When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger. Luke 2:15-16 (New Revised Standard Version)
I walked a labyrinth the other day. It’s a winding, circular path to the center rather than a direct point-to-point line that I might prefer. Sometimes the path took me close to the center and then farther away from it, ultimately depositing me in the center. My pilgrimage was a success! I could rest and feel God’s presence and peace.
But I can’t stay in the labyrinth’s center forever. A time must come when I venture back out of the center and walk the circular path back into the world. It’s a winding, circular path away from the center, too. Sometimes the path took me close to the center and then farther away from it, ultimately depositing me at the labyrinth’s entry/exit. And here is my personal spiritual challenge. Having contemplated God’s love for me and the world, having heard God’s invitation to action, I am slow to respond. Even resistant at times.
The shepherds’ haste in taking action is what impresses me in these verses from Luke. Their group discernment led them to action. They found “the child lying in the manger.” The shepherds teach me that immediate action, my immediate response to God’s invitation, will also result in seeing God, seeing God at work in the world, feeling God’s presence.
Unlike the shepherds, we don’t typically get the full-on “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” invitation from God. Still, the labyrinth continues to invite me.
Prayer: Let Your invitation to discernment lead us to respond to Your work in the world, O LORD.
Wondering while waiting: How do our invitations to others to experience God change the paths they had laid out for themselves?
Jon – Leadership Team: Inspire. Ignite. Invite.
Indianapolis, IN
