June marks the turning point in the Christian year. It is a time for endings and beginnings. The disciples have just had to let go of Jesus in bodily form. As the month begins we are still in Ascensiontide when we remember Jesus leaving the disciples to the tender care of the Holy Spirit. I wonder whether the disciples saw this as a good or bad thing? I guess some of them would have preferred to have the earthly Jesus they had always known to an invisible Spirit, even if that Spirit could be with them in every place and in every time. We may cling to what we have known but God wants us to move on, and grow up, and discover the new things that God will now do.
My youngest son is learning to drive. He has grown in confidence and soon the day will come when he hopefully passes his test the driving instructor who has sat with him every week for months will say goodbye. It is then when he is alone in the car that the real business of learning to become a driver will begin. Learning to be a Christian is like learning to drive, we learn from each other along the way but then we have to take the risk of stepping out in faith ourselves because it is those steps of faith into the unknown that cement our faith.
I have always hated leaving. In my humble opinion it is the worst bit about being a Methodist minister but that doesn’t mean it is not the right thing. I hate leaving people I love and care for but actually sometimes that is best for them and maybe though I don’t necessarily see it that way all the time, it could be the best for me too. We all have to grow and move on, that is life, and that is the Christian faith. That does not mean we do not value and treasure what we have shared together but moving on is a constant theme in the scriptures. The Abraham and Sarah leave their homes to go to the land that God will show them. The disciples are called to leave their nets to follow Jesus; the risen Jesus tells the disciples to let go of him so that they may discover him again in a new way through the Holy Spirit. In our faith endings and beginnings go together. I have faith that as I, and far more importantly Caroline leave, God will use that change to bring new energy and possibilities to the Manchester circuit. When he leaves the disciples Jesus effectively says to them “Don’t worry, I am sending you the Holy Spirit and it is best for you that I do this, for the best is yet to come.” I think that this is true for all of us: we do not need to worry about change for, as unlikely as it may seem, with God the best is yet to come.