THE ASCENT TO ACTION
May 28th
Tera Dyck, Summer Student Minister
Texts:
Psalm 1
John 17:6-10
Acts 1:1-11; 15-17; 21-26
Luke 24
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, Yahweh, our rock, and our redeemer.
Second goodbyes are always very awkward for me. I just don’t like them. The last few days at Canadian Mennonite University in the Katherine Friesen Apartments, more fondly referred to as “the block”, was a place of ongoing tension for me. When I saw one of my beloved friends, I would look at them and think in my head “when are you leaving again? Will I see you before September? Should I say goodbye to you yet?” Usually, I timed my goodbyes JUST right so as to avoid saying goodbye twice. However, sometimes my calculations were WAY off—and thus, I was thrust into the awkward and VERY anti-climactic multiple goodbye situation. First goodbyes are so meaningful, and so heartfelt and emotional! “OH! I’ll miss you all summer, and things just won’t be the same without you, and I just don’t know what I’ll do without you”, I’d say with tears streaming down my cheeks. Good goodbyes are emotional and tear filled—and seeing the person after you both have bawled your eyes out in front of one another is jarring, because you’re both not crying anymore. There is an element of “getting over each other” that makes you into a liar. The second goodbye then is a quick hug, saying, “Have a great summer!”—Very anticlimactic.
I must admit, I did furrow my brow a bit when I found out I was speaking my first sermon on the Sunday closest to the Ascension. It’s quite a strange little story, documented in very different ways! As I just said, I don’t like second goodbyes. However, I’d like to suggest a different focus to the Ascension, which is not simply the second goodbye of Jesus.
Both Ascension narratives, one found at the end of Luke and one found at the beginning of Acts, tell the same story in very different ways. Luke 24 verses 36-53 tell of how Jesus appears to his disciples, reassuring them he is not a ghost, summarizes the passion events, and predicts the Pentecost. Verses 50-53 read “then he lead 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 into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple blessing God.”
The Acts narrative, read this morning, is FAR less sentimental, and far more restrained. As in the Luke text, Jesus tells them of the Pentecost, and then calls them to act as the Holy Spirit instructs them. He then ascends. Here is where the two are different: THEN, in Acts, two men in white robes come and ask them in verse 11: “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 way you saw him go to heaven.” This wonderful call to action, given by mysterious white-robed men, is SO powerful. Do NOT just stand around—these last words seem to imply.
Though different, both accounts of the Ascension highlight one very important detail. The disciples CARRIED ON WITH THE WILL OF GOD even though Jesus was not with them anymore. This fact is arguably the most important element of the Ascension narratives! Yes, it is quite true that Jesus DID leave, but each narrative does not END there. They keep on going to let the reader know that life after the physically present Christ is still very God lead.
In the Luke account, they continually praised God, which could cover all manner of activities—they praised God through worship, through song, through serving others, the list goes on.
The Acts account is more specific. The disciples proposed two men who could fill Judas’ place. They trusted their own human judgment, molded by God through Jesus, to do the initial choice. They then turned to God to choose the specific person by casting lots. The lot fell to Matthias, and so he filled the gap left by Judas.
Though this event seems commonplace, and not very special, it alerts us to the fact that they have carried on in Jesus’ absence. Indeed, the disciples have not remained standing, and gazing up at the clouds, helplessly pining for the return of Jesus. They have taken Jesus call to action seriously—and through God, they can make life after the Ascension just as God-led as when Jesus was on the earth.
This story leaves many nagging questions in my head, one of which is—why is there this need to fill the gap? One answer could be that 12 is one of those numbers you can find throughout the bible. It is a number signifying wholeness—and so 11 disciples just wouldn’t do, from that perspective. However, I have a hunch it’s more multi-faceted than that. While I love numbers, being a Math major and all, the numbers are just not cutting it this time.
What strikes me most about the Ascension story is Jesus’ trust in both God, which is obvious, but ALSO in humans.
The other scripture readings for today really amplify this dual trust. I John chapter 5 verses 9 and 10 state “If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his son. Those who believe in th
e Son of God have the testimony in their hearts.” God’s testimony, God’s word, God’s will are above all human testimony, word or will, and these are shared by God’s Son, Jesus.
Similarly, in the John 17 passage, in which Jesus is praying to God for his disciples here on earth, Jesus’ trust in God is undeniable. John 17 verse 6 opens with Jesus’ words: “I have made your name known to those who you gave me from the world” Name here means far more than something which someone is called; this verse draws upon the Old Testament usage of the word. To know someone’s name is to know the nature or character of a person. The second part of this verse acknowledges God’s sovereignty over the world. God GAVE Jesus people to teach. And so, these humans KNOW what God is like, because they know the name of God.
However, this prayer is filled with testimonies to Jesus’ trust in humans. John 17 verses 18 and 19, “As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent THEM into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth”. Here, Jesus’ testimony, Jesus’ word, Jesus’ will, which are God’s as well, have been passed on to Jesus’ human followers.
VERY interesting! Jesus, no doubt, has a deep trust in God. But, the John chapter 17 passage also emphasizes Jesus’ deep trust in people, because Jesus has taught them the name, or the character of God. The very fact that Jesus is praying for his followers shows this interconnected trust. Because of his trust in God, Jesus knows good will be done through people.
And so, armed with this dual trust, understanding both the HUMAN and GODLY roles regarding ACTION, Jesus performs the ultimate act of trust, and LEAVES.
This reminds me SO much of when I left home to go to Winnipeg, and left behind my most constant source of guidance, my parents. It was a very difficult time, as I would be DRIVING to a very, very cold place, 2,500 kilometers away from home. What I appreciated of my parents SO much was the fact that they completely trusted me. They knew what they had taught me about life, knew I could make decent decisions, knew God’s presence would be in my life—and felt confident in my ability to become an adult. Even though this parallel only works SO far, because I was the one that was leaving, I think it works. Just as Jesus’ followers heeded his call to action in his absence, I heeded the call of action to become an able adult in my parents’ absence. What a scary thought—I would not be with my parents—however, I know they had equipped me well. Not everything was going to be perfect, but it would be all right.
And so I have just given you a nice, fuzzy, but very true and sincere, parallel to Jesus from my own life. However, life just isn’t so warm and fuzzy sometimes. This “trusting in people” thing can become very difficult, because we must put our trust in imperfect people! Think of our own lives—people are the source of much pain, disillusionment and sorrow. Are we really called to put our faith and trust in those things? What does it mean to trust in untrustworthy people?
AND How could Jesus even think of trusting us? Betrayal is so HEAVLY entrenched in the Passion story. Jesus, though he trusted humans, was betrayed by one of his own followers! One of the people he loved the most played a significant role in his death! Even from the reading this morning, it’s clear that the disciples still don’t fully understand the mission of Jesus. In the Acts narrative, right before Jesus leaves, they ask him “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”—They just DO NOT get it! They are STILL looking for a militaristic, war messiah, despite all Jesus taught them about peace. If I were Jesus, after that statement I would have had some second thoughts about my upcoming ascension.
What was Jesus’ reaction to this troubling question? First, he rebuked them, saying “It is not for YOU to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.” However, he turns this rebuke into a very powerful call to action: “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.” His response to their ignorance is a call to action. The disciples are not to sit around and think of the time when God will restore the kingdom of Israel—NO! They are to be witnesses of Jesus’ life and teachings to the ENDS OF THE EARTH. And then Jesus left, leaving it up to the newly enlightened, or repeatedly enlightened, disciples to take up his call to action.
The question still lingers—what is more vital? To trust in people, some of which are untrustworthy, or to not trust in people, some of which are trustworthy?
Oscar Romero was a person who put his trust in people during a time when it was very dangerous to do so. This Archbishop of El Salvador was a spokesperson for the enduring nature of the church and the rights of peasants during the countries’ Civil War, which began in the late 1960’s. Though not initially interested in standing by the peasants as they became more and more at risk of being killed, one night in a country church changed his mind. He saw the fear in a little country church in Paisnal, where the priest and a few other members were brutally murdered because of their sympathy for the rights of peasants. After that, willingly putting his life in danger, Romero gave weekly lectures to the people of El Salvador, calling them to ACTION. He said: “God needs the people themselves to save the world.” During one of his homilies given on March 24, 1980, Oscar Romero was killed.
Oscar Romero was an archbishop who believed in the power of God. However, he clearly trusted in the power of people, even though he knew there were those who wanted to kill him. Romero trusted his people so much, that it did not matter if he died, for he said, “If they kill me, I will be resurrected in the Salvadoran people.” His message will live on in their lives. For Romero, the act of trusting in people, stemming from his act of trusting in God, becomes far more important than the fear of potentially untrustworthy people.
So, how does the first psalm weave its way into the mix of scripture, given by the lectionary? It is an answer to the question posed earlier, “are we really called to put our faith in people that cause pain and suffering?” This Psalm deals with the two paths one’s life can travel—the path of Righteousness, and the path of wickedness. It is very clear in whom we can place our trust. First, it states its thesis about the righteous; the end of Verse 3 states “in all that they do, they prosper”. Then, as a contrast, it states its antithesis about the wicked; the end of verse 6 states: “the way of the wicked will perish.” Initially, I really did NOT want to talk of this psalm at all. It is too absolute—it implies there are ONLY wicked choices, and righteous choices, with no gray area in-between. However, thanks to Lydia Harder and the youth Sunday school class last Sunday, I began to see the merit in this Psalm. Let me propose a question—can a person be ONLY wicked? Or ONLY righteous? Of course not—during the course of our lifetime, we choose a MIXED path, because LIFE is messy! The Psalmist is merely proposing two extremes—the righteous choice, and the wicked choice—and it is our job to decipher between the two, and work toward the best decision possible.
Ephesians chapter 1 holds a key to this deciphering. This letter of Paul states in verses 17 and 18: “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.” Much is packed into this couple of verses. It is important to know that the Greek word used here for wisdom is Sophia, which refers to BOTH divine wisdom, and human wisdom. Just because God is the SOURCE of wisdom and revelation, it does not minimize the human role within this. God and people act as partners in this exercise of wisdom. Only then can the eyes of your heart be enlightened—a WONDERFUL and intriguing image which implies a very holistic understanding—your senses, your emotions and mind are all involved.
So, God, the source of wisdom, enables us humans to decipher what is “wicked” and what is “righteous”. However, this still feels too absolute—too rigid.
The second half of the Psalm contains an image of chaff being separated from grain. The chaff, having no weight, blows away in the wind, leaving the useful grain behind. In the same way, instead of allowing our distrust from negative past experience weigh us down, we should allow it to be like the chaff, and blow away in the wind. The Judas situation did not cause the disciples to loose faith in people, thus leaving Judas’ space vacant—they, with God, filled that space with Matthias. Even when faced with death, Oscar Romero did not forget his cause. Wisdom, both given to us by God and exercised by people, helps us to decide which risks in trusting people are worth pursuing, and which need more consideration. God will work through AND despite the treacherous medium of the human race.
We are to carry out Jesus call to action to serve others, and to spread God’s will throughout the world, despite our own human limitations, and the limitations of others. Jesus trusted in God and people—and, as seen in the Acts Ascension account, when faced with potentially untrustworthy disciples, he called them to ACTION. Amazingly, they heeded this call, proving they could be trusted.
Brothers and sisters in Christ: why are we standing, looking towards heaven? Jesus has been taken up from us to heaven. Let us go, to love and serve the Lord. Amen.