What Are You Waiting For?
Acts 10: 44-48
One of my passions in ministry is helping people understand and become more accepting of people who are neurodivergent. I want the church to be welcoming to people with often invisible disabilities. Some behaviors that we consider rude or off-putting are actually part of the way the brains of neurodivergent people work.
One of the behaviors that can seem rude is the tendency to interrupt others while they are speaking. However, this tendency isn’t about a lack of manners. People with ADHD may interrupt a conversation due to fear of forgetting what they want to say if they don’t blurt it out. They may interrupt because they are invested and engaged in a topic and want to show that enthusiasm. They may also become bored if the conversation is lagging behind how fast they are processing information. To many, the behavior seems boorish, but no disrespect is intended. They simply feel a sense of urgency that may appear rude or impatient to the rest of the world.
In today’s reading from Acts, the Holy Spirit appears somewhat impatient as well. Peter, after being guided by a vision, visits the household of the Gentile Cornelius in Caesarea. He enters the house and finds a crowd of Gentiles. He begins to speak, talking about his visions and how God has shown him that salvation is available to everyone, not just the Jews. Then he goes on to tell the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection (see vv. 22–43).
Then something funny happens. Even as Peter is still speaking, the Holy Spirit “fell on everyone who heard the word” (v. 44). The Holy Spirit interrupted Peter’s eloquent sermon. The Holy Spirit didn’t wait for him to finish his speech. It was time.
God’s time is not our time. We know that. However, this passage reveals a sense of urgency. Peter’s witness was important, yet the Holy Spirit was not going to wait. The Spirit was moving ahead of Peter. The Jews with Peter were astounded by the Holy Spirit’s actions but were not resistant to them. After the Gentiles were baptized, Peter stayed at the house a few days. I’m sure that during that time, Peter had plenty of opportunities to teach the new converts. He had plenty of time to speak.
The actions of the Spirit in this passage are challenging to someone like me, who likes to plan and think things through carefully. I like to think before I act. However, I recognize that sometimes this leads to “paralysis through analysis.” Sometimes you just need to act, especially if the situation is urgent.
I believe that we are living in urgent times. Our world is crying out for good news—the Good News. People are in need of hope. They are in need of belonging. They are in need of mercy. They are in need of grace. The abundant life offered through the Good News of Jesus Christ is an urgent need now, just as it was 2,000 years ago.
We sometimes become complacent in our faith lives. We go about our spiritual lives in very routine ways. There are benefits to being thoughtful and intentional. However, sometimes the situation calls for urgent action. In those situations, we can look toward the example of the Holy Spirit.
What would our ministry look like if we adopted the same sense of urgency in helping the world know the life-giving love of Jesus? What would our world look like? It may just look a little more like the kingdom.
Rev. Dana Ezell
