Today is the 43rd day of
Easter. This past Thursday, the 40th day of Easter, was
the Feast of the Ascension. And while that feast is
non-transferable, we still get readings and prayers referencing that
event.
The apostles have been meeting together
since the resurrection, originally trying to figure out what to do
with themselves since Jesus died, but then reveling in his various
appearances. For 40 days, according to Luke, the apostles spent time
with Jesus putting the finishing touches on what they had learned
over the past three years. But they still don't quite get it,
asking, “Is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to
Israel?”
“Um . . .” Jesus responded, “let
me think . . . No. It is not your job to worry about the restoration
of kingdoms. But it IS your job to be my witnesses in
Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” These
are the last earthly words, according to Luke, spoken by Jesus; after
which he ascended into heaven.
So here we are – the disciples have
just gotten used to Jesus once again being with them when he tells
them that they are to be witnesses to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth; and then . . . poof . . . up he goes.
The disciples can do nothing but gaze up to the sky watching him
disappear.
I don't fault them for this. Which of
us would do otherwise? But there they stood, heads back, gazing and
gawking up toward heaven. I wonder how long they would have stayed
there like that if the angels hadn't appeared.
Luke doesn't call them angels, but they
are – two men, white robes, suddenly appearing. He used roughly
this same description at the tomb of Jesus when two angels appeared
to the women. Anyway, these two angels come upon the apostles
staring up to heaven and say, “Dudes, how long are you going to
stand here like this?” This spurs them back to Jerusalem where
they, and some others, devote themselves to prayer.
But that's not where this ends. If it
did, the Bible would be a whole lot shorter than it is. No, this
isn't where it ends, this is where it begins.
“And you will be my witnesses in
Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
There's that word again – witness.
Jesus is telling the apostles that they will be the ones to tell the
story. They will be the ones to live out kingdom goals. They will
be the ones to help break down walls. They will be the ones to
strive for peace. They will be the ones to proclaim what Paul would
eventually write – that there is no more Jew or Gentile, slave or
free, male or female, for all are one in Christ. They will be the
ones to help usher in the kingdom of God.
And now this task has fallen to us. We
have received power by virtue of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in
our lives. We are the inheritors of this mission to be witnesses for
Christ in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Are you ready?
I hope so, because this is what the
entire Easter season has been leading up to. Jesus wasn't
resurrected from the dead just so he could perform a few extra
miracles and throw some fish on the barbie. He was resurrected to
give Mary the courage to be an apostle. He was resurrected to
demonstrate to Thomas you don't need to touch his body to feel his
presence. He was resurrected to move Peter from trinitarian denial
to trinitarian love. He was resurrected to move us from passive
witnesses of his life to being active witnesses of his life, death,
and resurrection.
Today we are in the same place the
apostles were on that Day of Ascension. It would be easy for us to
simply stand around gazing in awe and wonder up to heaven. If you
don't believe me, look at the high altar. I have been told by many
people that they could just sit in a pew and gaze in awe and wonder
at that piece of art – some to meditate and pray, some to soak in
the details, some to admire its beauty. I've said the same thing
myself. But, like the apostles before us, that is not what we are
called to do. We are called to be witnesses for Christ.
That, you might protest, is a big job.
It's so big that you may get overwhelmed by its bigness, paralyzed by
the thought that there's no way we can reach to the ends of the
earth. Luckily for us Jesus provides us with a blueprint for action.
The first thing we need to know is that
we aren't being sent out without support. We will receive power when
the Holy Spirit comes upon us. We received that power at our
baptism. We will be reminded of that power next week on the Day of
Pentecost.
From there we are to be witnesses for
Christ, proclaiming the good news in Hagerstown, Maryland and the
Tri-State region, and to the ends of the earth.
Notice the order. Witness here first.
Stay local. Stay focused. When you have figured out how to be a
witness within your own community, then you can branch out into a
larger area. The witness you provide will be passed from one person
to another, connecting and spreading in a multitude of ways. Things
we do here as witnesses can have an impact there.
We have moved to a post-resurrection,
post-ascension world. Jesus has left us in charge of his mission.
We are the ones to proclaim the kingdom of God is at hand. We are
Christ's witnesses here, there, and everywhere. We are not called to
stand in one place gazing into heaven; we are called to act.
As we move forward from here, how will
you live out that commission?
Amen.
2 comments:
I've often pictures the angels in Heaven, looking down at those gawping disciples and asking the Lord, "You're gonna give this thing to THEM? Don't You have a Plan B?"
I think this WAS Plan B. If you remember, Plan A didn't work out all that well either.
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