Sermon Text for May 24

The following is the sermon text for Sunday, May 24.  Dennis Sanders, the Associate Minister at First Christian, gave the sermon.

“Transitions”

Acts 1:1-11, Luke 24:44-53

May 24, 2009

Ascencion Sunday

First Christian Church

Minneapolis, MN

This year marks a big year of change for me.  Actually, it is the remembrance of a big change in my life.  Next Sunday will mark 22 years since I graduated from high school.  It was on that exact day, that I got to wear the cap and gown and get my diploma.  It’s hard to believe that so much time has passed already since I graduated.

But as important as that event was, this is not the big change that I am talking about.

That change took place several months after I had graduated from Powers Catholic High School.  The day I’m talking about is the day I left home for college.

I had been accepted to attend Michigan State University.  Located in East Lansing, a suburb of the Lansing, the captial of Michigan, MSU was about an hours drive away from my hometown of Flint.  I remember getting up that morning and making sure we had brought everything I needed for my dorm.  My parents and I got into their Buick LeSabre and made the journey to East Lansing.  That Friday morning was the first day people could move in.  I remember unloading the car and moving into my dorm room.  My roommate had not yet arrived.  We got everything moved in and I said my goodbyes to my parents as they made their way back to Flint.

I have to say that I was looking forward to this day with anticipation and fear.  It was a new experience and I was excited, but it also meant being away from my parents and all that I had known for nearly 18 years.  As I went to bed that night in my new surroundings, it felt like Flint and my parents were a million miles away from me.

This isn’t to say that college was a horrible experience. It was a good time.  I believe I truly grew from time.  But change is never easy and I was reminded of that as I went from being a teenager to a young adult.

We all face a time in our lives when we face some great unknown, when all that we knew is no more and we are left wondering what they next steps are.  One can think of some of our young men and women as they graduate from college into one of the worse job markets in decades.  They are leaving behind the security of academia and heading into…well God knows what.

On Thursday, we celebrated a big day in the life of the Church, the Day Ascenscion, when we remember when Jesus ends his ministry on earth to meet up again with God.

You probably didn’t even know Thursday was Ascencsion Day.  That’s okay, save our Catholic sisters and brothers, like those at the Spirit of St. Stephen’s, most Protestants don’t even know this day exists.  But is an important day leading up to the day of Pentecost.  It’s the day that Jesus passes on the torch to his disciples and in essence, to us.  We are called to share God’s message of hope with the world and we are reminded that even though Jesus is not visible, Jesus is present with the church, as we continue his ministry.

In reading the texts for today, I noticed a bit of difference in the writings from Luke and Acts, which is a bit odd since they are written by the same person.  In Luke Jesus opens the minds of the disciples to the Scriptures and then ascends in to heaven.  The book of Luke ends with the disciples heading back to Jerusalem, praising God.

Acts has a completely different picture.  One of the disciples ask, “Is this the time you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” Jesus never asks that question, but says that the disciples will be his witnesses throughout the world.  Just then, he ascends into heaven.  It’s then that things get a bit comical to me.  Two angels appear and asks the disciples, “Why are you looking up into heaven?  Jesus will be coming back, so be cool.  Relax.”

Now, for me, I resonate a lot more with that second text than the first, at least at first blush.  The gospel text seems so peaceful and the disciples seem to be “with it.” Jesus goes up to heaven and they head back to town as if it was a party.  But in Acts the disciples are bit more clueless and probably scared to death.  The angel asks why they are looking up towards heaven.  I know why…they wanted Jesus to come back.  What was he doing leaving them?  What did he mean that we would be his witnesses? He surely couldn’t have meant someone like Peter over there, who keeps putting his foot in his mouth all the time.

The disciples were going through a time of transition, a time of change, and like any normal person, they were not one bit pleased about this.  They wanted things to remain the same.

But things could not remain the same.  For the church to be, Jesus had to move on.  Jesus was entrusting his ministry to a bunch of people who might not seem ready for the big leagues.  Nevertheless, that’s what Jesus does.  “It’s in your hands now, ” Jesus says.  “But know that I am with you and that I will send the Holy Spirit to empower you.”

In some ways, these passages remind me of what we as a faith community here at First Christian are dealing with.  We are dealing with profound change.  This was once a large city church and now we are a much smaller community wondering how we can be a ministry when we seem so small.
The disciples probably knew they were not the most learned people in the world.  Most were poor fishermen from the boondocks. But the thing is, we are given the same promise that Jesus gave his friends so long ago.  Jesus reminds us that we are not alone.  Next Sunday, we celebrate Pentecost, the birthday of the church.  It is on that day we get confirmation that we are not alone when the Holy Spirit comes and empowers the disciples.  The book of Acts is a journey of the Spirit moving among these once timid followers as empowered by the Spirit they really do go from Jersualem, Samaria and the ends of the earth.

What the Ascencion reminds us is that we have work to do.  We are Christ’s witnesses, even though we have never seen Jesus.  We have seen Christ power at work thought acts of justice, when we remember our baptisms and when we gather around the communion table every Sunday.  Ascencion reminds us that church is not a building, but  a community.  We are the church and this building is our staging grounds, we were get refreshed and charged to go out into the world and preach Christ.  We are called to show love in word and in deed to the outcast, to feed the hungry and care for the poor.  When people see us as members of First Christian doing these things in the name of Jesus, when we share our daily lives as followers of Christ, we are witnesses to Jesus and sharing the gospel with friends and strangers.

First Christian is at a transition point and that is scary.  We have no idea what the future holds and that’s scary.  But we do know that we are held by God.  We are reminded that  we are loved by God and we are reminded every Sunday at the Communion Table.  Tranistions can be scary, but they can be exciting; opening us to a whole new experience.

Back in 1987, things were changing for me and that was scary.  But now looking back, I can see what an amazing ride it has been and look forward to the journey ahead.  The disciples were looking up to heaven and wanted Jesus back.  But I have to think that years later, they were amazed at how God had guided them, and how they were able to be witnesses to the goodness of God in all of the world.

First Christian, we are going though change it scares the hell out of us.  But we are not alone.  God is with us.  Get ready for an amazing ride.  Thanks be to God. Amen.