Year A
Looking Up into the Sky: When God Says Wait
What did the disciples do when Jesus went up into heaven and they were told to wait? Malcolm Ireland explores Acts 1 and asks what it means to wait well.
Speaker: Malcolm Ireland
Message type: Intergenerational Message
Date: Sunday 17 May 2026
Lectionary: Year A, Easter 7
Bible references: Acts 1:1–14
Other lectionary readings: Acts 1:6–14; Psalm 68:1–10, 32–35; 1 Peter 4:12–14; 5:6–11; John 17:1–11
Summary
Malcolm Ireland opens with the question of whether we like waiting, then retells the story of Jesus' ascension and his instruction to the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit. The disciples didn't run off or give up — they stayed together, prayed together and trusted, discovering that "waiting didn't mean doing nothing." He invites us to remember the disciples looking up into the sky and to trust that waiting can be part of God's plan, even when we want everything fixed right now.
Reflective Questions
- What kind of waiting do you find hardest — and why?
- Tell about a time when waiting turned out to be part of God's plan for you.
- How does our congregation pray and stay together during seasons of waiting?
- Where do you see people in our community trusting God while they wait?
Notes for editor: The video title gives "IG" as the message type, interpreted as "Intergenerational Message." The Bible reference Acts 1:1–14 was identified from the content rather than being explicitly stated by the speaker (he mentions "Acts chapter one"). The other lectionary readings are based on Year A, Easter 7 in the Revised Common Lectionary — please confirm.