Where the Work Begins

Acts 1: 1 – 14

 

Mark’s gospel ended so abruptly – and as a result, right after celebrating the resurrection, we are leaping into the book of Acts, and a story typically saved for the Ascension – often celebrated several weeks from now, closer to Pentecost, when we celebrate the arrival of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church. 

 

So if you are someone who has done a lot of church in your lifetime, this might feel out of order.

But if you are new to some of this – maybe it feels very logical.  The narrative lectionary – the reading plan that we are using to order our worship themes – is intended to help us see the BIG story of God over the course of a year, in hopes that we will begin to see how we are a part of that big story…not just observers but participants.

 

In the bible, after the resurrection, all of the gospels except for Mark’s have the disciples encountering Jesus. They meet him on the road and in the upper room, they have meals with him.  He gives the disciples assignments for how to carry forward his ministry and encouragement for the work to come.

 

Acts of the Apostles, the book from which today’s text and texts over the next few weeks are drawn, was written by the same author that wrote Luke’s gospel. Luke’s gospel focuses on the story of Jesus and Acts focuses on how the apostles took Jesus’ teachings out into the world.  

 

Perhaps an important footnote to prepare us for the next stage of our journey is to note that the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is active and present, woven throughout Luke’s gospel and that continues in the book of Acts.  

 

And so here in the first chapter of Acts, Jesus is with the disciples, having instructed them to stay in Jerusalem (which is different from Mark’s gospel – where they are told to go on to Galilee to meet Jesus there). In Jerusalem they are to wait for God the Father to baptize them with the Holy Spirit.

 

They gather together with Jesus and ask if NOW is the time when Jesus will restore the kingdom to Israel.

 

Let’s recap a little – throughout Jesus’ ministry, the disciples are catching glimpses of what Jesus is called to. People identify him as Messiah, and Son of Man, and Son of David. There are expectations that he has the power to wrest Israel from the grasp of Rome. As he entered into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the crowd greeted him as a military hero.  He was ultimately crucified by Roman power as an example of what would happen to those challenging the status quo.  At every step along the way, the disciples have lacked clarity about what exactly Jesus would do to restore Israel.

 

They are STILL asking the question in the wake of the resurrection. 

 

OK…you died. You were resurrected. NOW are we going to restore the Kingdom to the Israelites, to God’s chosen people?

 

And Jesus responds that it is not for them to know the time for the Father’s work. But he tells them that they will receive power from the Holy Spirit – and when that happens, their work will be to share their testimony – to bear witness to what Jesus has done and who Jesus is – not just in Jerusalem but in all of Judea, Samaria AND TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH.

 

So thoughts about restoring the Kingdom to Israel would be quite small by comparison.

 

And then, Jesus is lifted up through the clouds and simply disappears.

 

They have witnessed all of the miracles, including the miracle of an empty tomb and Jesus showing up once dead and now alive in their midst. And now before their very eyes, Jesus disappears into the heavens.

 

Can you imagine them standing there, gaping upward?

When along come two men in white robes – cue the angels – saying to them, why are you just standing there?

 

You see….they have heard what will be next. They are to wait for God to send the Holy Spirit. And once that has happened, their work, by the power of the Holy Spirit will be to go and tell about all that they have seen, all that they know, all that Jesus has done, and all that the Holy Spirit will do TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH.

 

They will not just go and tell, but according to John’s gospel, they will be sent to do even greater works than Jesus has done. By the power of the Holy Spirit they will teach and heal and cast out demons.

 

And so, the disciples make the quick trip from where they were (on the Mt of Olives) back into the walled city of Jerusalem, where they gather in an upper room near the Temple to prayerfully wait, the 11 remaining disciples and the trusted women who have been traveling and working with them along with Jesus’ brothers.

 

Maybe one of the gifts of the abrupt ending of Mark’s gospel on Resurrection Sunday is an essence of urgency that is supported by this story from Acts. As we said last week, clearly someone told somebody something because the story moves forward from the empty tomb.  And now the time of hanging out with the Risen Christ has ended – and the disciples have been put on notice.

God is going to send the Holy Spirit. And when God does that, your work will be to tell the good news to the ends of the earth.

 

So while you can stay in Jerusalem for now, know this – your work is beyond Jerusalem.

While you can stay together now, praying and praising, know this – your work is well beyond your prayer and praise.

 

While you can wait for now, you know the drill – you will be sent out into the world so that others know about Jesus and God and the Holy Spirit.

 

Folks, this is our call as well.

Not too long after I got here, I set off a little firestorm for declaring that we are not called to worship Jesus. We are called to FOLLOW Jesus. 

 

I recognize sound bites are dangerous, and so let’s get serious about unpacking that.  Our work, our mission, is not to worship. Our mission is to tell of God’s love and equip disciples for God’s work in the world.

We worship as a way of thanking God for who God is and what God does. We worship as a way of resting our spirits in the thirst-quenching living water given by Christ. But our work – our work is to FOLLOW JESUS out into the world to be light and salt and good news.

 

Because while they disciples were called to return to Jerusalem and wait, that waiting was known to be temporary, to be a time for watching and discerning, a time of preparation. BUT the next step was to GO to the ends of the earth.

 

In the season of Easter, we’ve been on an emotional roller coaster with expectations and disappointments, surprises and miracles. We have enjoyed some amazing worship.

 

Can’t we just stay here and enjoy our beautiful sanctuary, our beautiful music, our lovely worship? 

 

There is a time for worship. A time for prayerful discernment. And that is NOT the work to which we are called. The world is hurting and needs to know about God’s love.

And so we will prepare our hearts and our minds to go.

To leave our sanctuaries to see the world’s hurts with our own eyes. 

To go into the world to love like Jesus with our hands and with our hearts, with our time, our talent and our treasure.

To go into the world to point to what God is doing in our midst and sing God’s praises out there.

 

May it be so.

Amen.