“Why Look Up?” (Acts 1:1-11)

I love my grandchildren . . . and I love goofing off with them.  This is definitely a role I can play as Grandpa.  They always must be on their toes around me . . . especially when it comes to the sock monster and spider.  They need to aware and always on their toes.  They never know what Grandpa is going to do next.

One of the so-called games I like to play involves them standing in front of me.  I show them my hand and place it above my head.  I tell them to watch the airplane and then make my hand move around like an airplane.  Then I double check with them to make sure they are watching the airplane . . . and then, suddenly, I bring my other hand (which is way down here) up to their bellies and tickle them while saying, “Watch out for the submarine!”  Of course, the scream is followed by laughter.

 

They fall for it every time.

 

They get caught every time because they are so busy watching the one hand that is the airplane that they never see or expect the other hand catching them from below.

 

Today is Ascension Sunday.  This is the day that the “church” has set aside to celebrate the ascension of the risen Jesus up to heaven.  Our scripture reading describes it quite plainly.  As Jesus is talking to the disciples . . . giving them last minute instructions . . . “he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.”  And . . . poof!  He was gone.  Of course, while they are looking up, they get submarined by a couple of possible angels.  The two guys in white want to know why they are looking up.

 

“. . . why do you stand here looking into the sky?” they ask.

 

Now that is a good . . . no, great . . . question when you actually think about it.  In the instructions that Jesus gives to the disciples before ascending up to heaven, he tells them that they will be blessed with the Holy Spirit . . . “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  Now mind you, he tells them that they will be “his witnesses” . . . they will bear the responsibility of putting into practice all that he has shown and taught them . . . the responsibility of doing his ministry . . . the responsibility of sharing his “good news”.  That is the game plan.

 

But . . . they want to know when Jesus is going to restore the kingdom.  Which has nothing to do with what Jesus is wanting them to do . . . he wants them to get to work being his witnesses.  And Jesus is blunt with them in his answer . . . it really is none of their business.  As far as Jesus was concerned, he had given them a job and they were to do it.  The restoration of the kingdom wasn’t their problem.  Jesus wanted them to get to work.

 

Which brings us back to the question posed to the disciples: “Why do you stand here looking into the sky?”

 

All the action is down here.

 

We are not blessed with the Spirit to sit around, looking up at the sky, and waiting for the heavens to fall onto earth.  No, we have been equipped to follow in the footsteps of Jesus . . . equipped to share the “good news” . . . and to minister to our fellow sojourners in this journey we call faith.  We are equipped to do as Jesus commanded . . . to love the Lord and express that love in the way that we love and treat others.  To build our present reality into the kingdom that is yet to come.  We were not blessed to walk around looking up.

 

As it was then, it still is today . . . there is plenty for us to do right where we are.  But we cannot do it if we are constantly looking up and missing everything that is going on around us.  I don’t think that there is anyone in this sanctuary who can honestly say that there is nothing to be done for Jesus in the world we are living in today.  As I said there is plenty to do.

 

Like what, you ask.

 

You do not have to go far to find something that Jesus would want us to address.  Check out the evening news.  There are plenty of examples on the news . . . things that we have often thought and said would be much better if people would only do what Jesus said to do.

 

Hunger, for example.  Why are there still people going to bed at night hungry?  Why do we need food pantries to provide food for those who can’t afford it?  We have been told that there is plenty of food for everyone . . . that no one has to go to bed hungry . . . and, yet, we see the numbers of those hungry in our nation and the world rising.  Throwing food to the people does not solve the problem . . . that is a Band-Aid.  The problem is how to address the monopoly of international businesses who control the food for the pleasure of their profit.  How to make it fair and accessible to everyone.

 

What about the homeless?  There seem to be more and more homeless in a time when the housing market has gone crazy.  No one can afford to buy a house.  Rental property has skyrocketed . . . no one can afford to rent.  And besides, there is nothing to rent, and what is available is often subpar for living in.  People are living in campers or their cars.  Families are doubling and tripling up.  There is no such thing as affordable housing.  Again, how do we address this problem . . . how would Jesus address this problem?  How do we make something as basic as housing fair and accessible for everyone?

 

Those are only two issues.  There are many more.  We have war.  We have famine.  We have the issue of the stewardship of the land with climate change.  We have racism.  We have politics.  We have growing population of those who are aging and the decline in the services that they need.  We have a health problem . . . no, actually an insurance problem, with people unable to afford insurance.  There is a divisiveness tearing apart our nation, our churches, and families.  There is so much that Jesus would have us address.

 

None of that is floating around up there.  It is all down here where we are.  The work is down here and not up there.  Not knowing when the time when the Kingdom of God will appear, you would think that we would want to work at easing the kingdom in by doing what we can down here.  That we would go about doing the work of Jesus.  That we would work on loving God and allowing that love to be demonstrated in what we do daily.

 

On this Ascension Sunday we are reminded by a couple of guys in white that the action is down here where we are.  That that is where we need to focus on energy.  That we were not equipped by the Holy Spirit to star gaze, but to be witnesses for Jesus.  And our witness is not in the words that we speak but in the way that we embody the teachings and words of Jesus to love.

 

We can’t do that if we are looking up.  Amen. 

“In the End” (John 13:31-35 & Acts 11:11-18)

The New York Times declared in a 1964 article that the most segregated time in the United States was at 11:00AM.  That is the time that people gather in their local churches to worship. Research as recent as 2022 concludes that this still remains the case in the United States.  In Paris, Kentucky—where my wife Dana grew up, there are two Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) congregations. One, First Christian Church has been there for nearly 200 years; the other, Seventh Street Christian Church has been there for over 155 years.  They are located several blocks from each other.  One is the white congregation; the other is the black.  Even though they both espouse to believe the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) beliefs, they have never joined to form one congregation.

 

Though there is a smattering of diversity in both congregations they are predominantly a black congregation and a white congregation.  They are segregated.  As is most of our nation on Sunday mornings.

 

I wonder . . . why.  Why if they believe in the same Jesus?  Why if they believe in the same tenets of faith?  Why if they declare themselves to be of the same faith movement—the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)?  Why if they believe in the same God?  Why would there be two congregations of the same faith in a community where both are struggling to remain viable and vital congregations?

 

Well, shoot . . . why do we have six congregations here in Joliet!

 

Makes one sit up and ponder, doesn’t it?

 

A couple of weeks ago we heard the conversion story about the Apostle Paul.  Heard how he was once known as Saul—a feared persecutor of those who were the followers of Jesus and became Paul one of Christianity’s greatest defenders and evangelist . . . a real saint!  As you know of Paul’s story, he began his ministry within the synagogues but was quickly rejected.  Being rejected he took the ministry to those outside the synagogues . . . he took it to the streets to the Gentiles.  In the Gentiles he found a willing audience to the Good News of Jesus.  During the tenure of his ministry Paul was quite successful in establishing congregations of the faithful.  At the same time, those of the original followers . . . well, they rejected both Paul and the congregations.

 

One of the reasons was that Gentiles had never been Jews.  The popular argument in this arena was circumcision.  Gentiles had not been circumcised and many of the those who had been Jews first felt that these outsiders had to be circumcised.  This was not real popular among the adult Gentiles.  The bottom line was that the Gentiles were not like the Jews . . . different backgrounds, different histories, and different cultures.  In the minds of those who argued against the Gentiles becoming followers of the way they had to first become Jewish.

 

Another part of this argument is what we heard in our reading from the Book of Acts.  Peter had apparently gone to Joppa where he had entered a house of uncircumcised men and ate with them . . . not only did he eat with them, but he ate “unholy food”.  Of course, by “unholy food” it was meant kosher.  For this he was criticized by the other apostles.  Now Peter, firmly ensconced in this way of thinking himself, defends himself by telling them of a vision he received.  In the vision he is surrounded by all sorts of unkosher foods.  Then a voice tells him, “Get up, Peter.  Kill and eat.”

 

In his story he tells those listening that he opposed such actions because he would never let anything “impure or unclean” enter his body.  Which seemed to offend the voice that was speaking to him: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”  Peter tells them that this happened three times . . . imagine that!  Then he is invited by some Gentiles to come and eat at their house, and he went.  Then he told those gathered, “So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”

 

Peter’s revelation was quite simple . . . though the Gentiles were different they had the same gift as did the followers of Jesus.  They had all been touched by God . . . they had all been blessed with the Holy Spirit.  Though they may have looked and acted differently, they were still chosen by God.  They were one of the family.  In Peter’s mind and in his argument with the others, who was he—or anyone else for that matter--to deny these people a place in God’s family?

 

It is human nature for people to gather in groups that have similarities.  We humans are attracted to others who are like us.  Thus, it should be no surprise that when we gather to worship most of those gathered with us are like us.  Differences make us feel uneasy.  We like things the way that we can understand them, and we understand ourselves and those who are like us.  It should not be a surprise then that Sunday mornings at 11:00AM is the most segregated time of the week.

 

Years ago, Groucho Marx said, “I wouldn’t want to belong to a club that would have a me as a member.”  That is human nature.  Birds of a feather flock together.  Yet, the table of grace is set by God through the actions of Jesus for everyone.  No one is denied a place at the table for all are the children of God.  All are wanted.  All are welcomed.

 

Peter came to this conclusion with a little help from God.  After the vision Peter experienced the hospitality of strangers . . . he was welcomed . . . he was fed . . . and, he was loved.  There in the actions of strangers . . . people different than himself . . . he was loved.

 

Love is a sign of the Spirit.

 

In our other reading this morning from the Gospel of John, Jesus is speaking to his disciples prior to all the activity that would take place in Jerusalem that last week of his life.  In his words to his disciples, he tells them a new command: “A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

 

Did you hear what Jesus said?  “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

 

In the end it all comes down to love.  This is the sign of the divine . . . a sign of the Holy . . . that we love.  It is not a matter of whether or not we all live our lives alike . . . whether we eat the same foods . . . read the same version of the Bible . . . or even worship in the same way.  It comes down to love and the way that love is manifested in our lives.  God did not create us in the same way.  We are all unique in who we are as a child of God.  Because of that we should not be expected to experience God in the same way; nor should we be expected to relate to God in the same way.  But because we are loved we are expected to love others as God has loved us.  At least that is what Jesus expected . . . that is what Peter experienced in Joppa.

 

In the Peter’s story this morning, what he was dealing with was not God’s issue . . . it was Peter’s issue.  As far as God was concerned it wasn’t an issue at all.  Everyone is welcomed as far as God is concerned.  It was Peter who had the problem and it had nothing to do with God at all . . . it was all wrapped in his humanness.  So, it is with many of the issues we face in our world today . . . what we want as humans too often goes against what we know God wants. 

 

How do we know?

 

In the hymn, They’ll Know We Are Christians, it states:

 

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord

And we pray that our unity will one day be restored

And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love

Yeah they’ll know we are Christians by our love

 

In the end it all comes down to love.  Peter discovered it.  Jesus spoke it: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  It is the only way we will ever change the world.  It is the only way the Kingdom of God will come.  In the end it is love.  Amen.

“Resurrection Encounters” (Acts 9:1-20)

On the church’s Facebook page there is a daily quote for people to contemplate.  One day this past week the quote was by Mahatma Gandhi.  The quote said: “No human being is so bad as to be beyond redemption.”  That quote got some reaction considering the actions of war against Ukraine by the Russian president Vladimir Putin.  Some wondered if that was true . . . that even Putin could be redeemed?  Also, over the past couple of weeks there have been requests for prayer for Putin . . . that he have a change of heart and stop the evil he has inflicted.  Though not spoken out loud, I imagine there were thoughts floating around about whether even prayer could help Putin.

 

Vladimir Putin is not a popular person.  He does not rank high on most people’s lists of admired people.  Instead, he is being called the epitome of evil for waging war on Ukraine.  Never a popular person in the United States, he has succeeded in extending that across the world.  He is despised.  Which raises the question of whether there is hope for him . . . that he can be redeemed . . . that he can see the light . . . that he can be saved.

 

I don’t know. 

 

But this raises a bigger question . . . if he were saved, would we believe it?  Would we trust him?

 

Again, I don’t know.

 

Our scripture reading this morning talks about a redemption story . . . the story of Saul who becomes Paul.  As far as the followers of Jesus were concerned, Saul was a despicable character.  A “bad guy” as far as they were concerned.  We are told in the Book of Acts that “. . . Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.”  Saul had appointed himself a persecutor of those who were followers of Jesus . . . those who proclaimed themselves of “the Way”.  He went around persecuting and arresting followers having them punished even to the point of death.  He was not popular . . . he was feared.

 

Yet, we know that Saul is redeemed . . . that he is saved . . . that he becomes Paul . . . and becomes a leader among the disciples of Jesus.  The Book of Acts tells us this.  He is riding along the road to Damascus when suddenly a light flashed around him, and he fell to the ground.  He hears a voice asking, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  It is the voice of Jesus.

 

Blinded, he is told to get up and go to Damascus and wait for instructions.  For three days he sits in the darkness.  In the meantime, a disciple named Ananias is given a vision.  In the vision he is told to go and place his hands upon Saul to restore his sight.  Now you would think that Ananias would jump right up and go do what he is told to do . . . but, no!  Ananias is taken back . . . he is shocked.  He knows the reputation of Saul and he wants nothing to do with him.  He argues and he is told: “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.”  Though he does as he is told, I imagine he went to Saul with trepidation and fear in his heart . . . after all, this is Saul we are talking about.

 

Ananias does as he is told.  He placed his hands on Saul and he is healed of his blindness.  He was baptized and after several days with other disciples he went out and began preaching the Good News of Jesus.  Thus, it was that the meanest, toughest, despised persecutor of the followers of Jesus becomes a leading disciple.

 

Can you believe it?

 

Sure, we can because we know the story.  We get the benefit of knowing the story and not having to experience it for ourselves . . . of having to be there while it was happening.  Had we been there—and not knowing how it all ends, could we believe that Saul was redeemed?  Would we trust Saul turned Paul?  Would we jump on the bandwagon with him?  Or, knowing what we know of his reputation, view him with some wariness?  Would we still walk a wide path around him?

 

What would you do?

 

As I said, we know the story.  We know of Paul’s ministry.  We know of his impact on the early church.  The guy becomes a saint!  As far as we, who know the story, are concerned . . . Paul was redeemed.  He became a “good guy”.  But we weren’t there.

 

I would say that Paul’s ministry was rocky and tough.  He was not well-received in the beginning.  Those in the synagogues that he preached at ignored what he had to share . . . some even kicked him out.  Thus, he takes the Good News to the Gentiles . . . a people who have no real clue as to who he was or is.  Even those who were Jesus’ original disciples did not receive him with open arms . . . they seemed to always be leery of Paul and his ministry—unless he was bearing money for the church in Jerusalem.  Remember that Paul always seemed to be arguing his credentials to prove that he was redeemed and belonged. 

 

Paul’s story is an Easter story . . . a story of resurrection, redemption, and new life.  We know it as we have heard the story of God’s grace and love through Jesus for Paul.  Paul came to see.  In seeing he lived for God and God’s Kingdom.  We know the story.  God’s grace and love are such a powerful mystery that even the most despicable can be redeemed . . . or so it seems. 

 

But can a person like Vladimir Putin be redeemed?

 

I don’t know.  On the surface—as a follower of Jesus, I imagine that I would hope so because that would be the right thing to do.  But deep down—if we are going to be honest . . . well, that is a different story.  I’m not sure I believe that Putin deserves redemption.  But that is not mine to decide . . . that is God’s to decide.

 

If redeemed, would I open my arms and embrace Putin in welcome to God’s family?  Would I believe that he had changed . . . that he could be trusted? Again, on one hand—on the surface I imagine I could fake it; while on the other hand I’d keep that guy as far away from me as I can.  It is human nature and we all would.

 

Redemption is in the hands of God and God offers it equally to all of God’s children.  It is not up to any of us whether we understand it or not.  That is the beauty and grace of the Easter story . . . we can all have our resurrection encounter . . . we can all be redeemed no matter who we are.  We can receive the grace and love of God as demonstrated through Jesus.  And it does not matter how good or bad we think or feel we are . . . God loves us.  It is our choice.

 

God’s grace and love is a mystery.  We do not always understand it or agree with it.  It is not ours to give, but only to receive and in return share it with others.  Saul did not understand it, but he was never the same after he received it . . . the old died and the new was born . . . resurrection!  That is the power and mystery of Easter.  May we all remember our own Easter stories and encounters . . . and may we give thanks that we have been chosen to take our place in the family of God.  Amen.