Do you know the time?

I recall a scene from West Wing episode "The Fall is going to kill you" when the chief counsel, Oliver Babish asks CJ Craig if she knows what time it is? She goes on to tell him the time. When he responds that she has given her more information than was required. When asked do you know what time it is the answer should be a simple yes? I think that we can be caught in the same dilemma we answer a question which has not been asked and give back an answer which was not required! So the two angels speak to the disciples after Jesus' ascension and ask, "Why are you men from Galilee standing here looking into the sky?" They continue by saying, "Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, this same Jesus will come back in the same way as you have seen go there."

Sometimes in the Christian life, we can ask where is Jesus or where has he gone? There can be a searching which can wrestle with this dilemma which the disciples had in seeking after someone who seems to have been removed from them. Yet we know from the scriptures and from our living history that Jesus keeps showing up through people who are inspired and transformed by his presence. This is contained within living communities of faith who seek to make him known in every corner of the earth. This is made manifest by the particular charisms which are present in individuals for the good of the whole community.  When asked what gift we have for the good of the communion we look at what we have to give rather than what we do not. It needs a whole community to work together with each of their individual charisms for the good of the whole. No one person has all the gifts and we must listen to the spirit working within us and within the whole community for the good of all.

As Christian Communities we are called to form Intentional Disciples  Sherry Weddell in her book, "Forming Intentional Disciples" points to three thresholds which must be crossed in talking to people about Christ. This first is related to trust and whether the person can feel that we are there for them and not simply on a recruitment drive. The first step is always about friendship which is genuine, sincere and heartfelt. This leads to the second threshold where a person becomes curious about why we would spend time with them and where do we find meaning. It is only at the third threshold that there is an openness to encounter the person that we say loves us. Then we can start to break the silence in a way which seeks God and the kerygma about Jesus with another. Yet we know that often when we seek to communicate this to others we need to be in touch with the reality for ourselves. We need to know that this is the appropriate time to encounter the person who walks with us through the spirit. Not looking into the sky but seeing where he is already at work in our lives.