Reflection for Sunday, May 24, 2020
Scripture Reading:
Acts 1:8-9
… 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.
Luke 24:46-52
Jesus said, “The Messiah (or the Christ) is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentence and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem…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.
Reflection: “The Ascension of Jesus”
As I reflect on the whole Easter story, I wonder, as always, what are we supposed to learn from all this? This year, due to the pandemic, we were unable to celebrate together the Easter story: the resurrection of Jesus as the Christ, and the wonder of the empty tomb. But most of us know the story very well.
Forty days later and now we contemplate the Ascension of Jesus, purportedly to sit at the right hand of God. Think about this for a moment: Jesus, a dead man, has been hanging out with his disciples for forty days, teaching and preaching to them about the meaning of all this, opening the scriptures to them to help these deeply Jewish people to understand.
Clearly humanity has been given a gift in the being of this dedicated teacher. He taught us the importance of being cleansed of our guilt, of bringing our sins, our mistakes, into the light of our own awareness and then humbly asking for and accepting forgiveness and healing.
He taught us the importance of the Golden Rule, that the Way of Love was and still is the only way to the Kingdom of God. And always, he pointed beyond himself to the power, the limitless, unfathomable power of the Divine, the God he called Father.
But I digress….hanging out with a dead man…what can we learn from that? I believe we are to understand that Jesus hasn’t gone anywhere. The essence, the Spirit of Jesus is as with us today as it was in those forty days. “Wherever two or more of you are gathered in my name…” or even better, “Abide in me as I abide in you”. He said these things to the disciples. He did not abandon them to their fears and their doubts – instead he assured them that the Holy Spirit would always be with them and would remind them of his teachings.
Which brings us back to my question – what are we to learn from all this? To learn something useful is to learn something that is applicable in your life or mine.
Lets look for a moment at what Jesus did NOT teach or condone. He never that we know of committed any act of violence or hatred toward any person, and he didn’t allow his followers to do that either. He never spoke anything but truth to anyone. He never pretended to be other than he was. He never belittled or denigrated any other person, even those who persecuted him.
Living a life that is true to your principles and beliefs – a life of integrity and compassion, that is the challenge of the Christian life. We cannot change how others choose to live their lives, but we can respect their right to do so, and we can choose to be exemplary models of the Way of Love.
I have chosen this morning to focus on the Ascension stories: two versions, the one from Acts and the one from the Gospel of Luke.
The one from Luke is more missional, giving clear instructions to the disciples about what they are to do after receiving the power from on high, the Holy Spirit. But we can’t miss the emphasis on repentence and the forgiveness of sins. We Christians are often called a Resurrection People. We believe in the power of God to make all things new. This might mean, people of God, that we are made new every day, as we bring our shortcomings to the light of day and ask for and accept forgiveness and healing.
We are not meant to grovel in guilt and remorse forever for the mistakes we have made. We ARE meant to accept responsibility for what we have done, and to humbly ask for forgiveness and healing. And we are meant to change and grow spiritually as we are transformed by this process.
Followers of Jesus, we are charged with a very important mission: to spread the word about this amazing gift of God, the gift of being born anew, as fresh as a new born baby, every single day - to spread this good news, far and wide to all the peoples of the earth.
My prayer: Forgive us Lord, for we know not what we do.
And we are a forgiven and beloved people: “Behold, behold, I make all things new beginning with you, and starting from today. Behold, behold, I make all things new, my promise is true, for I am Christ the Way.” (More Voices #115)
Let’s pray together the prayer Jesus taught his disciples saying:
Our Father (or Holy One),
Who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil,
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
Forever and ever. Amen.
Scripture Reading:
Acts 1:8-9
… 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.
Luke 24:46-52
Jesus said, “The Messiah (or the Christ) is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentence and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem…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.
Reflection: “The Ascension of Jesus”
As I reflect on the whole Easter story, I wonder, as always, what are we supposed to learn from all this? This year, due to the pandemic, we were unable to celebrate together the Easter story: the resurrection of Jesus as the Christ, and the wonder of the empty tomb. But most of us know the story very well.
Forty days later and now we contemplate the Ascension of Jesus, purportedly to sit at the right hand of God. Think about this for a moment: Jesus, a dead man, has been hanging out with his disciples for forty days, teaching and preaching to them about the meaning of all this, opening the scriptures to them to help these deeply Jewish people to understand.
Clearly humanity has been given a gift in the being of this dedicated teacher. He taught us the importance of being cleansed of our guilt, of bringing our sins, our mistakes, into the light of our own awareness and then humbly asking for and accepting forgiveness and healing.
He taught us the importance of the Golden Rule, that the Way of Love was and still is the only way to the Kingdom of God. And always, he pointed beyond himself to the power, the limitless, unfathomable power of the Divine, the God he called Father.
But I digress….hanging out with a dead man…what can we learn from that? I believe we are to understand that Jesus hasn’t gone anywhere. The essence, the Spirit of Jesus is as with us today as it was in those forty days. “Wherever two or more of you are gathered in my name…” or even better, “Abide in me as I abide in you”. He said these things to the disciples. He did not abandon them to their fears and their doubts – instead he assured them that the Holy Spirit would always be with them and would remind them of his teachings.
Which brings us back to my question – what are we to learn from all this? To learn something useful is to learn something that is applicable in your life or mine.
Lets look for a moment at what Jesus did NOT teach or condone. He never that we know of committed any act of violence or hatred toward any person, and he didn’t allow his followers to do that either. He never spoke anything but truth to anyone. He never pretended to be other than he was. He never belittled or denigrated any other person, even those who persecuted him.
Living a life that is true to your principles and beliefs – a life of integrity and compassion, that is the challenge of the Christian life. We cannot change how others choose to live their lives, but we can respect their right to do so, and we can choose to be exemplary models of the Way of Love.
I have chosen this morning to focus on the Ascension stories: two versions, the one from Acts and the one from the Gospel of Luke.
The one from Luke is more missional, giving clear instructions to the disciples about what they are to do after receiving the power from on high, the Holy Spirit. But we can’t miss the emphasis on repentence and the forgiveness of sins. We Christians are often called a Resurrection People. We believe in the power of God to make all things new. This might mean, people of God, that we are made new every day, as we bring our shortcomings to the light of day and ask for and accept forgiveness and healing.
We are not meant to grovel in guilt and remorse forever for the mistakes we have made. We ARE meant to accept responsibility for what we have done, and to humbly ask for forgiveness and healing. And we are meant to change and grow spiritually as we are transformed by this process.
Followers of Jesus, we are charged with a very important mission: to spread the word about this amazing gift of God, the gift of being born anew, as fresh as a new born baby, every single day - to spread this good news, far and wide to all the peoples of the earth.
My prayer: Forgive us Lord, for we know not what we do.
And we are a forgiven and beloved people: “Behold, behold, I make all things new beginning with you, and starting from today. Behold, behold, I make all things new, my promise is true, for I am Christ the Way.” (More Voices #115)
Let’s pray together the prayer Jesus taught his disciples saying:
Our Father (or Holy One),
Who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil,
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
Forever and ever. Amen.
