2026 Pentecost Devotions I
Saturday, May 30
Matthew 28:16-20
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him, but they doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Go…
Traditional seminary education often includes a semester of CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education). This often dreaded course, which is completed in a hospital setting, is seen as a rite of passage of sorts by seminarians. It was certainly formational for me.
On our first day as CPE students at the Children’s Hospital of Atlanta, our supervisors gathered us for opening worship. During that service, we were told that it’s completely normal to be scared. The preacher then encouraged us to offer that fear to God and to “go scared”. If we had waited until we felt more comfortable to enter into the challenging ministry assigned to us, we never would have gotten started.
At the end of his earthly ministry, as he was preparing to return to God, the Father, Jesus commands his disciples to “go”. He knows that they are going to feel lost and abandoned without him. To counterbalance that, Jesus gives them The Great Commission: 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
That Great Commission, which kept the Apostles moving forward in ministry after Jesus’ Ascension, calls us into action today as well. Do you believe in Jesus? Then Go and share his love. Are you Baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus? Then Go and feed his sheep in the world. Are you afraid that you might not know what to say or do, or that you might make a mistake? Then Go scared. God will give you the words and equip you for the ministry to which you’ve been called. Just Go.
Prayer: Lord Jesus: You made your expectations very clear before your Ascension. Make us instruments of your peace. AMEN