This week we celebrate a major event in the life of the church, on Thursday May 26th, we are reminded of Jesus’ Ascension. The Readings for this major feast day: Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians 1:15-23; Luke 24:49-53. The Ascension is such an important event that we also have special readings for this Sunday which follows the Ascension. By the time you get this newsletter and reflection, the feast of the Ascension will have already occurred, so I thought it was appropriate to remind each of us about this event in Jesus’ life and how it can connect us to our ministries and to one another in new ways.
Jesus ascends back to the Godhead and the disciples will have to learn to walk by faith alone – no more surprise visits by the risen Jesus in the upper room, on the road to Emmaus or for breakfast on the beach. Jesus will ascend and will send the Holy Spirit to serve as that constant reminder of God’s presence – nothing will ever be the same again and the disciples are just beginning to discover that reality as they search for Jesus and wait for the power from on high which Jesus promises them.
We, as individuals, and as a community of faith have been experiencing stress and upheaval in our lives over the past few years as this pandemic spread and impacted the whole world. It seems like all we hear is how this disease is causing suffering and death; yet God has provided scientists with knowledge to create treatments and vaccines. As we continue to protect others by practicing acts of love, we also protect ourselves with the gifts of vaccines and masks and lots of cleaning products. As the course of this pandemic seems to be improving, maybe this is the time for us to stop and reflect on how we might take the lessons of Easter, Ascension and Pentecost into our new model of life.
Jesus’ ascension in whatever manner it happened; is not so much about the actual facts of the event as it is about what the event means to us. Jesus is not really absent, but he is now present in a different way than he was. In fact, the command Jesus gave the disciples was to wait, to stay in Jerusalem and wait for God’s power to “clothe” them.
Jesus desire for the disciples to wait had to do with their listening to each other and to God for clarity of purpose. The 10 days between Ascension and Pentecost are days to wait, days to listen, days to anticipate God’s Spirit anew in our lives. The first disciples did not know what to expect. However, they trusted Jesus even after he disappeared from them in mid-blessing. They returned to the city and waited.
The disciples waited unsure of what to expect; but it was a waiting filled with purpose – the purpose was to hear and see what God would call them to do next. We too are called to spend this time of interim ministry waiting and working for God’s kingdom: Purposefully waiting to be filled anew and refreshed by the power from on high; Waiting to hear God’s plan for us; Waiting for the pandemic to really end and a return to “normal”; Waiting to see what new ministries emerge out of this pandemic; Waiting for the selection of a new rector; Waiting in order to find Jesus in our midst in new and different ways. So the ascension is not about Jesus’ leaving – it is about his very real presence with us.
We all know that the Spirit which Jesus had promised – came to them. Now instead of being confined to one physical place and time, Jesus can be everywhere in all time through the power of the Spirit. That holiness, which was once concentrated just in him, at that first Pentecost filled the early disciples as it now fills all of us who call Jesus, Lord. Each of us has the powerful Holy Spirit in our hearts and lives.
St. Matthew’s is not a building or simply a place of worship. St. Matthew’s is all of you. Each person filled with God’s Holy Presence becomes an apostle, a representative of Christ. We have begun to re-gather, we will recover, we will find a new rector, and we will continue to be God’s presence in this time and place. Now is the time to purposely wait, listen, pray and discern how God is inviting you to a new opportunity. Keep searching for what God wants you to see and to do. Be open to God’s surprises in the people you meet and in the work God calls you to undertake. God’s Holy Spirit will guide the nominating committee, the vestry, and those God will lead to this place. Searching is a part of how God reveals God’s self to us – God continues to seek us out and we continue to seek God. May your waiting be filled with Godly surprises. Mother Pat+