'endings' turn into beginnings in your hands as you lead us to witness to the ends of the earth... whether if that 'end' is to a sick friend who needs understanding, or to a lab tech who is feeling down.  Utilize us during this important time, and remind us that your Holy Spirit is the one who will move, give us strength, and make use of our challenges and our gifts. Amen.