May 17 - Contemplative
 
Scripture: Acts 1:12-14 (Acts 1:12-26)
Speaker: Greg Wiens 

After the ascension, the disciples return to Jerusalem and gather in an upstairs room, where “they were continually devoting themselves with one mind to prayer” (1:14). This is no passive moment. The upper room becomes a space of intentional waiting—a place where heaven and earth quietly meet through prayerful attention. Just as mountains in Scripture are places of revelation, here the room becomes a different kind of holy ground: a contemplative space where hearts are opened, aligned, and made ready. They do not rush ahead or retreat to what is familiar. Instead, they hold space—together, with expectation—for what God will do next.

In this waiting, imagination and contemplation come together. The disciples stand between what has been and what will be, resisting the urge to control the future and choosing instead to receive it. The upper room becomes the place where the unseen begins to take shape, where God prepares a people to carry his presence into the world. It is here that we learn: before there is movement, there is attentiveness; before there is mission, there is communion. The ascended Jesus invites his followers not just to go, but first to wait, pray, and become. And if we, like them, create space—both outwardly and inwardly—we may discover that God is still forming something new within us.

Desired Outcome: To invite us into a posture of prayerful attentiveness—creating space to receive the Holy Spirit, align our imagination with his purposes, and become people through whom his life can be revealed in the world.