Outcomes

Mark 3:13-14

He climbed a mountain and invited those he wanted with him. They climbed together. He settled on twelve, and designated them apostles. The plan was that they would be with him, and he would send them out to proclaim the Word

How will we know when we have achieved what we set out to do? What will it look like? What are the markers along the way?

These are just some of the questions we have been grappling with in this discernment phase of the Path of Renewal.

For some, Outcomes are an essential part of the journey.

Others are content to proceed with less discernible direction.

In an age of quick fixes and off the shelf solutions, that can feel like a risky place to be.

Scripture gives us countless examples of journeys undertaken with no idea of the destination or even direction in some instances: The journeys of the Patriarchs into unknown, sometimes hostile, territory.

When Jesus called fishermen to leave their nets or tax collectors to leave their businesses, he didn't offer route maps or travel guides. Rather, he warned of hardship and loss. Yet the disciples were compelled to follow. Gods Spirit called to their spirits, tugging them out of all that they knew, propelling them to embrace an uncertain future.

However risky, that place of uncertainty, where we wait on Gods Spirit prompting us on, is a sacred space, filled with possibility. We cannot dwell there but are invited to sit awhile and listen to the One who invites us on this journey of discovery into and out of the communities and the neighbourhoods that God inhabits today. And, even in those spaces where we cannot see any evidence of God, we are called, simply to be, to practice faithfulness in our frustration.

At present, we may not be able to nail down the outcomes, but we can pinpoint practices that will prepare us for the journey and help us in our discernment of God's path to renewal.