Back in the day when I was a youth pastor, I led youth groups each year on summer trip to Montreat or on a short term mission trips to places in the United States. One year we went to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We were there with the Pittsburgh Project helping repair the homes of vulnerable homeowners throughout the city. At the end of each day, we had some free time. One particular afternoon a group of the guys and I wandered over to the park located across the street from where we stayed to play some basketball. There were some young guys from the neighborhood already playing, so we joined in the action. At the time, we were experiencing a major heat wave with afternoon temperatures getting above 90 degrees!
So there I am, standing on the basketball court already sweating from the extreme heat and a long day of work, but nevertheless ready to play. As play began, I quickly realized that I was not as young and in shape as I thought I was; nor as fast, or as strong. I found myself four steps behind everybody struggling to keep up. All the running back and forth was exhausting. My chest was pounding, I couldn’t catch my breath. By the time the game was over, I had had enough. I was through. Completely kaput.
It was a reality check! I overestimated my ability to play basketball with younger guys who were stronger and faster than me. Once upon a time I could keep up and play well, once upon a time I WAS one of those guys, but those good old days were long gone. I wasn’t that young man anymore. But I was a new man; not old, just older. I had to adjust my attitude and expectations to fit my new reality.
I wish I could go back to those days when I could play ball for hours at a time and feel great afterwards. Those were good times, joyful times. I wish I could stay on the mountain top, but I can’t. Time marches on. I had to come back to the valley of reality.
As Jesus was ascending into the cloud in heaven, the disciples gazed upon him from below experiencing his final moments on earth. They had experienced Jesus throughout the past few weeks as the resurrected Jesus. Jesus came back to show his disciples and others the resurrection was real just as he had promised. But Jesus can’t stay on earth forever. This time together will end. The days when Jesus walked and talked with the disciples and taught them about the Kingdom of God are complete. Those days are in the past. It’s back to reality, a new reality without the resurrected Christ in their midst; a new reality rising like the morning sun on a new day.
Our passage this morning begins with Luke’s account of the ascension of Christ and concludes with the immediate response of the disciples. Through Christ’s resurrection he appears over and over again to his disciples. But that time is over. The ascension marks a fresh break with the past. So what now? What does the future hold? This is the motivation behind their question to Jesus, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” The restoration of the kingdom of Israel refers to the time to come when the Israelites would throw off the yoke of their oppressors and the throne of David would be restored as taught by the prophets of old. They want to know what’s next.
Jesus’ reply is clear, especially in regards to any political expectations the disciples may have. When Jesus speaks of the personal empowerment of the disciples he does so in a manner that does not satisfy their curiosity completely. The emphasis here is on the coming presence of the Spirit as the reality of the new age to come. The Spirit is the reality to come that will transform them into new creations. And when the Spirit comes and makes a home in the disciples, nothing will ever be the same again.
The Holy Spirit can do amazing stuff, if we stay out of its way and surrender ourselves to its leading; it will take us back to reality, to what is real and life-giving. Reality check: nobody is here in the sanctuary (or chapel) today by accident. I believe the Spirit has been at work in each one of our lives and has brought each one of us to this time and place for reasons both known and yet to be discovered. It’s no accident you are here today. The Spirit of God is active in your life and leads you to right where we’re supposed to be. We don’t understand it all. We don’t know exactly what will come next. It was the same for the disciples. They are not told exactly when this will happen and the effect is to hold them and we the reader in suspension, a suspension that will not be resolved until later. Stay tuned.
The disciples are not told everything, but they are not left completely in the dark. Jesus gives them an assignment: he instructs them to be witnesses. To be a witness was to be one who, because of experience and observation, was in a unique position to tell the truth in some very important matter or event. It was part of the Hebrew legal tradition as it is part of our legal system today. Certain obligations were placed on witnesses, as well as sanctions in the event they failed their obligations (Deut. 19:15-21). The disciples’ participation in the coming new age was to voice the truth of the most significant event in human history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. We will hear about it very soon when we hear Peter preach to the Pentecost assembly.
This is the final act of the earthly Jesus, the ultimate act that began long before the Annunciation to Elizabeth and then Mary. The disciples watch, lost in the moment, wondering about the significance of it all. “Two men in white robes” bring them back to reality, jarring them out of their gaze and wonderment promising that the Jesus who has left them in such an amazing way will return in a similar fashion.
The second part of the text describes what the disciples did after the awesome sight they just witnessed. They come back down from that mountain top experience to the valley of reality where they retreat and reflect on everything that has taken place. The disciples return to Jerusalem and enter into a season of prayer with other followers of Jesus, including his family. What I see happening here is a time of personal renewal before the wonderfully shocking events that will rock their world in the miracle of Pentecost. They haven’t begun to witness as Christ commanded, but they are keeping their faith in Christ and with one another “constantly devoting themselves to prayer” (1:14).
As we remember today God’s awesome wonders in Jesus, specifically his resurrection and ascension, we as the people of God are to keep our eye on the future, for just ahead of us we are confronted with the same challenge of bearing the truth of what God has done in the world. We are instructed to be witnesses of the resurrection of Christ. We are witnesses to the continued presence of God through the Holy Spirit in our lives and in the life of our community. We stand here on the corner of Main and Lawrence in Kilgore, Texas to witness to the resurrection of Christ and bear witness to the transforming power of this event on our own lives and life of our community. We are an outpost of the kingdom of God on earth. This is what we are called to do and who we are called to be.
We witness to a world that responds to this good news sometimes with joy, other times anger, but rarely responds in indifference. Where will the church find the strength to fulfill its calling?
The reality we face today is a new beginning taking shape on the horizon, one that is not far off. A new beginning that will call for the best of our strengths and skills; that will require the courage of our convictions; and the hope and faith of those who gifted us with this amazing worship space on whose shoulders we stand today. We will receive power when the Spirit comes upon us. But for now, let us pause, in prayer, share this meal together and gather our strength for the awesome days soon to come.
“Breathe on us, breath of God. Fill us with life anew, that I may love what thou dost love, and do what thou wouldst do.”[1] God rests, but God is never out of breath. Amen.
[1] Breathe on Me, Breath of God. Written by
Edwin Hatch, 1886, arrangement by Robert Jackson, 1894. The Presbyterian Hymnal (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press,
1990) hymn #316.
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