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Acts 1: 15–23
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May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable
in your sight, O Lord our strength and our redeemer. Amen |
No one, I think, likes living in an in–between time, because
in’between times are all about uncertainties, about living with
questions no one can answer. So in between, say, the promise of a new
baby coming and the actual arrival of that baby the young father and
mother can’t help wondering what their lives will be like after
that baby finally comes. Or –– another example ––
between planning to move somewhere and finally arriving at the new place,
a family wonders if the old house will sell, if the new job will be
better than the old one, if the new neighbors will be friendly. Whatever
the situation, it’s the waiting, the uncertainty that’s
difficult to handle, as doubts and questions arise.
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You and I know that today, as we’ve been living in an
in–between time –– between the outbreak of this
covid–19 virus, with all the uncertainties, all the anxieties it
has produced . . . and the promise,
now, of vaccines coming that will finally disarm the virus. We knew,
we trusted that one day a vaccine would be developed, but we didn’t
know when it might come. And we wanted to know because it might help us
figure out what the new normal might look like. In the meantime,
though, the worries and uncertainties have been difficult to manage.
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So we can appreciate how difficult these days between Jesus’
resurrection –– and now, his ascension back to the Father
–– have been for his disciples. Talk about uncertainties!
One week he was with them, and crowds were welcoming them into
Jerusalem –– with palm branches and loud Hosannas!
Less than a week later, though, he’d been arrested, tried,
crucified – and they weren’t sure who might be the next
target of the crowd’s rage.
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But that wasn’t all they had to wrap their heads around. Just
three days after it all seemed to be over, one disciple after another
began to encounter him – Jesus, resurrected from the dead,
somehow alive. One met him in a garden. Two encountered him on the road
to Emmaus. And nearly all of them saw him when he walked through
locked doors into their shuttered house in Jerusalem. Each appearance
had astonished them and no one was sure what might come next.
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But – oh – they wanted to know. We always want to know.
It’s part of the human condition. It’s what we need to
calm our anxiety. So on the morning of the Ascension, Jesus begins
to give the disciples a parting gift, a significant parting gift.
As they walk together on the Mount of Olives toward Bethany, he begins
to open their minds, showing them how every word written about him in
the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms is now being fulfilled. He wants
them to trust that the God who has given his Word can be trusted.
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But you couldn’t say that they really understood what he was
saying. Not just yet. In fact, one of them, after hearing how the
ancient scriptures foretold Jesus’ coming asks, “Lord, is
this the time you will restore the Kingdom of Israel?”
You see, this disciple has put two and two together and gotten five.
He thinks since Messiah has come, the next step must be some political
triumph for Jesus, some act of military might that will defeat
Israel’s enemies and put Jesus in charge. That’s simply
the best outcome he can imagine.
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You see, this disciple is still seeing things the way the world sees
things. The political authorities had done their worst to him. But now,
the disciple thinks, Jesus is back. And as far as he can tell,
it’s payback time.
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In response, Jesus does what he always does when someone’s question
misses the mark. He doesn’t reject the man’s question and
correct his way of thinking –– so much as he answers a
question the disciple should have asked. “The restoration of
Israel is not for you to know,” Jesus tells him. “But
here‣s something you can know; soon you will receive the power
of the Holy Spirit, and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the
earth.”
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It might not have been the answer the disciples wanted,
but – oh – it was the answer they needed! Jesus was
promising them – not the power of men, which is to destroy –
but the power of God, which is to build up, to heal, to see things
as God sees them. This was the gift, about to be given.
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And suddenly, before they had time to question his words, Jesus was
raising his hands in blessing over them, and beginning to rise,
higher and higher, until a cloud carries him out of their sight.
The disciples, dumbfounded, continue to gaze into the heavens where
their Lord has just vanished. Until, that is, two angels appear and ask,
“Why are you gazing up at the heavens? Your work is here now,
on this earth.”
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And indeed, it was – the beginning of a new era. For now, finally,
Jesus had ascended to the Father, just as he’d been telling them
he would, for days now.
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But here’s the extraordinary part. This time they’re not sad
about it. Luke says they are joyful, and return to the Temple to
praise God, to worship, to revel in the sense of his Presence with them.
They can’t explain it, and they don’t even try. They simply
celebrate the gift that’s been given to them.
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And I can’t help thinking how similar this is to Jesus’
arrival on this earth – when Mary sings Magnificat and
Elizabeth believes her . . . when the angels
break out in joyful praise to God and the shepherds somehow believe
them . . . when the Wise Men arrive in
faith and go home rejoicing.
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None of them knew what might happen next. And just like us, they were
surrounded with all sorts of difficulty, all sorts of threat. But
they knew a gift had been given. And they trusted the Giver of that
gift. And somehow, for them, that was enough.
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Maybe that is our part today. Maybe that is our answer, our blessing.
The gift has been given. Our part now, is to trust the Giver.
And to rejoice.
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Amen
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