The Beginning Or The End?

Acts 16:1-10

Paul went on also to Derbe and to Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brothers and sisters in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and had him circumcised because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went from town to town, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in numbers daily.  They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.

__________

Introduction

Road trips possess the potential to make or break human bonds by putting people through a series of rigorous tests ranging from going the wrong direction or breaking down; things can get stressful pretty quickly. For example, my family made a cross-country trip in a caravan (35' long and 13'-14' high), where we almost went under a bridge a few inches too low. Though perhaps stories about going the wrong way or almost taking the roof off of a caravan aren't as dramatic as I make them out to be because, more often than not, they become humorous stories we tell later. And truth be told, a hiccup in a road trip might lead to something unexpected and beautiful.

Fear

Before we get to that point, panic or fear is part of a road trip gone wrong. And Paul is not taking it very well. There’s a mosaic that can be found in Macedonia today that depicts Paul’s time in Troas. It shows Paul on the outskirts of the city in what looks to be a cave, and Paul is leaning against a hard, uncomfortable-looking rock. You can see the bags under Paul’s eyes, hinting at how tired he was from having journeyed such a distance for what must have felt like a waste of time and resources. You can imagine Paul looking up towards the heavens and asking, “Why would you send me here, God?”

You might wonder what's wrong with Troas; Paul had a place to rest, after all. You're right, but Troas is a place where dreams (seemingly) go to die. Historically speaking, Troas was Troas; there was nothing special about it. And as Paul is pouring his entire self into this mission, he doesn't have much to show for it. If we aren't careful, we'll end up in despair like Paul trying to get to some grand place in our discipleship journey, only to end up in Troas (we can't compare and say what is and is not successful). We won't always know how or why we ended up in a particular place in our faith journey, yet regardless of where we find ourselves, the Holy Spirit is with us (ready to make a new thing happen).

Rest

Whenever I'm feeling grumpy, I'm told to take a nap (or grab a cup of coffee). There's power in rest, and in a culture that encourages us (especially young people) to hustle to make a living, we forget that rest is a spiritual practice and something essential to discipleship. It does us no good to keep pushing for new ministry goals if we burn ourselves out. Sometimes the brute force method does not work, and the only solution is a good night's rest. Rest not only cures a poor disposition, but it also allows our hearts and bodies to reset, take a step away, and realize that not everything will get done in an instant. 

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
("The Peace of Wild Things," by Wendell Berry)

Discipleship is a long-haul mission; it's not like one of those sprint or dash races on a track and field day. Navigating the path of understanding God's will can be pretty bewildering, affecting regular churchgoers and even pastors. What if the consequences of not getting rest for the long journey of discipleship are what we are seeing now? What if there are people who are so tired that rest takes the form of disconnecting from the church? It's something to consider as we explore ways for us as a community of faith to nurture hearts that are weary and hearts that are ready for the next leg of where God is calling us to go. Whether we know where we are going is part of the stories of the disciples who came before us.

Paul's mind must have been uncertain about their next steps as he went to sleep, but what a relief it must have been as he witnessed the Macedonian man beckoning them, eager to embrace the gospel's good news. Similarly, there are moments in our lives when the Spirit's transformative power surprises us, utilizing our unique gifts to pave unforeseen paths. Again, rest is not a sign of defeat or giving up but a spiritual practice that grants us new insights and understandings. 

Clarity

This narrative has been recounted through the ages. In the Hebrew scriptures, we learn of Moses, who believed his life had reached its conclusion until a divine calling summoned him to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. Similarly, Simon and Andrew resigned themselves to a life as fishermen until a life-altering moment when Jesus invited them to follow him and become fishers of men. Mary, too, had envisioned an ordinary life alongside Joseph until an angel of the Lord disrupted her plans entirely. Our plans are not always the same as God's, and when we hit a dead end or a roadblock, it means God has something else in mind. 

Our responsibility does not lie in achieving perfection in everything we do. It is not our task to obsess over making everything flawless, for that role belongs to God alone. When we examine Paul's journey, we realize that Troas was not the end but the beginning of his missionary journey; for us, if we can draw nearer to God in our practice of faith, then we, too, cannot say our journey is over. This is because the Spirit of God is acquainted with every path we tread, guiding us through life's twists and turns. And what a joy it is when we can find peace in that knowledge.

Conclusion

The Holy Spirit should fuel us and guide us as we traverse the waters of life and faith. As the Spirit of God hovered over the turbulent waters that existed at the start of creation, here, too, the Spirit of God is present as we discern what it means to be the church in the 21st century. How will we be the church that the Spirit of God leads? How will a church that doesn’t get caught up on its failures but asks, “What’s next? What else can we try?” In our attempts to be a church that meets people where they are, we will undoubtedly end up in Troas. But it is in Troas that the Spirit will inspire us to pursue feats beyond anything we could have imagined if we are willing to trust that our work is part of God’s larger tapestry. And it will not be an end to what we do; it will be the beginning.