I have had
the privilege of talking with Nick several times. You are fortunate to have him
as your new pastor. He will officially be the new pastor on July 1. Suzanne and
I will leave soon after the June 4 worship service. Adrianne Curtis, the pastor
at Royal Center, will be available for pastoral services from June 5-11, while
Pastor Doug will be available after that. This will give time for the Trustees
and Staff Parish to get the house ready for the new family. They will have time
to install new carpet, paint, and make other repairs. Cross~Wind has a
beautiful parsonage in a beautiful area.
I want to
say thank you. Thank you to all those who made the retirement celebration last
Sunday so meaningful and memorable. I have gone through the cards presented. Thank
you for the gifts some gave. Thank you for the words of encouragement as
Suzanne and I embark upon a new phase of our lives. If you are among those who
said you hope to visit us in Florida, you are quite welcome to our new home. For
those who mentioned specific ways in which my ministry has touched you, thank
you for sharing. Thank you to our Staff Parish Chair Darryl Lane for helping me
this week. We got in a U-Haul on Monday and went to Clearwater, FL, pulling the
Mustang behind us. It took us a couple of hours, but we got everything into the
new home. We then flew home, where Suzanne and Linda picked us up.
I would
like to say another word about Nick and his family.
I would
encourage you to be patient. It will take time for Nick to learn you, and for
you to learn him. He will need to have time with his new family, as they
welcome a child into their home. The Book of Discipline, which governs our life
toget
her, extends to the pastor some bonding time with the new family. Of course,
we are not certain when the baby will come. We do know that our responsibility
is to help this young family get a good start.
Nick is
young. He is only 32. Like many of you,
he has professed his faith in Jesus Christ and has professed his confidence in
the trustworthiness of the Bible. You are brothers and sisters in Christ before
you are pastor and congregation. He has also graduated from college and
Seminary. He has served churches. He has been learning his unique gifts and
graces. He will have much to learn, but he will also have much teach.
As I mentioned
least week, I hope you can keep an open mind and heart, keep learning, and keep
having a curious approach to this part of the journey of Cross~Wind. This is a
time to be watchful and pray. In a sense, Cross~Wind is on pause as the new
pastor arrives. Yet, in another sense, this may be the most significant time
this church has this year, as you engage in extended times of prayer for Cass
County, Logansport, and this congregation.
You have
the opportunity to encourage this young clergy family in their ministry.
You can do
that by being patient. It will take time to learn how this relationship will
work. You can help them by wearing your nametags on Sunday morning and maybe
other occasions.
You can
help by managing your expectations. Everyone wants spiritual and numerical
growth. A young pastor is not magic. Bringing in one person or even one family
will not make all the changes for which you hope. Some of you may be fearful of
any change! You see, it will take pastor and people learning what it is to be
this particular part of the Body of Christ. All of that will take time. Remember,
people, like good crops and fruit, take time to develop.
Many of us
thoroughly enjoyed the Lent study Jesus Creed. Learn what it is like to love
God with this new family. This family will be your newest neighbor, so learn
what it is like to love them.
Acts 1:6-14
So when they had come together, they asked
him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to
Israel?" 7 He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or
periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 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." 9 When
he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him
out of their sight. 10 While he was going and they were gazing up toward
heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. 11 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." 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet,
which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. 13 When they had entered
the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and
John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James
son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 All these
were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women,
including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.
Year A
Seventh Sunday After
Easter
May 28, 2017
Cross~Wind
Title: Abandon
Earth?
Introducing the passage
The theme
of Acts 1:6-14 is the mission to the world and the ascension. The disciples
have a concern for the timetable of restoring the kingdom to Israel. The
response of the risen Lord is similar to what we find in Mark 13:32, where only
the Father knows when that day will come. Thus, neither the angels nor the Son
will know. We are going to see the intimate connection between the Spirit and
the church. The rule of God will come, not through armies, but through
witnesses. We will see the geographical interest of Luke as the story of the
church begins in Jerusalem, then to Judea and Samaria, and then the ends of the
earth. The point is that the mission to the world, similar to Luke 24:47-48
(repentance and forgiveness preached to the nations by witnesses) and Matthew
28:19 (make disciples of all nations), replaces the notion of the restoration
of the kingdom to Israel. As Luke records the ascension of Jesus, we might think
of some biblical parallels. In Genesis 5:24, Enoch walked with God, but was
not, for God took him. In II Kings 2:11, a whirlwind appeared to bring Elijah
to heaven. Jewish tradition said God took Moses in a similar way. Yet, Luke
does not let us ponder this event too long. Two angels puzzle as to why they
continue to stare into the sky. They have work to do. The mission to the world
seems to replace the notion of the restoration of the kingdom to Israel. We
have here the significant pause before this mission begins. They must wait and
pray. “They” here is not just the 11. The group includes a larger circle of men
and women who gather to wait and pray. The Spirit will come upon all of them in
Acts 2. They will prophesy, even as the prophet Joel said, sons and daughters. Then,
the Spirit will come, giving birth to the church. I think sometimes that a
significant pause happens in our lives it and in the lives of churches. The pause
does not mean nothing happens. The pause gives us an opportunity to wait and
pray. It gives us an opportunity to have open minds and hearts. We become open
to the Spirit coming in a new way, in a way that enlightens the path and
empowers us for new ministry. The point for us, then, is that the Spirit has
been with us all along, but that we need openness to the new things the Spirit
wants to do among us and in us.
Introduction
Stephen Hawking is the physicist-mathematician-cosmologist with longer
alphabet soup credentials on his business card than any living human. One needs
an advanced degree just to understand Hawking's areas of research. He has
written many books, including the international best-selling A Brief History of Time. The book is
still worth your time. When we discuss the power of human thought and
imagination, his name will usually come up. From human space flight to alien
life to theoretical physics, Hawking taps out mind-blowing ideas.
Thus, when Stephen Hawking tells us that at some point in the future
human beings will need to abandon earth or face extinction, most of us listen.
"It
will be difficult enough to avoid disaster on planet Earth in the next hundred
years, let alone the next thousand, or million. The human race shouldn't have
all its eggs in one basket, or on one planet."
Eventually, we need
to get out of here, find a new planet to colonize, and start over. Of course,
whenever you start over, you never have a clean slate. You take yourself with
you wherever you go, as the saying goes. If we have made mess of this earth, we
will also make a mess of new earth.
If you remember all the commotion about 2012, some people are thinking he
is right. We will need to abandon earth.
Even Christians might agree with Hawking in one sense, thinking the
earth is doomed and what is required now is the patience to wait until we can
someday punch our ticket to heaven and move to a "new creation." A
better place is waiting, and there is no mess there!
Nevertheless, in a Time magazine interview, theologian N.T. Wright
counters that line of thought, saying,
"Never
at any point do the gospels or Paul say Jesus has been raised, therefore we are
all going to heaven. They all say, Jesus is raised, therefore the new creation
has begun, and we have a job to do."
Therefore, with all due respect to Hawking, yes, some future generation
may need to abandon this earth. Between now and then, of course, we have much
work to do. On Ascension Day, the disciples watch as Jesus apparently does what
Hawking suggests: He hurries up and off into the heavens, disappearing from
view, in an exit that would make magicians David Blaine and Criss Angel
envious, apparently abandoning the earth and his disciples walking on it. Yet,
this raises an important theological question. Does the story of the ascension,
does Ascension Sunday, really mean that Jesus has abandoned earth, leaving
those who follow him on earth?
Application
Now what?
Ascension Sunday is a time to reflect on how we partner with Jesus in
life and faith. Do we have a clear sense of personal mission? Do we feel empowered,
as we should? Do we see the gospel as church work or our vocation?
Here are four implications of the text on Christian living.
First, it is on us.
The story of Stephen Hawking is amazing. Most of us know his physical
limits. We would have understood if he had decided they were too much and that
he would give up. Yet, he did not do that. We might also have understood if the
disciples had decided the mission of making disciples in this world was just
too much. Yet, they had no excuses. We have no excuses either. God has no other
plan than imperfect individuals and communities sharing the good news as
witnesses in this world.
I briefly refer you to old 1957 movie, 12 Angry Men, in which Henry Fonda portrays juror #9. Pay attention
to his gentle words of persuasion, as he sees holes in the account by the
prosecution. Others cannot believe it and are angry. In fact, they try to
persuade by their anger and coercion, but juror #9 keeps gently persuading. It reminds
me of an interesting book, The Art of Woo
(2007), where the authors say
that persuading is more like courtship than war. Our political environment
could use a bit of this notion today, but that is another story. If you are to
persuade, you must put yourself in the position of the other person and
identify with their needs, desires, and hopes. The authors suggest that you
must then be a credible and authentic witness.[1]
Second, we are not alone.
In the farewell discourse we find in John, Jesus tells the disciples a
Helper will come alongside them. They just needed to go to Jerusalem and wait
for the Spirit to come. As post-Pentecost Christians, the Father and the Son
have given us the same Spirit the disciples received in Acts 2. That means our
limitations, like theirs, need not stand in the way. You are not perfect. You probably
have some fear. You probably do not have the time. Yet, God has no other plan
than you, faithfully learning your vocation to be a follower of Jesus in this
world.
Third, we are in a partnership.
Paul did not go preaching with persuasive words but with a demonstration
of the power of the Spirit (I Corinthians 2:4). Thus, looked at from another
perspective, it is not up to us. We have a partner in learning to be a faithful
witness in the Spirit of God. We are not alone. So let us pray with purpose.
Where do we see God working, and how can we join God there?
Fourth, the time is now.
The angels issued a clear warning that we rarely think about: Jesus is
coming back the same way he left. After 2,000 years, it is quite easy not to
take that seriously. Christ's return can feel like hitting the lotto - chances
are it will not happen in my life.
Nevertheless, James reminds us that our life is like a mist that comes
and then vanishes. So if we know the good we ought to do and do not do it, we
sin (4:13-17).
So what exactly are we waiting for?
A faith that works!
Conclusion
Finally, the whole earth has needs. Jesus would not let the disciples
be content with fulfilling the needs of Israel alone. They were to go out to
Samaria and the ends of the earth. All Christians have natural spheres of
influence around them, and we can find need in every one of those places. Too
much sky-staring Christianity may have soured Hawking. Comparing the impacts of
science and religion, he said,
"There
is a fundamental difference between religion, which is based on authority [and]
science, which is based on observation and reason. Science will win because it
works."
Science works! He sees it advancing us to the point where we can
abandon this place for new planets. But:
* What if he saw a
religion that worked?
* What if he saw a
faith that worked!?
* What if he saw something
that made an impact?
* What if he saw
something that was transformative and life-changing?
* What if he saw
something that addressed the world's urgent needs and problems?
* What if he saw
something that made abandoning earth an unnecessary idea?
This kind of Christianity is that to which the ascension calls us. While
we can serve God in many ways, we cannot do it by simply staring at the sky and
hanging out.
Ascension Day is a natural time to look at
our spheres of influence and ask, "Am I advancing or abandoning my
calling?"
Going deeper
Acts 1:6-14
So when they had come together, they asked
him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to
Israel?" [This question is consistent with what many scholars think
would have been a common hope among the first Jewish Christians in Jerusalem.
Some scholars speculate, in fact, that the difficulty they had with the gentile
mission was this hope for a restoration of the kingdom to Israel.] 7 He
replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father
has set by his own authority. [This response recalls Mark 13:32 as
well, where no one knows when that day will come, for only the Father knows.] 8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; [As
Pannenberg stresses, Luke provides us with a theological statement about the
relation between the church and the Spirit. The universal missionary
proclamation of the church shows it to be end-time people of God foretold by
Joel (as we learn in Acts 2), establishing the church by the outpouring of the
prophetic Spirit on all its members. This implies eschatological closeness to
God.[2]]
and
you will be my witnesses [(the Greek word here is the word for
martyr) The risen Jesus reminds them of the different nature of the reign of
God as Jesus saw it. He will not reign through armies. His reign will spread by
witnesses. As John Dominic Crossan is fond of saying, “The same roads that the
Romans built to establish their empire would be used by Paul and other
itinerant Christians to craft a new kind of empire.”] in Jerusalem, in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." [This geographical
reference will form an outline for the rest of Acts, with the end of the earth
being Rome. In his classic work The
Theology of St. Luke (originally Die
Mitte der Zeit), the great biblical interpreter Hans Conzelmann delineated
the three-stage unfolding of God’s plan in Luke and Acts. He called the plan
Heilsgeschichte, a term usually translated as “salvation history.” This passage
marks the transition point between stages two and three of Conzelmann’s
schematic. The period of Jesus’ ministry ends in his glorious ascension, and
God will presently inaugurate the era of the church. The church has not yet
received its baptism of the Holy Spirit, promised in Acts 1:5 and delivered at
Pentecost (Acts 2), but in this passage, it does receive its commission. This
verse marks Conzelmann’s transition quite clearly and serves as a programmatic
foreshadowing of the ensuing narrative. This verse introduces the importance of
the Holy Spirit in Acts. The Holy Spirit is the presence of God on earth in the
third phase of salvation history, the era of the church. Readers of Acts
acknowledge the profound agency that Luke ascribes to the Holy Spirit in his
account. In the words of Joseph Fitzmeyer, the Spirit becomes “the dynamo of
the Lukan story in Acts ... the power given to disciples, the dynamic principle
of their existence as Christians and of their role as witnesses in the new
phase of salvation history.”[3]]
9 When he had said this, as they were
watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While
he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white
robes stood by them. 11 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." 12 Then
they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near
Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey [one half mile] away.
[At that point, in an account of the ascension that differs from
what Luke 24:51, apparently occurring on Easter evening, Luke now says, in occurring
40 days after the resurrection, that God lifted up the risen Lord, with a cloud
(at the Transfiguration as well, Shekinah) taking him out of their sight. Luke
is the only author to give the ascension separate appreciable significance.
Luke is letting the reader know that that the church will experience the
presence of Christ in a different way from now on. In addition, the disciples
become witnesses. The 40 days of instruction from the risen Lord echo the 40
days Moses spent on Sinai. Like Moses, the disciples spent time with the risen
Jesus before they would go forth to form the people of God. In the Greek and
Roman context, Ovid, in Metamorphoses
14:805-851, written around 1 AD, tells
us of founder of Rome, Romulus, ascending as well. In addition, Diodorus,
(first century BC, History, 4.38.3-5) writes of the ascension of Hercules. The
emperor Augustus, divinized by Rome, also had an account of his ascension to
heaven after his death in Dio Cassius (155-229 AD), in his Roman History 56.46. The cult that arose around the emperors
referred to them as “Lord” and “Son of God.” It was quite natural for early
Christians to contrast themselves to this cult by referring to the risen Lord
with the same titles. However, if we search for biblical background here, we
might turn to Genesis 5:24, where Enoch walked with God, but was not, for God
took him. In II Kings 2:11, a whirlwind appeared, along with a chariot of fire
and horses of fire, to bring Elijah to heaven. Further, both Josephus and Philo
record differing traditions of God taking Moses into heaven. As the risen Jesus
rose toward heaven, and as they gazed, two men (angels) asked these men of
Galilee why they looked toward the heavens. Luke brings the reader directly
back to earth, not wanting to linger too long on the excitement of this
exaltation of the risen Jesus. After all, the men say, this same Jesus, whom
God has taken from them and brought to heaven, will come in the same way. The
point is that the mission to the world, similar to Luke 24:47-48 (repentance
and forgiveness preached to the nations by witnesses) and Matthew 28:19 (make
disciples of all nations), replaces the notion of the restoration of the
kingdom to Israel.]
13 When they had entered the city, they went
to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and
Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and
Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 All these were constantly devoting
themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of
Jesus, as well as his brothers.[Karl Barth characterized the period
between the ascension and Pentecost as a “significant pause” during which the
church was called only to wait and pray. Waiting and praying are signatures of
faithfulness. Isaiah 40:31 proclaims and promises that those who patiently
“wait for the LORD” shall “renew their strength ... mount up with wings like
eagles ... run and not be weary ... walk and not faint.” When we are busy, we
dissipate our energy on a host of tiny, inconsequential tasks. Thus, we never
have a chance to feel the depth of our strength. Only in sustained and watchful
waiting do we build up our endurance and develop the muscles of faithfulness.
The disciples’ waiting, of course, includes one very important activity —
praying. Until the coming of the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ still-fragile followers
have no inkling about how God expects them to become witnesses for Christ to
all the earth. The disciples do not return to Jerusalem despondent over Jesus’
departure. They are people on a mission. The disciples waiting in Jerusalem now
know exactly what to ask for: the baptism of the Holy Spirit.]
[1] Of course, we can say we have not been Christians
long enough or we have not received enough training. We may be fearful someone
would ask a question we could not answer. We may think we do not have the time.
At the same time, it seems as if the plan of God is working through imperfect
people to fulfill the mission. God has no other plan.
There's
an old story -- one of those so-called apocryphal ones -- about what happened
when Jesus arrived back at the gates of heaven, following his ascension. All
the heavenly host were gathered to welcome God's Son, to celebrate his return
home. Everybody had questions. They'd heard of his exploits on earth. They
wanted to hear it straight from him. Jesus described his adventures at great
length: the preaching, the teaching, the healing. They laughed when he told
them how he'd tied the Pharisees' theological arguments up in knots, and they
wept when he described both the agony of the cross and the joy of resurrection.
Someone asked him, "Lord, now that you no longer physically walk the
earth, who will share the good news?" "I've got a plan," said
Christ. "I've selected 11 followers, my closest friends. To them I've
given the responsibility of sharing the good news." "They must have
some incredible talents, those 11," remarked one angel. "Well,
actually no," the Lord responded. "These are average people, with
ordinary abilities. They're vain and sometimes foolish. One of them, their
leader, denied me three times." "But, Lord," objected another
angel, "how can you be sure they'll get the job done?" "To be
perfectly honest, I can't be sure." "What do you mean, you can't be
sure? What if they fail? What's your backup plan?" Quietly Christ
answered, "I have no backup plan."
[2]
Systematic Theology, Volume 3, 15.
[3]
(Joseph Fitzmeyer, Acts of the Apostles [Anchor Bible; New York: Doubleday,
1997], 200).
