May 8, 2016 – Ascension Sunday
Columbia Falls United Methodist Church
Let us pray:
God of Light, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy
Spirit, that as the Scriptures are read and your word proclaimed, we
may hear with joy what you say to us today. Amen
Luke 24:44-53The Message (MSG)
You’re the Witnesses
44 Then
he said, “Everything I told you while I was with you
comes to this: All the things written about me in the Law
of Moses, in the Prophets, and in the Psalms have to be
fulfilled.”
45-49 He
went on to open their understanding of the Word
of God, showing them how to read their Bibles this way.
He said, “You can see now how it is written that the
Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day, and
then a total life-change through the forgiveness of sins is
proclaimed in his name to all nations—starting from here,
from Jerusalem! You’re the first to hear and see it. You’re
the witnesses. What comes next is very important: I am
sending what my Father promised to you, so stay here in
the city until he arrives, until you’re equipped with power
from on high.”
50-51 He
then led them out of the city over to Bethany.
Raising his hands he blessed them, and while blessing
them, took his leave, being carried up to heaven.
52-53 And
they were on their knees, worshiping him. They
returned to Jerusalem bursting with joy. They spent all
their time in the Temple praising God. Yes.
It is my hope that on this Mother’s Day each of us, as children of God
senses and believes these things:
I am God’s beloved.
I bring God great joy.
I am loved.
I am accepted.
I am forgiven.
I am enough.
Thanks be to God.
Will you repeat them with me?
I am God’s beloved.
I bring God great joy.
I am loved.
I am accepted.
I am forgiven.
I am enough.
Thanks be to God.
Each accepting our own belovedness is the start toward finding the
promised peace that is available now in our world.
Last week Pastor Dawn talked about the importance of faith community
and having communal peace. The scriptures tell us that the disciples
experienced communal peace and joy as they returned to Jerusalem and
worshiped. They experienced being the beloved - first hand.
Yet, at that moment when the disciples looked befuddled and the angels
asked them, “Why are you looking up at the sky?” I have a feeling that
the disciples might have felt that the peace has been undone. I wonder
what the first century disciple’s feelings were when Jesus told them to
return to Jerusalem to wait. There must have been tension and some
anxiety mixed with their joy. To the disciples peace might have felt like
holy turmoil.
Many thoughts have ruminating in my mind as I contemplated and
wondered about those first disciples and how God is speaking through
the scripture readings of Luke and the account in Acts now.
In the 40 days following Easter the scriptures tell us many things have
happened. Emotions have been running high.
 The disciples hid in the upper room where Jesus appeared and
showed his pierced body.
 Then he came reassuringly back for sacred times to walk with two
along the road to Emmaus, to feed a feast of fish by the lakeshore.
 Finally we are told of this last sacred presence when He taught
them the meaning of the Scriptures, led them to some open fields
near Bethany, blessed them and poof he was gone.
This time the disciples witnessed his departure – graphically more real
than the mystery of the empty tomb. The Ascension described by Luke
is a powerful experience. Its power and passion are depicted by the
artwork on the front of the bulletin. See the disciples in anguish, falling
to their knees looking with shock toward the sky.
As I tried to put myself into the sandals of a 1st century disciple, I am
sure I would have looked much the same. I would not have wanted to let
go of Jesus. I can imagine a panicky feeling of loss over the
disappearance of my rabbi, mentor and best friend. Maybe you have
had a similar experience – I know that I have; and I grieved. It was not a
joyous time.
There is an empty space – a sky filled void.
Over time, I have learned that that void creates a most important space.
It is in that empty space where our Creator continues to write God’s
story through us.
Jesus encourages his disciples to let go of his physical body, assuring the
disciples, telling us, we will receive power through the Spirit, the same
power that He had been given by God. The power to continue to write
God’s story of peace on earth. The disciples are vividly sensing standing
a gap of Jesus’ presence - waiting.
This space is where compassion is born - the same compassion born in
Jesus. In fact the root word for compassion, RECHEM, in Hebrew is
womb. In the womb of a mother Jesus was born, that is were
compassion grew. It is also in this gap, this space, where Spirit fills us
with compassion.
Space and gaps are a part of the human experience. We can be tempted
to fill them with forces other than love. Sometimes the spaces are filled
with hate speech that creates divisions among groups declared unlike us
and thus unwanted. Spaces are left unfilled in the homeless and hungry.
Yet, these very places are the fertile wombs where compassion can
grow. Will be look to see the gaps? Will we allow the space to grow in
compassion or be taken up with unloving rhetoric?
In this community we call Columbia Falls United Methodist Church, we
urge one another to seek communal peace. We encourage each other as
individuals to grow in compassion when we tie lovingly made prayer
quilts, offer prayer and call on the prayer chain, when we stock the food
bank with food, when we fill the play crib with layette supplies for
United Methodist Council on Relief, UMCOR. We stand in solidarity and
compassion when we support Angolan pastors like Andre and Daniel.
This week our individual paths will lead us into our workplace and
town. Where will we look and see the gaps that need to be filled with
peace and love? Have you noticed the homeless kids sitting on benches
around town? This Wednesday at the UMW Mother Daughter Sister
Friend dinner we will hear about the Sparrow’s Nest project to provide
shelter for high school teen’s homeless in our community.
We are God’s creation – created with space for the Spirit. How will each
of us let our unique space be filled – be inspired? Inspired by
compassion to be the love for the world that brings peace and justice.
One disclaimer about the peace – it may not feel like calm peace – it may
feel more like holy turmoil. That is the way of Jesus and that is the way
we must follow.
The challenge of 1st century disciples is to let go of Jesus and wait for the
power of the Spirit, the challenge for us is to remember that Jesus walks
with us. The important thing is to let Christ take up the space in the
world through us….”to guide us on the way of peace”.
When an angel comes along and says to the skyward looking group, “Let
go of your panicky feelings”. Listen to the words and know that the
world needs peace now. Let go of the panicky feeling that being only
one is not enough. God’s peace is at hand and available here on earth.
Be guided on the way toward peace.
Notice again the artwork on the cover of the bulletin. Do you see the
footprints left by Jesus on the whole world? We are God’s beloved and
together, one by one, we are enough to nurture compassion, to bring
peace.
At first I thought the sermon title might be “Let Go” as it is printed in the
bulletin, but I think by the time I worked over my sermon notes it
should be titled Let’s Go! Our journey is toward peace.
The words of Frederick Buechner are a good reflection of the journey
we must take….
“To journey for the sake of saving our own lives is little by little to cease
to live in any sense that really matters, even to ourselves, because it is
only by journeying for the world’s sake – even when the world bores
and sickens and scares you half to death – that little by little we start to
come alive. It was not a conclusion that I came to in time. It was a
conclusion from beyond time that came to me. God knows I have never
been any good at following the road it pointed me to, but at least, by
grace, I glimpsed the road and saw that it is the only one worth
traveling.”
Let’s go!