Amy Zimbelman, Conference Minister of Mountain States Mennonite Conference, will preach from Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 and ask “Where’s Jesus? Grieving and regrouping when things didn’t go as planned.”
After the resurrection, the followers of Jesus are excited to see that he's making appearances everywhere. Strolling in gardens and grilling some fish for his friends, taking long walks down the road and coming over for dinner. He's with us again!
And then, the ascension. There he goes, up into the sky. Just like that.
Wait, we thought you were back! But now you’re leaving us to go up to heaven…by choice?
They can’t see Jesus anymore. And in our passage today, the Holy Spirit hasn’t come yet. I can only imagine the disciples looking at each other in that upper room and saying: “Soooo…this is awkward. Definitely not what we were expecting. What now?”
I want to talk this morning about what happens when things don’t go as planned—when we’re living the life we never expected to live. I want to talk about the shape of grief and regrouping in the midst of grief. In this year of coming out of the pandemic and so many other personal and collective tragedies, how do we grieve well? And what do we do now?
**********
Pastor Amy Zimbelman thoroughly enjoys serving as Conference Minister of MSMC, supporting 17 churches and many passion ministries in Colorado and New Mexico. She has served as a pastor at Mountain Community Mennonite for 3 years, and has worked in refugee resettlement for about a decade. Pastor Amy holds a Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School, and has also served in Zambia through Mennonite Central Committee and in South Dakota with Mennonite Voluntary Service. In South Dakota, she met her husband/best friend, Matt Zimbelman, and they live in Colorado Springs and have two young sons. She loves spending time with her family, cooking/eating food, board gaming with friends, going outside to walk or hike, learning about other cultures, hashing things out in long conversations, and trying to follow Jesus.
Music Information & Acknowledgement
“God of the Bible”
Text: Shirley Erena Murray, ©1996 Hope Publishing Company; Music: Tony E Alonso, ©2001 GIA Publications, Inc.; All rights reserved. Reprinted and streamed with permission through ONE LICENSE, license #A-731084
“Let’s Walk Together”
Text: Laurie Zelman; Music: Mark A Miller; ©2007 Abingdon Press; All rights reserved. Reprinted and streamed with permission through ONE LICENSE, license #A-731084
“Calm Me, Lord”
Text: David Adam, ©SPCK; Music: Margaret Rizza, ©1998 Kevin Mayhew, Ltd. (admin. GIA Publications, Inc.); All rights reserved. Reprinted and streamed with permission through ONE LICENSE, license #A-731084
“There Is a Balm in Gilead”
Text & Music: African American spiritual
“Hymn of Peace”
Text & Music: Timothy Shue, 1994
“The Lord Lift You Up”
Text: Patricia J Shelly; Music: Patricia J Shelly; arr. Dennis Friesen-Carper; ©1983 Patricia J Shelly; All rights reserved. Reprinted and streamed with permission through ONE LICENSE, license #A-731084