As I was driving with Pastor Courtenay to a pastors’ meeting this week, I mentioned that folks seemed tired these days. She agreed. 

[And yes, I know that whenever I talk about being tired, I am probably getting close to needing a vacation. And that is probably true; I am certainly looking forward to vacation time coming up this summer. ]

I have been noticing folks lagging in many different corners:

• A good friend who is a pastor mentioned that he was meeting with some folks in his congregation to talk about the challenges of finding volunteers. 
• The dance parents that I hang around with are counting the weeks until dance is over with big tired sighs. The dance school is looking for volunteers to be back stage with the kids for their big year-end recitals. 
• The Parent Action Committee at school is still looking for more members with a month left in the school year. The parents at School Pickup often remark at how tiring the end of the year is. 

Everyone is looking for more volunteers these days, though those same people are all simultaneously running on fumes themselves. 

And yet, the world hasn’t fully ramped up from the pandemic. We all remember a busier even more hectic normal time pre-pandemic. Every year felt busier than the present one. As we enter into a decidedly post-pandemic era (where COVID is endemic, meaning everywhere), I wonder if we are questioning the pace at which we all used to live life pre-pandemic. If 70%, 80% or 90% of the level of busy-ness compared to the “before-times” is exhausting, can we even go back to full steam ahead?

As we approach Pentecost Sunday, I cannot help but think about the tired disciples who were also wondering who was going to do the work of their new community. Fifty days after the Resurrection, they too were exhausted in all the change that they were facing without Jesus among them. 

Then, in their exhaustion, the Holy Spirit sent them out into the streets to preach the Gospel in many languages and to preside over 3000 baptisms! [Two Baptisms this Sunday feels like a lot – 3000 is unimaginable!]

Of course doing more wasn’t the answer to the tiredness of the disciples. Pentecost lasted only one day – the chaos of 3000 baptisms wasn’t the new normal. The Early Church slowly became small groups of 10 to 15 folks in one city, 15 to 25 in another. These became the little communities that we have heard of: Romans, Corinthians, Ephesians, Thessalonians, Colossians and so forth. Little communities that, over time, discovered new ways to be faithful people and slowly grew into something more. 

I have a feeling that finding our way in 2022 and 2023 has been more of a temporary Pentecost moment, which might last for a while yet. We are still just at the beginning of this reality of what it means to be Church in this age. And our time for slowly-growing communities of faith time is coming.

Se let’s endure the busy-ness and tired-ness for now, knowing that the Spirit has new ways of being in mind for us soon.