MOVING ON

May 28, 2017

First Congregational UCC, Evanston
Text: Acts 1:6-14

People come and go so quickly around here.

This quotation from The Wizard of Oz captures the amazing angles of

the Ascension story. This story isnt set in Oz and the departing person is not

Glinda the Good Witch. Alas, for the disciples, there is no clearly marked

Yellow Brick Road to follow. No matter how often Jesus had told them he

wouldnt always be with them, they could only stare at the sky, saying

Jesus came and went so quickly around here.

The line also captures the fantastic elements of the story. If nothing

else, according to our (occasionally) more rational and scientific minds, the

story is unrealistic. But our notions of reality have been disrupted in this

recent period in our countrys history. Reality has been replaced by the

surreal and the unreal. The resurrected Jesus ascending into the heavens? No

problem. Dismantling of health care systems, social safety nets, ecological

protections, unleashed violence and racism? Unreal.

But even in the midst of our current realities and the seeming unreality

of this story, the Ascension journey leads this community of faith to new

places.

1
 The followers of Jesus have been witnesses to the creation of a new

world. In the midst of the political and social systems of their day, they have

witnessed love in action beyond the traditional boundaries of nation and

race. They have seen the in-breaking of Gods realm of love and justice.

They have seen healing where none was expected. They have seen

resurrection arise from death. Now they need to witness to this story in a

world which still needs the active presence of Jesus and his realm.

They have a few things to accomplish before they become witnesses.

First, they have to become unstuck from who they believe Jesus to be and

what they believed Jesus could do before they can proclaim the Resurrected

Jesus. At the beginning of todays scripture passage the disciples ask, Lord,

is now the time that our kingdom will be restored to glory? Jesus does not

say, What part of my kingdom is not of this world did you not

understand? He understands their frustrations, their rage and their anger.

They suffer and die under empire persecution. They long for the age when

their kings reigned in power and glory.

But, in his finals words, Jesus proclaims the realm of God will be

fulfilled by the power of the spirit they will receive. This spirit will move

them into the world to be witnesses to Jesus kin-dom values of love, justice,

mercy, compassion, forgiveness, abundance in a world of hate, injustice,

violence, cruelty, ignorance, blame and scarcity.

2
 Second, they have to become unstuck from their ideas of where Jesus

has gone. They stare into space because thats where they believe he has

gone. It is a system of heavens, earth (AKA Jerusalem), and the underworld,

a system that provided order and a place in the world. Its a comforting

world view but they will be Jesus witnesses in a chaotic world. They need

to translate their experience of Jesus into a transformative vision, moving on

from wondering when Jesus will return and where he has gone to a place

where they can receive the promised spirit.

Our challenges are similar even though we do not live in a three-tiered

universe. Even though we are versed in post-Copernican ideas of how our

particular universe is organized (remembering how the church punished him

for his views) and know that heaven is not above the sky, we can transform

our experience of Jesus presence and power into our mission as Christs

community of faith.

The Ascension story comes at an important juncture of time and space

known as our current reality. As the disciples wondered about their current

political realities, we wonder and worry about our current realities of

politics, economics, health care, social support and the directions in which

they seem to be headed. We read the stories of unleashed violence and hate.

Even just in these past few days we heard about the men killed defending

people from an attack inspired by hate. Its not a surprise that we stare into

the heavens, not waiting for Christ to return, but looking for what? Relief?

3
Promise? Hope? We know its not about, as some have stated, a return to

previous, often illusory, greatness. We stare because the kingdom/kindom

values we cherish are disappearing. Love, justice, understanding,

compassion, mercy, diversity have been undermined, at best, and, at worst,

destroyed.

But God says, Why are you staring into space? Why are you stuck?

Youll just get sore neck muscles. God says, No more heaven-gazing! I

need you to be witnesses to the ends of the earth. Gather in community,

pray, wait for the Holy Spirit to arrive and then move on to proclaim the

gospel good news of the realm of Gods kin-dom.

As we wait expectantly, we can have our own Ascension experience.

Its not modeled on a three-tiered system of heaven, earth, and hell. Instead

hear the words of 20th century Roman Catholic monk and spiritual writer,

Thomas Merton who writes:

This is the grace of Ascension Day: to be taken up into the heaven of

our own souls, the point of immediate contact with God. To rest on
this quiet peak, in the darkness that surrounds God. To live there
through all trials and all business with the tranquil God who makes
all things tranquil.

To be taken up into the heaven of our own souls, the point of

immediate contact with God. The Ascension story is the disciples way of

explaining the presence of Christ. They find presence in absence. We find

presence in absence as well in the heaven of our own souls. In this

4
presence, we experience ascension, finding tranquility even with all our

trials, in this age of trials. This presence replaces our frantic, fearful,

doubting hearts with Gods heart of hope, faith, and wonder. Then we move

on as commissioned ministers of the gospel.

The people of God are always on a journey, always moving on. Its

part of our commission, part of our DNA even though it brings about the

dreaded c word: change. Ive preached on many journey stories in this

pulpit. The Magi on the Epiphany journey were forced to find a new way

home because the old road would lead to death. Our new way home has

been to meet the ongoing needs of our community and to be on the journey

of radical hospitality and welcome, being truly being open and affirming. In

particular I remember Rev. Lawrence Richardson sharing his transgender

journey during a Lenten supper a few years ago.

On the Transfiguration journey, Jesus and the disciples journeyed up

the mountain to see Gods glory revealed. The disciples became stuck on

the mountain, trying to contain the experience of the transfigured, shining

presences of Moses, Elijah and Jesus. But they journeyed down the

mountain and so have we. Weve transformed our sacred spaces by

removing pews to become more welcoming and inviting. Were beginning

the accessibility journey so our spaces become unstuck.

And now we have the Ascension story, contemplating our relationship

with the One who is incredibly present even as they should feel absent.

5
As part of our Ascension journey, we gather in community, praying and

praising, moving and dancing into our future as commissioned disciples

journeying to the ends of the earth. We follow the Lord of the Dance,

wherever we may be, commissioned to move from familiar places to the

unknown, to push the boundaries and travel to the edges, commissioned to

be witnesses to the transformative gospel of Jesus Christ. Following that

tradition, we keep on moving on.