The eCrozier

As the Church, we’re now in that period between our Lord’s Ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It’s a time of the “already,” but also the “not yet.” The “already” of the Resurrection and Ascension has “not yet” produced God’s clarifying mission for the Church at Pentecost. The disciples realized the old had passed away and something new was coming. But it wasn’t there yet. Although their spiritual adrenaline was pumping fast, they were unsure just what this new thing was going to be.

Our culture actually has been going through this for some time now. We’re now living in what many people are calling a “Post-Modern” world. That name alone should indicate our confusion and anxiety. We don’t even have a name for the time in which we live. It’s not modern. It’s whatever is going to be after modern. That defines what it no longer is, but it tells us nothing about what the future will be like.

The Church is facing this gap experience along with the culture. Spiritually, we’re right there with the disciples between the Ascension and Pentecost. Now, there are different ways people react to living in this gap of the already, but not yet. Some, reacting with fear and anxiety over the chaos and confusion, refuse to accept that God’s world is changing. These are the fundamentalist groups in all religions. Their refusal to live hopefully in the gap shows itself in their anger born of their fear, anxiety, and confusion.

In facing this gap experience, some self-medicate with drugs or alcohol. Billions of dollars are spent on anti-depressants in this country. Now, there are quite valid reasons for taking anti-depressants, but not all depression is due to chemical imbalances. Many are depressed because they struggle to live in a world that’s changing so rapidly. Still others, reacting out of their constant need for novelty, have embraced every new thing that comes their way. These folk have no depth in any tradition. They’re set loose in this gap time steering their course with multiple maps and navigational forms. In their minds, everything is up for grabs and there is no faith in anything.

There’s a better way to live and we have it with one another in the Church. We’re a people who are equipped to handle the future and its uncertainty. We worship a Lord who says, “Behold, I make all things new.” St. Paul tells us that if we’re in Christ, we’re “new creations,” therefore “the old has passed away and the new has come.” We’re people who are equipped to welcome the new thing God is doing. We’re a gap people living in a world experiencing a major shift from what’s been to what will be.

In this gap experience, we wait patiently for what God will do. We’re called to have compassion for those rocked by the rapid change of the world and to love our enemies in a world where many anxious and confused people actually think hate is the solution. It’s in the gap between what was and what will be that we have the opportunity to become more faithful disciples of Jesus. That will require us, however, to stay and wait patiently in the gap, not running away. While many others may react with fear, violence or confusion, we will hold fast to the love, compassion, and mercy of Jesus. Mind the gap.

+Scott