A New Spoken Word for Ascension - A Sermon for Sunday May 21 2023
FIRST READING: Acts 1:6-14
The reading may be announced:
A reading from Acts.
Today’s reading is part of the introduction to the narrative of the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost. These verses tell of the risen Lord’s conversation with his disciples on the eve of his ascension, in which he promises that they will receive the power of the Holy Spirit.
6When [the apostles] had come together, they asked [Jesus], “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8But 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.” 9When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. 11They 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.”
12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. 13When 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. 14All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.
Word of God, word of life.
Thanks be to God.
GOSPEL: John 17:1-11
The holy gospel according to John.
Glory to you, O Lord.
On the night before his crucifixion, Jesus prays to his heavenly Father, asking that those who continue his work in this world will live in unity.
1After Jesus had spoken these words [to his disciples], he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, 2since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. 5So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.
6“I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”
The gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
I drive past the station,
almost every single day.
It’s a usual sight,
no plight,
cars parked tight,
The flag isn’t high,
but at half mast again
to remember, again,
tragedy and pain, again.
Seems the flag flies always at half-mast;
lamenting together
for tragedies past.
Seems the flag flies always at half-mast.
Death of a minister,
death of a minor,
death of an officer,
deaths of the workers,
Sometimes it’s violence,
perhaps hatred and fear,
sometimes it’s just natural
yet not always clear
Why the flag seems always to fly at half-mast.
Is now the time, the kairos, the moment?
Restore Israel,
Your kingdom anew, Jesus?
You’ve died,
You’re alive,
a new mountain to climb,
Jesus, is it time?
The apostles ask Jesus,
in anticipation and hope,
is this the time?
Nope.
Jesus is lifted,
like on the tree,
but differently,
Ascension, lifted up
to God’s right hand,
into the heavens,
hopefully not long.
Jesus was with us,
and now he is gone.
Why do you gaze up to the sky,
why stare up in the heavens?
He’ll be back, just as he left
the messengers share,
and left the disciples bereft.
But not alone.
The Advocate promised goes with them.
Do they know?
Back to Jerusalem,
back to the gathered,
to pray,
to wait for the time,
that amidst their grief,
Jesus will come like a thief.
Did they pray the old psalms?
Did they remember the tales of God’s might?
Enemies scattered,
proud feel contrite,
injustice defeated,
and now death put to flight.
Father to orphans, defender of widows,
no more evils of night.
God brings reversal,
a new day to shine bright.
Could they feel the Spirit?
Were they sure in belief?
Or did they feel God’s absence,
while crying for relief?
To the ends of the earth, Jesus will send them,
but Jesus has left,
can the disciples stand fast
When it seems that the flags always fly at half mast?
Impossible it might seem,
that these 11 will go
and bear the good news
yet Jesus said so.
To the earth and its ends,
to their neighbours and friends,
after Jesus ascends
The Spirit will lend
power and guidance,
God will gather and call
the faithful to Jesus
a welcome for all.
Life without God; it’s a thing of the past
They don’t go alone,
Jesus seems gone,
but that’s wrong,
Thy kingdom come,
Even if it seems the flag’s always at half mast.
Life in ancient times,
Oppressed by the Romans;
another people to conquer,
Spats with Samaritans
relationships gone bonkers,
Food for the hungry
a Messiah gone missing
a mission to enter
with the Spirit; dismissing.
The good news is good news
they’re sent with the gospel,
because life in antiquity
could be just plain awful.
Their world is our world,
even with changes aplenty
and not just from a pandemic back in 2020,
So many reasons the flags fly at half mast
tragedies public, yet some not broadcast.
I see that flag pole, half-mast, almost every day
and why do these tragedies exist?
So many to keep up with,
and many pains that don’t make that list.
Anxiety, depression, problems with mental health,
Debts and bad credit,
distribution of wealth,
The devil outside, and the devil inside
prowl, afoul,
devour in stealth,
We want to escape, but in the shadow we live,
of generational sins and the brokenness we give.
Black Lives do Matter, we remember George Floyd,
unmarked graves found,
nothing can fill up that void.
Snapchat and Facebook,
the internet stinks,
run by billion$ with algorithms
to tell us what to think.
Heart disease, cancer, dementia and stroke,
we want the answer,
why’s the air full of smoke?
Thermometers, barometers, and atmospheric pressure
the water, the air that we need wont get fresher,
finding quick pleasure,
securing our treasure,
our kids wont be saved by our metal detectors.
Known by our polarity in our politics and our choices
Care and compassion;
where are their voices?
Weapons and violence, millions of refugees
What then is our call, accordingly?
Seems the flag flies always at half-mast;
lamenting together
for tragedies past.
Seems the flag flies always at half-mast.
Just a thought, a minor reframing of our situation
to help us to thrive amidst frustration and negation
To rethink on God’s absence
and remember God’s promise of presence.
I am no longer in the world,
but they are in the world,
and I am coming to you, Father, prays Jesus.
My work is done,
now it’s their turn…
Holy Father, protect them in your name
that you have given me,
so that they may be one,
just as we are one.”
We might feel alone,
but we are not alone,
as Christ and Creator are one
so with Jesus we are one.
Going up to God, we call it ascension,
yet to be with God’s people is always God’s intention.
The right hand of God is where Jesus is raised,
not absence, but with us.
Ascension is Omnipresence, rephrased.
God is not hiding,
Nor hidden behind walls,
God is everywhere
Jesus, everywhere,
Spirit, everywhere,
Listen for the calls.
That’s what the ascension is really about,
Not absence, but presence
God is God, even with our doubt.
The right hand of God is everywhere.
God in the bush, in the grass, even in our bed,
In you and in me,
that’s why Jesus bled.
God with the water,
God in the bread,
God under the wine,
God’s people fed.
Jesus is living,
and you will see Jesus, that’s promised
to those who believe.
Eternal life with Jesus, that’s promised,
and here’s what that means:
That (the believer) may know you;
the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom God sent,
both here and abroad.
Eternal life means knowing the God
who knows better than we know,
in whose Spirit we grow,
it’s not just some show,
God’s Word has been sown
Christ reigns on the throne,
even when the world is a mess
and life feels like a test.
Eternal life means knowing the God
who knows better than we know.
Can it really be that simple?
eternal life means relationship with Deity
whether pastor or laity
in our strength and our frailty
Know God, know eternal life.
Sometimes all we know are our failures and apprehensions
the evils around us,
often our own inventions,
trying to get ahead
in life’s various dimensions,
humanity gets placed on suspension
people fall, like dominos
we suffer when we treat humans
as less than human, you know...
Eternal life means knowing the God
who knows better than we know.
So where are you, God,
when our flags fly at half-mast?
Where are you, human,
our God might just ask!
Christ is everywhere,
Christ lives for us all,
welcomes us, loves us, accepts us
despite our fall.
The sins and the sufferings,
the writing’s on the wall
So what says the God
who delivers us all?
It’s not really beyond comprehension,
The Spirit calls to attention,
life is more than securing our pension,
or worrying about memory retention,
Avoid the dissension,
God’s grace is prevention.
Grace for believers and grace for all kind
Grace for you too,
and the lost God will find.
Grace for our neighbours,
grace for our strangers,
grace for all kind,
We are all intertwined.
So where are you, God,
when our flags fly at half-mast?
God is in you, dear Church,
and with you, ‘till the last.
God promises to restore,
the believers to support
in faith we’ll be strengthened
death and evil be thwart.
So go, Spirit says,
in Jesus’ name be dismissed,
God is with us, today,
and always, in our midst.
The power we’re given,
the Spirit at work,
in disciples, in apostles, in you
Jesus is with us, no longer servants,
but called friends;
Not to be the change on our own,
but God’s change in us works
that the arc of the moral universe
towards justice might bend.
I still see the flagpole,
half-mast, every week.
It reminds me, by Christ,
to be humble and meek,
to remember that God knows better than me,
on my own I will fail,
helpless I’d be.
And yes, the world seems impossible to stay
most every day seems another doomsday
tragedy, violence, innocent lives thrown away
And yes, it might feel like God is not here
but that’s me, that’s us,
we can’t always see clear:
we’re limited,
God’s unlimited;
our thoughts irrational,
God’s infallible;
we want the proof,
God’s beyond reproof;
hearts filled with doubt,
God knows us,
inside and out.
Even when flags fly at half of their height
there is goodness in creation
it is filled by God’s Light,
God is our helper, our strength, our shield
a very present help in trouble,
know Jesus, know eternal life,
and by God’s Spirit, be healed.
Life’s not lived in a bubble,
Life is more than just strife,
but grace and goodness - an abundant yield.
Look even closer, at people,
despite our complaints,
and Jesus’ face you will see
in both sinners and saints.
So where are you, God,
when our flags fly at half-mast?
God is in you, dear Church,
and with you, ‘till the last.
