Ascension, translated to Sunday, May 17, 2015

Collect for the Day

Almighty God, whose blessed Son our Savior Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abides with his Church on earth, even to the end of the ages; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Reflections: In the Mystery of the Ascension, Jesus—paradoxically—both leaves us and abides with us. In his life in Palestine, Jesus lived as a creature of history; he was bound by the same limitations as we. He was “God with us” then, incarnate as one human among humans. But he is much more radically “with us” now, no longer enclosed by an envelope of skin limited by time/space. We know this not through reasoning, but through the witness of those who were with him then. In this collect we pray for the perception of faith that allows us to see the deeper reality lying beneath the conventional facts of our world.

First Lesson: Acts 1:1-11

In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. "This," he said, "is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

 

Reflections: Because the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts in the Bible are separated by the Gospel of John, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that both Luke and Acts are the work of the same evangelist. Here, at the beginning of Acts, we read a dedication that reminds us of the dedication at the opening of Luke’s gospel. Luke is writing to Theophilus, who could well have been a particular person, but the name could just as well be each of us, for we love God: theo (God); phileo (Love).

          Both the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts recount eyewitness accounts of the ascension. They also speak of the struggle the disciples had in trying to bridge the worldview they had inherited and the understanding of reality Jesus had been teaching them. Growing up in the Church and nourished on the story of Jesus from a young age, most of us cannot begin to appreciate how difficult it must have been to take in what Jesus showed them.

          The very notion of messiah at the time had various meanings. Right here in this reading is an example of one of them. Before the ascension, the disciples asked Jesus’ timeline for the restoration of Israel. Their question shows one concept of messiah: a rebel leader who would lead an insurrection against Rome. What I notice here is that Jesus doesn’t challenge their notions, but redirects their attention. It’s not speculation that is important (particularly when they are not yet equipped to understand the momentous significance of Jesus and his teaching). What is important is who they are called to become.

          The closing paragraph puzzles me. I’m not sure what it’s implying. Two things get my interest, though. First, the angels comment on the disciples’ behavior as though they have missed something. Perhaps this wasn’t true of the disciples, but it is certainly true of us that we can get so caught up in the mechanical details of some amazing event (“How the heck did that happen?”) that we completely miss the real question (“What does that mean?”).

          The second statement of the angels seems to contradict the first. If Jesus is going to return in the same way as he departed, why not just stand and stare? Maybe he’ll be back any minute. Then again, perhaps the angels meant that Jesus would return—not from the sky, but— “suddenly,” or “mysteriously,” or “unexpectedly,” or “without warning.” That would certainly be in line with Jesus teachings about the return of the master, the arrival of the bridegroom, or the coming of the thief in the night. It might also suggest that it’s a good idea to stop staring and get on with what he told you to do.

Psalm 47 Omnes gentes, plaudite

Clap your hands, all you peoples; * shout to God with a cry of joy.

For the LORD Most High is to be feared; * he is the great King over all the earth.

He subdues the peoples under us, * and the nations under our feet.

He chooses our inheritance for us, * the pride of Jacob whom he loves.

God has gone up with a shout, * the LORD with the sound of the ram's-horn.

Sing praises to God, sing praises; * sing praises to our King, sing praises.

For God is King of all the earth; * sing praises with all your skill.

God reigns over the nations; * God sits upon his holy throne.

The nobles of the peoples have gathered together * with the people of the God of Abraham.

The rulers of the earth belong to God, * and he is highly exalted.

Epistle: Ephesians 1:15-23

I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.

God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Reflections: Here is one of my favorite Pauline passages. It starts with a prayer that we may mature in such a way that we may take in deeply the message of Christ. The Ascension is not just another event at the end of a long list of events in the life of Christ, one more item to memorize and check off.

It is a mystery we are designed to enter, a mystery that changes not only the world, but us. And this transformation takes time. As Zen Buddhists might say, we cannot grasp it with “ordinary mind.” I once saw a Zen T-shirt with a similar message: “Don’t just do something! Sit there.”

          May the prayer in the first paragraph of the passage here be our prayer for ourselves and for each other.

Gospel: Luke 24:44-53

Jesus said to his disciples, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. See, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.

Reflections: Here is the same event told again by Luke the Evangelist, with subtle differences. Here his emphasis is on the final teachings and Jesus’ exhortation to stay put until they were ready. In the interim, Jesus laid the groundwork by opening their minds to understand the scriptures, helping them bridge their sacred tradition and their experience.

          So the birth of the church was not some instantaneous event. Some gestation time appears to have been necessary. Luke records 40 days of appearances and teaching before the Ascension. And even then the disciples are sent back wait for the Descent of the Spirit.

          It takes time to learn and to grow: time to experience, reflect on that experience, distill wisdom from it, and absorb that wisdom. The tracks we leave behind us as we journey through this process are not a straight line from where we started to where we end up. They twist and turn and double back. We can’t just check Google.

Christ says, “I am the way.” He is the road, and he is also the map, which we must read with the eyes of the heart. And that takes time (our whole lives?). What better thing to spend your life doing.