Waiting… - Week Three
May 17, 2026
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Week 3: Downloading…
Context:
Sometimes we are impatient with God to do a new thing — ‘Why wont you do something God?' when it is actually us who are tied to an old way of doing things. We are waiting for God to do something in the old place, in the old way, when God is already at work somewhere else, preparing us for something else.
After looking at loading and typing we will keep our digital metaphors going this week by thinking about downloads. Now we are not machines and there’s limits to any metaphor! We are organic beings made of love — not soulless machines to be programmed. When we explore downloads this week it’s simply a way of thinking about our openness to receive from God, and our patience to wait while we receive.
God is always doing new things. Are we more bound to the specifics of 'the hardware’ (the buildings, the titles, the traditions) than God is? Are we happy to rely on old glitchy software if it means we can keep an old building machine running? Or are we willing to look to where God is calling us now? To check our download folder. Because we need the resurrection software running and up to date! In this metaphor Communion keeps us connected, keeps us downloading!
Some questions for us to reflect on in our communities: What do we do that we have been doing for a long time and we could stop doing? And what is something we used to do that we could starting doing again? Discuss!
The group leader leads a quick discussion on any initial thoughts and reactions to these ideas before moving on to the next section: Introducing the readings.
Introducing the readings:
The book of Acts is a sequel to the Gospel of Luke showing how the first apostles, the first followers and advocates of Jesus, responded to Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. This opening chapter anticipates the vivid drama of Pentecost (that we are going to look at next week!). But before we get there we are going to skip on in Acts to a remarkable scene in chapter 16 that fits in with the idea of waiting for downloads. The early church was hugely countercultural and many people in positions of power felt threatened by how these Christians were undermining their ways of dominating and exploiting people. In this Chapter Paul and Silas end up being thrown in jail and waiting on a download from God!
Read: Acts 1: 1-11 and Acts 16: 16-34
A volunteer reads these Bible texts and then the group leader reads the following words from the Response to initiate a discussion on the readings and theme.
Response:
This scene in Acts 1 could be seen as somewhat comical. Jesus tells his disciples that a new download is coming (Pentecost 1.0 in the next chapter ready for some really wild Beta testing!) but they won’t know exactly when and where all the downloads are coming! They stand around dumfounded, staring glakitly up at the sky and then two men in white robes pop up and tell them to get going — ‘What are you standing about for?”
The ‘Q:’ sections are questions that are thrown out to the group to initiate discussion on the passage and themes. Pause after each to discuss the ideas.
Q: How could God use this reading to challenge us today? Where are we staring intently — looking at where Jesus has been and therefore missing where Jesus is now?
As Jesus says in Acts 1, it is not for us to know the times and dates God has set! Sometimes when we are waiting on the download, the new thing, we can be waiting a while. Paul and Silas choose to pass the time with praying and singing as they wait on God. It must have been quite some session. The jailer’s whole life has changed and who knows what the morning brings… but he choose to mark this incredible night through Baptism. Not once the dust has settled and the chaos is over, but while the dust is still swirling and everything is up in the air.
Q: So while we are waiting for downloads from God how are we passing the time? What songs are we singing? What prayers are we praying? And how are we marking the time while the dust is still swirling?
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