Reflect in the Upper Room—then go into the world

We often forget we’re not meant to stay in the upper room.

By Judith Myers
Pastor
Emmanuel Baptist Fellowship
Lexington, SC

When I think about advocacy, I think about the story in the Gospel of John where Jesus has just appeared to Mary in the resurrection and his disciples lock themselves in the upper room. This upper room is their safe place, their hide-out. It’s also the place that God finds them, breathes life into them, and challenges them out of the room and into the world to live, love and serve.

These upper rooms are important to recognize. They are places (whether physical or emotional) we go to hide or to rest. It can be a place to relax, reflect, pray, and receive God’s blessing, that holy spirit breath.

Jesus’ disciples were frozen by fear in that upper room, not knowing what would happen or how the world would change. AND YET. Jesus met them there, breathed life into them and sent them on their way.

We often forget we’re not meant to stay in the upper room. We stay because we’re scared of what the world holds, so we’d rather stay put in our comfortable space, where we’re nothing is required of us. But we cannot misinterpret what that upper room is for. We can’t let it always be our hideout. It’s merely a place for us to drink some water, take a nap, and then to get back out there.

We are being given opportunity after opportunity to leave the upper room. When we find ourselves locking ourselves in, Jesus is calling us out, breathing that holy spirit breath in us, blessing us to continue the good work of the Gospel. In our work of advocacy, may we remember the safety the upper room holds, the space for rest and reflection. And may we remember the God who calls us into the world to bring Good News.