“New Normal” (Sixth Sunday of Easter)

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Suddenly, we’re all living in a “new normal.”  I know that a lot of people have been talking about what the “new normal” will look like when we get beyond this pandemic.  And that “normal” will also be new.

But we’ve got a “new normal” right now that we’ve all been adjusting to.  And most of what’s new about this new normal is frankly annoying!  The “new normal” we’ve got right now is a “normal” where we all need to stay six feet apart from each other and wear masks; where we need to stand in lines just to be admitted to the grocery store; and where we continue to only be able to worship and meet with our friends online.

And part of what makes this “new normal” so hard is that, like many other “new normals” we’ve faced before, it seems to have suddenly come upon us without warning.  Like other “new normals” it’s not really clear what parts will become permanent.  And because so much of the “new normal” is difficult, and frankly just a pain, it’s often hard to see any good coming from it.

So today, I thought I’d unpack the first reading a little bit, and point out that Paul, in this reading, has also suddenly been thrust into a “new normal” in his life and ministry.  Prior to today’s reading, Paul had arrived in Greece for the first time.  He had seen a vision, and decided that Jesus wanted him to go and preach to people in Greece.

And so Paul and his companions arrived in Greece, but they largely did what they had been doing before – they went to communities of Jews and Paul taught in the synagogues.  Sometimes, it went well.  And sometimes it didn’t.  But that was just like it had always been.

However, on his last stop, Paul had gotten himself involved in such an uproar that he was forced to flee quite a bit south to Athens (which is notable as one of the few places Paul visits that you’ve actually heard of!)  And Paul was left in Athens alone as he waited for his companions to catch up with him.

Suddenly, Paul found himself in the midst of a “new normal”.  Here, in Athens (which was NOT a familiar place to Paul), Paul found himself in a situation where he had to:

• Go it alone for a while; none of his companions were there to help or even give him moral support …

• Talk about Jesus outside of a synagogue – the Aeorpagus was a place of public gathering and debate, but not necessarily religious debate …

• Share his faith without anyone knowing the context of Judaism – in the synagogue, everybody shared a common Bible and understanding of God; what Paul was doing here probably just felt like “winging it”…

Honestly, if I were Paul, I would have been tempted to lay low, wait for support, and find a situation that felt more comfortable and familiar.  But Paul is kinda weird.  And apparently, even in this “new normal”, Paul:

• Saw opportunity – he must have figured that if Jesus wanted him in Greece, maybe Jesus was giving him a new opportunity to reach Gentiles who didn’t know anything about the God of Israel …

• Felt that God was with him, empowering him to act even if he didn’t have his usual companions there to help him …

• Was literally willing to go outside his “comfort zone” and not let the difficulty of the moment cause him to duck and cover and wait for this all to be over…

And it seems from the story of Acts that this time in Athens – this “new normal” – was a transition point for Paul.  This was really the moment when Paul began to reach out to Gentiles as a major emphasis of his ministry. Paul began to consider ways to reach people who hadn’t heard of the God of Israel.  And Paul began to be maybe a bit more bold in going places he hadn’t been before.

It’s not clear that it was ever part of God’s plan for Paul to have to flee to Athens and suddenly find himself in a “new normal” situation.  But it is clear that God used that moment in Paul’s life to make Jesus known in new ways to both Paul and to other people.

And so even though I’m annoyed at much of the “new normal” that we’re living through right now, it also occurs to me that God can use this “new normal” in my life and in yours when we’re willing, like Paul to:

• Be open to new opportunities that may have been forced upon us by this “new normal” – as we’re seeing right now in being able to reach people online that we weren’t able to reach before; and maybe like you, I’ve connected with people I haven’t seen in years because we all have the time and incentive to get together on Zoom or Google Hangouts…

• Feel Jesus’ presence in ways that maybe we didn’t when we were so distracted with everything else going on in our lives – sometimes, we don’t stop and listen for God until we’re forced to…

• Try new things (whether a new hobby or learning to do things we were never willing to try, even if, for instance, we had the technology before…); And it may be that good comes of this when we get our of our comfort zone and try, instead of just ducking and covering and waiting for a new time to come …

Eventually, Paul’s “new normal” in Athens changed into a different kind of “normal.”  Some things returned as before – Paul’s companions eventually rejoined him, and he did still talk to other Jews in the synagogues.  But the next “new normal” was different, as he lived and moved in different ways because of the experience he had in Athens.

And for as crazy and often difficult as our “new normal” is, I’m sure it will change.  And it will develop into several “new normals” over the coming months.  And eventually, I’m certain that we’ll get to the point where we will actually gather in large groups again, and shake hands with one another, and see each other’s faces without facemasks.

But as we live through this “new normal”, and the “new normals” that follow, Paul’s example in Athens is a good one for us.  For like Paul, no matter how suddenly we get thrust into the next “new normal”, and no matter how much of a pain it is to adapt, God will always use the next “new normal”. 

God will use this “new normal” and the next to show us new opportunities to connect with new people and to connect in different ways. God will use this “new normal” and the next to help us feel his presence and help in our lives.  And God will use this “new normal” and the next, to show us ways to grow and adapt so that we have new tools and new skills to live faithfully into the future.

Amen.