Sandy Strauss
Filed under: Sermons and Devotionals
This was a sermon preached at Faith UCC in New Cumberland, PA on June 1, 2014.
Several years ago, I decided to step out of my comfort zone to take on the task of painting the stenciled versions of several biblical scenes that had been transferred onto the hallway walls in the education floor at Pine Street Presbyterian Church downtown. I am DEFINITELY not an artist, but I figured that I’d always been able to color within the lines in coloring books as a kid. How hard could it be?
One of the scenes I chose was of Jesus ascending into heaven. He was standing with arms outstretched as the disciples watched. I’m not sure if it was my lack of artistry or just the simplicity of the drawing, but the finished product looked more like Jesus either levitating above the disciples, or perhaps attempting to fly away. One of the pastors dubbed it the “flying Jesus” scene.
What it didn’t have was the drama of what the disciples must have witnessed as Jesus bid them his farewell—at least from his earthly physical presence. Many artists have depicted this scene much better, and it’s certainly a scene worthy of Cecil B. deMille, or perhaps the greatest special effects of a Steven Spielberg Star Wars epic. The role of Jesus would merit the best efforts of a gifted actor—though I really can’t think of any of our modern actors who could pull it off. This role would require a talent for making an impressive exit.
Certainly Jesus knew how to make a dramatic entrance. It began with his entrance into public ministry with God’s proclamation, “This is my son, with whom I am well pleased.” It was followed by his overturning the money changers’ tables in the temple, his appearance to Mary in the tomb, and then to frightened apostles in a locked room. Yes, Jesus definitely had a flare for the dramatic.
Unfortunately, the disciples were more often than not a little dense. Despite witnessing these kinds of events, seeing miracles performed, and following Jesus in his ministry over several years, this ragtag band of followers simply didn’t seem quite capable of taking it all in. Now Jesus was leaving them—again. So much had happened—what would they do without Jesus to guide them?
Like any good parent, Jesus knew what he had to do. He had to do his best to assure them that they were ready to leave the nest, ready to be his witnesses, proclaiming the good news of repentance and forgiveness from sins, as he had instructed them. And then, because Jesus knew he was dealing with a fearful lot, he bolstered them with the promise that he would give them the gift of the Holy Spirit to strengthen and embolden them in their work.
Finally, in true dramatic fashion, Jesus blessed them and was lifted up and away from his friends, disappearing into a cloud. Luke tells us he was carried into heaven. If this was a movie, it would almost certainly be the climax, and that would be that. How could a director or actor top that scene?
But we know better. At first, the disciples just stood looking up into an empty sky, mouths hanging open, as I could imagine myself doing—probably thinking “What the heck just happened?” Would they even remember what Jesus said in the wake of this miraculous event? Jesus had told them to stay in Jerusalem to wait till they had been “clothed with power from on high”—that is, until they were baptized by the Holy Spirit. Would they have done as Jesus asked if they hadn’t encountered the two men in white robes asking why they were just standing there, or would they have missed Jesus’ instructions completely?
Of course, things HAD changed after the Resurrection. Prior to Jesus’ death, the disciples had given up a lot to follow him—they’d left their livelihoods as fishermen, tax collectors, and the like. Jesus obviously had the kind of charisma that led them to walk away willingly from family, friends, and work. As they joined Jesus in his ministry, they came to believe that he was the long-awaited Messiah, come to save them from their suffering under the Roman Empire. What they couldn’t seem to accept was Jesus’ telling them he must die—death just didn’t fit the scenario of a messiah.
But die he did—in the most ignoble of fashions, on the cross. We read, particularly in Luke, just how afraid the disciples were after Jesus’ death—they were, in fact, hiding when Jesus came to see them in a locked room. With the Resurrection, however, Jesus had defeated death. And while his followers remained fearful and did not wish for him to leave again, they knew that he had, indeed, come back to them as he had promised. Certainly, if he rose from the grave, he must be the Messiah, and if he came back once, he could certainly do it again. I think this had to bring some comfort to the disciples.
It would be easy for the drama of the event—Jesus’ incredible ascent, disappearing in the clouds as he returned to his father in heaven—to overshadow the message that I think Luke was trying to share with us.
At the heart of these texts is the clear command from Jesus to his followers to WAIT. Go to Jerusalem. Wait to be baptized by the power of the Holy Spirit to strengthen them for the task ahead.
It would have been much more characteristic of the apostles to run off, willy-nilly, without a plan, without really knowing exactly what to do or how to do it. How many times did we witness such impulsive behavior, particularly by Peter, in the gospels? But their hearts burned for Christ, and they were eager to share the good news of repentance and forgiveness, making as many new disciples as they could in as short a period of time as possible. Passion is good, but…
Laurence Peter once said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.” Most of us know Peter as the father of the Peter Principle—everyone rises to his or her highest level of incompetence. Throughout Jesus’ public ministry, the disciples more often than not didn’t quite understand where they were going, and often ended up somewhere else. I believe Jesus wanted to do everything he could to make sure this didn’t happen after he was gone. There was much work to be done, and his disciples were essential to its completion.
His charge to the disciples—to wait for the Holy Spirit to give them the power they would need to make disciples in all corners of the world—is really the charge to the church—then and now.
How often have we witnessed churches, congregations, losing their way, forgetting the church’s true mission? How often have we seen people, hearts burning for Christ like the disciples, running without a clear path forward, losing their way, then losing heart because they didn’t succeed in accomplishing anything?
It seems that today, more than ever, we need to be reminded of Jesus’ call to WAIT. There are so many distractions—hundreds of channels on the TV, talking heads, newspapers, Facebook, Candy Crush and Farmville, Twitter, cat videos, and the demands of home and work. Setting priorities can be hard when the demands of what seems to be urgent trump the call to think and act on what is truly important in our lives.
I certainly understand—I know I feel driven to be able to mark accomplishments, to check things off an endless TO DO list. It’s tempting, and certainly easier, to do the things that can be ticked off quickly, and ignore those things that we know will take time.
But Jesus called his disciples to go to Jerusalem and WAIT for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and empower them. This was Christ’s call to his church, for this small band of his followers to go out and make disciples of many. However, it was more than just getting people to join the club. The disciples had an important message to deliver—in Christ, there is redemption and forgiveness. We are loved by God. We are to love God, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Work on many, perhaps most, of these truly important things in our lives, takes time, including time to discern the best path to take in accomplishing them.
Churches encounter many of the same things we encounter in our individual lives. Contributions are down. The roof is leaking. Older members are dying and there aren’t younger members to replace them. When will the other shoe drop? And how can it all be fixed quickly?
In short, none of these things can be fixed quickly, and acting urgently and impulsively to implement quick fixes usually doesn’t work. These are the times when God calls us to WAIT, to be patient, to seek the Holy Spirit, and to discern where God is calling us as the church.
Diana Butler Bass, in her book “Christianity for the Rest of Us,” asserts that congregations that are vibrant and growing are those that are actively engaging in the kind of work Jesus called his disciples to do in their communities. She features congregations that are practicing Jesus’ call to wait, seeking the help of the Holy Spirit to guide their path forward.
One church featured is the Church of the Redeemer UCC in New Haven, CT. This congregation has revived the old Puritan practice of requiring members to give public testimonies of faith. As a result, attendance has grown from 40 to 240. In fact, as Bass said, “They have a rule now—no Godless announcements. Any time you get up in front of the congregation, even if it’s to talk about the Sunday School, you have to be able to link it to some element of the biblical story.”
Another church featured is a Pennsylvania church, Calvin Presbyterian Church in Zelienople. When the session that governs the church meets, elders do not vote “yea” or “nay,” but instead pray over each issue to discern whether or not it is God’s will for the congregation. Bass noted that while the average Presbyterian church membership has fallen below 150, Calvin’s membership has doubled to around 400 in recent years. As the pastor said, “We are really trying to be a church that knows tradition and at the same time moves into the future.”
In our busy, busy lives, perhaps we should be heeding Jesus’ message at the time of his ascension more than ever. Perhaps a bit of quiet waiting and prayer, individually and communally, seeking the Holy Spirit, would lead us to a renewed sense of enthusiasm and direction in our lives and in our congregations. Perhaps, just remembering that in the drama of Jesus’ return to heaven in the ascension, he promised he would always be with us through the Holy Spirit. Doesn’t that promise merit some of our time so we can hear what the Spirit has to say to us today?
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