Where Do We Go From Here

20 Question First Mark of Mission Witness to Christ’s saving, forgiving and reconciling love for all people. A Close Reading Most of us think that when God enters our lives and draws near to our hearts, we will be full of joy and reassurance and encouragement. We imagine that the presence of God will bring clarity and certainty, order and comfort. Yet when we read the story of the birth of church, when God enters the lives of the first disciples, the scene presented to us is one of disruption and upheaval. This disruption occurs at so many levels: • The “natural order” is overturned as tongues of fire rest on each person without burning them (v 3). Peter fosters this sense of upheaval by talking about the sun turning to darkness and the moon to blood (v 20). Share an experience of not being understood. In what ways did you manage to bridge the gap? Who first made sense of the Gospel in a way you understood? When someone goes out of their way to help you understand that they respect you and want to know you well, how do you feel? What might that mean for the work of sharing God’s great story?