Sunday After the Ascension
Text: John 15:26-27; 16:1-4
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, one God. Amen.
The greatest fear a child between the ages of four and seven is that his mother will abandon him after she leaves his sight. Our culture does nothing to try to reverse that fear, but in fact does things to reinforce it. Just look at some of the movies that the beloved Disney Corporation puts out that heightens this fear: the classic, “Bambi,” “101 Dalmations,” and even the recent “Finding Nemo.” Think about the Disney and Pixar movies that play on the fear of those who find themselves as orphans and under the care of “wicked step-mothers” or just find themselves completely abandoned, like Cinderella, Snow White, and Shrek. Then there’s the Toy Story guys, Woody and Buzz Lightyear who fall into the hands of their owner’s evil neighbor kid. I know there are others I could mention, but I think you get the picture. The common fear is, “What’s going to happen to us when our Mom and Dad have left us?”
Beginning last Thursday, one of the shortest “seasons” of the Church Year started – Ascensiontide – which ends this Saturday at the First Vespers of Pentecost. On the Feast of the Ascension, we read in Acts 1:11, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”
All forty days from the Resurrection to this moment of the Ascension – Jesus was making surprise appearances to his many followers. He appeared to the two on “The Road to Emmaus” and then suddenly disappeared. Without warning, he appeared in the midst of the frightened disciples who had been hiding behind locked doors. He’s seen “here” and then “there.” You could say He was playing a game of divine “Peek-A-Boo.” In fact, that’s what you do with your babies. “Now you see – now you don’t.” Do you realize there’s more than a little game going on here? This is not really something designed just to get a laugh at the expense of your baby. You are, in fact, teaching them to not panic or fear when Mommy or Daddy is suddenly out of their sight.
Of course, chronologically, our Gospel Lesson today takes place before Christ’s Passion which precedes His Ascension. But I believe it is assigned today – after the Ascension and before the Feast of Pentecost – to help us get into the heads of the disciples who were actually living through this.
Imagine some of the unrecorded conversations among the disciples that might have taken place after seeing Jesus vanish from their sight.
“Ummm….so what happens next?”
“What do we do now?”
“When do you think He will return?”
“We don’t know how to build a Church.”
“What’s a Church?” All we know is how to worship in the synagogues and Temple.”
“Hey, has anyone here read The Purpose-Driven Church? That will tell us how.”
“Heck, we don’t have any billboards, radio, tv or newspapers to advertise in!”
“So, how are we supposed to “build” His Church?
“How are we supposed to communicate this “Good News” without the internet, Facebook, or Twitter?”
“Duh….Al Gore hasn’t been born to invent those yet, you dummy!”
Then one of the disciples says to another, “You know, they killed Jesus for speaking the Truth. What do you think they will do to us?”
Then another speaks up and says, “You guys remember something Jesus said, about “a disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord?” [Matt.10:24, Lk. 6:40]
“Yeah, I don’t like the sound of that! That means that what they did to Him, they will do to us!” Then John slaps Peter and says, “Shape up man! Don’t forget that the Master went on to remind us with Matthew 10:28 “…And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” WHAT are you talking about man? Matthew’s last name is not 1028!
You laugh, but we read these accounts from Scripture and just assume that these men and women knew how everything was going to turn out. Imagine you men as the apostles and all you women as the “myrrh-bearing” women (equal to the Apostles) and on this last Thursday, YOUR Master, whom you grieved over the cruel punishment and violent death, He unjustly received a few weeks ago, and then later were overjoyed to see Him back with you, are now in that roller-coaster of despair and have now watched Him disappear again from your sight. When He left you, He left you behind as this small band of his believing faithful to be known as St. Andrew’s Orthodox Mission.
“Now go build My Church,” He tells you.
Well, that’s just great. Do you see the size of this building and congregation? You mean, we’re supposed to follow that priest? Don’t you know how inadequate he is? How are we going to build Christ’s Church when we don’t have a sign by the road telling the public we exist, or have our phone number in the phone book? It looks like the President will be cutting back the tax deductions for “charitable giving” – so, our collections will probably go down. How can we “build His Church” when we don’t even have a Youth Director, Choir Director, or Evangelism Director? Heck, we don’t even sing with overhead PowerPoint presentations; and we don’t have two bathrooms in this place or a snack-shop with Starbucks!
My friends, the men and women who lived out these fearful days between the Ascension and Pentecost had NO IDEA of what to do next, much less how to do it! ALL they had were the words of promise from their Messiah, who said, “When the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.”
So, we await “The Comforter.”
Lest you get the idea that it means a heavenly version of the recent Christmas gift sensation of “The Snuggie”; the Greek word for “Comforter” is paracletos. The “Paraclete” means “one called along-side to help.” Oh, thank God for the Comforter! So, what next?
“And ye shall bear witness….” Oh, so all I have to do is simply tell my friends and neighbors about Jesus? Well, I wish it was just that simple. The word “witness” is the Greek word, “martureos.” Martureos is the root of our English word….martyr; and we all know what THAT means, don’t we?
Chances are you’ll win the Power-Ball lottery AND then get struck by lightening before you will ever be in a position to be told, “Renounce Christ or die.” So, realistically, how are we do be “martyrs” for the faith in the 21st century? Really, the same way it was in the first century.
We are reminded today in the epistle of Blessed Saint Peter, “the end of all things is at hand; be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” “Watching unto prayer” involves a death of a sort; death to your selfish desires. Pray? NO ONE can truly say, “I don’t have the time.” The true answer is, “I don’t want to take the time to pray daily; either at home or at Saturday Vespers or Sunday Matins.”
Peter continues to remind us, “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves; for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging…” And there too, is a form of martyrdom….death to our self-interests as we put the needs of others above our own.
So, Jesus has ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right-hand of the Father. We see His flesh no longer………or do we? IF you are an Orthodox Christian, every time the priest lifts up the Chalice and Body and proclaims, “Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who taketh away the sins of the world” – you DO see Him!
At the beginning of our worship this morning, the Introit which the choir sang had the words, “Hearken unto my voice, O Lord, when I cry unto thee, alleluia; unto thee my heart hath said, Thy face have I sought, thy face, Lord, will I seek; O hide not thou thy face from me. The Lord is my light and my salvation; who then shall I fear.”
There are things that could happen this week which could potentially stop you in your tracks and cause you to turn away from following Christ. But before you act on that impulse, remember that TODAY, the Lord urges you to seek His face. He promises to show you His face. He promises to send “One Called Alongside to Help.” Hear Him afresh when He says to you, “I will not leave you comfortless; I go away and come again unto you, and your heart shall rejoice.” Alleluia!
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, one God. Amen.