There comes a point in life when it is time to pack up and move on. The places we’ve lived and the people we’ve interacted with have changed our lives, usually for the better and sometimes not so much, but it’s time to move on to the adventure that awaits us next. We have those moments throughout all of life, when we will leave the comfort of what we have known for the next great adventure. Whether that is moving away to college, relocating for a job, or even moving into a building that better fits our needs at that stage of life we’re in. If you’re starting to panic, I promise this is not a resignation sermon! But the theme of moving on resonated with me as Emily and I just signed a new lease in town, four years after an unexpected internship assignment brought me to Seattle in the first place. And our Scripture readings are focused on what comes next for the Risen Christ and his disciples, as we celebrate Ascension Sunday. Both moving and figuring out what to do next are full of excitement, fear, and overwhelming sense of change.
Ascension is an important day that we celebrate in church, 40 days after Easter, because we have to continue with our theme of 40 days! But it’s also important because it prepares a new way for God to be in the world. It’s both an opening of the world to prepare for the Holy Spirit and the ways that God will still be at work, but it’s also a reality check for the disciples who haven’t yet seemed to catch on to their role in the work of the kindom. Until then, it just seemed so much easier to ask Jesus questions or have him show them what he is talking about time and time again. They naively think Jesus is going to be around to lead and instruct them for the rest of the time. After all, they even got an extra 40 days of teaching after his death and resurrection.
In today’s readings, Jesus ascends into heaven as the disciples watch, but our Acts reading especially focuses on what comes next for the disciples. They are given the promise of the Holy Spirit and told to wait in Jerusalem until they receive it, but then, despite their focus on Israel, they are told that the Spirit is going to send them out. They too will not be able to stay in this place that has made them and shaped them, as they must continue to share Jesus’ mission with the world. They are given these last instructions by Jesus without much else to go on.
This is yet another story in which Jesus is reminding the disciples that the work of the kindom is so much broader than they ever could have imagined. The disciples are focused on the fate of Israel, as they still think that Jesus is still going to overthrow the Roman Empire and establish local ruling for the Israelite people. It’s clear that they still think that this is what Jesus is supposed to do because when he is giving them his goodbye speech, they ask him if it’s time to restore the dominion of Israel (Acts 1: 6). Jesus yet again reminds them that this wasn’t his ultimate purpose and that it isn’t for them to know God’s plans in this way. It’s good news for us as we think about the kindom of God expanding beyond just Israel and being more inclusive of the people who would have been considered enemies by the Israelites, but I can only imagine the level of disappointment that it brings to the disciples. First Jesus tells them he has to leave, but he’s not even doing what they wanted him to first, and they also have to leave their places of comfort to keep spreading this message that they still don’t seem to fully understand. That is a lot of change they have to learn to accept in almost every aspect of their life.
Now, I also think Acts has some of my favorite unintentionally comedic lines in Scripture, including today when the two messengers from God appear and say “You Galileans—why are you standing here looking up to the skies? (Acts 1: 11a). The disciples just had their entire perspective changed by Jesus and watched him ascend into the clouds… I think it’s only natural that they might spend a few minutes staring up at the sky! I imagine that the thoughts in their heads might be along the lines of “what the heck did we get ourselves into???” Even our Gospel reading today emphasizes that Jesus was opening their minds to understand Scripture and his purpose. Given that Acts is a continuation of the Gospel of Luke, I think it’s safe to say that the disciples still didn’t quite fully understand.
Now, as easy as it is to judge the disciples for still not getting it after all this time, I can’t really sit here in judgement of them. They had this thing that they were really hoping for, after all they were a people that had been oppressed by empire after empire for their entire history. They wanted to finally have some freedom, some change to their society. And, I can only imagine how disappointing it was to them that Jesus didn’t do any of those things the way that they expected and his responses were honestly less than pastoral about how it’s not up to them to know God’s plans. But, I also have hope in what Jesus was actually doing, in that he wasn’t just setting up the people to become their own oppressive power or to create conflict with the surrounding neighbors. After all, just because Israel got the right to have dominion didn’t mean it was actually going to fix all of their problems. Instead, it would just create new ones. But, for the disciples, they wouldn’t have seen it that way, that there is more work to be done to change society besides flipping who is in control. The very understanding of dominion had to be changed.
And, I also feel for the disciples when it comes to being so scared and overwhelmed to take that next step, even when it can be for incredibly exciting reasons. The disciples still haven’t had time to process what all of this will mean for them, and that will take some time to adjust. In fact, I’d be a little worried if they seemed ready and eager to head out on the road later that day. They are being asked to leave their comfort zones, their safety, their loved ones behind in order to proclaim the Good News of Jesus.
So, while Ascension Sunday is about Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, it’s also about so much more, as the disciples lives drastically change and the world prepares for a new way for God to be in the world at Pentecost. While leaving our comfort zones might not be as dangerous or dramatic for us today as it was for the disciples, I’m wondering what comfort zones Jesus is asking us to leave behind as we continue to work for the kindom of God to be here on earth. What preconceived notions do we need to set aside to help us more clearly see the vision of God instead of just what we want to happen? However that may look for us, may God grant us the courage and strength to begin the metaphorical packing as we take the next step of the journey together.
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Sunday May 5th, 2024 Worship