Ascending to Heaven
Rev. Finley Schaef, preaching
Park Slope United Methodist Church
Brooklyn, NY
Ascension Sunday,
May 19,
1996
SCRIPTURE Today's appointed lessons are from I Peter and Acts. May God empower us with believing hearts, so that hearing the promises in Scripture we may have hope.
(1) Let those who suffer according to God's will do all the good they can and entrust their souls to a faithful Creator. (I Peter 4:19)
(2) When the apostles had come together they asked Jesus: "Will you now restore the Kingdom to Israel?" Jesus said, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which have been fixed by God's authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judaea and Samaria and to the end of the earth." And having said this, as the apostles were looking on, Jesus was lifted up and carried on a cloud out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven, two figures stood by them in white robes and said, "People of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will return in the same way as you saw him go." Then the apostles returned from Mount Olivet and went to the upper room in Jerusalem, where the men and women, including Mary the mother of Jesus and the brothers of Jesus, devoted themselves in prayer. (Acts 1:6-14)
Our text this morning is from I Peter: "Let those who suffer entrust their souls to a faithful Creator."
The Ascension story in the Gospel of John is our second text. It has a certain fascination about it.
The question life continually confronts us with is not: how do we avoid pain and emotional torment? Avoidance is not an option. William Blake says it best: "We were made for Joy and Woe, and when this we rightly know, through the world we safely go. Joy and Woe are woven fine, a clothing for the soul divine."
There's no other way, no other path to walk in this life, than the path of happiness and sorrow, fulfillment and disappointment.
This past week, little Amos, darling newborn son of Sally & Craig, was rushed to the hospital with a 102 fever. Scott's father was admitted to the same hospital and the fear is a cancer which has spread; the biopsy has been performed but the results haven't come back yet. Larry McGaughey told us about his anxiety last Sunday and the test reports on Monday showed that the melanoma is local and has not spread in his body, and we are very grateful for that.
All of us can tell similar stories. Sarah's sister has fallen into a terrible tragedy. She has a swimming pool in her backyard and her next-door neighbor's little boy climbed through the fence, fell into the pool and drowned. Things can be all of a tranquil piece one day -- then rent in two by a calamity the next. Such events are not extraordinary; they happen every day and we must continually be building up our faith in order to support others, but also to prepare for the day they may happen to us.
No, the question that life continually confronts us with is not how do we avoid trials and troubles, but how do we keep strong in the face of them? How do we keep from fainting and fading away? How do we maintain our faith and power?
In entirely different language, the text from I Peter and the text from Acts answer the question of how to deal with the suffering caused by the troubles and difficulties in our lives.
Peter has direct and simple advice:
Entrust your soul to a faithful Creator.
Peter's words are almost enchanting: "Entrust your soul to a faithful Creator."
My father-in-law took in a stray cat 2 years ago -- an alley cat, a cat who lives in streets and backyards, skinny and frightened. After 2 years of TLC, this cat whose name is "Bummer," is healthy and content. Every morning Harold and Bummer go for a walk outside, around the house and up the street. Wherever Harold goes, inside and out, the cat is not far behind. The faith and trust that Bummer has in Harold is obvious and quite lovely.
Such is our faith and trust in God. Wherever God is, we are "not far behind," so to speak. We trust God. We know that we will not be abandoned by our "faithful Creator."
In the Acts story, Jesus tells his followers:
You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.
After saying this he leaves Earth and ascends into Heaven.
As the apostles were looking on, Jesus was lifted up and carried on a cloud out of their sight.
So here are the principal elements in our texts:
The Faithful Creator ~ Heaven to which Jesus ascends ~ The Holy Spirit which Jesus sends back ~ and the Earth.
Let's dramatize these elements. This may seem a trifle awkward and simplistic, but I ask that we do this with reverence. Blake will play the part of Jesus.
AN ENACTMENT OF SCRIPTURE:
We designate the lower area in the sanctuary as Earth ~ the Earth is the world of everyday consciousness, the world that we expeience with our 5 senses. Earth is different from Heaven, but they are the same room, the sanctuary.
Now we designate the upper area, where the pulpit is, as Heaven. Heaven is the spiritual world. Jesus was a Spirit Person, that is, a person who was intimately connected to the spiritual side of existence. Heaven is different from Earth, but they are the same room, the sanctuary.
The Faithful Creator is represented by the music [organ plays "Amazing Grace"] God who made it all and is beyond the Earth and present everywhere in the Earth ~
Christ ascends to Heaven [Blake walks up] ~
>From there Christ sends back The Holy Spirit to all the creatures on Earth.
This is how the Bible wants us to see the essence of our existence: as Earthly and Heavenly. Christ has left the earthly realm but continues to empower it through the Holy Spirit.
But something crucial is missing from this picture. What is it? It's the people who follow Christ here on earth -- receiving the Holy Spirit. Look at the last sentence in the Acts text.
Then the apostles returned from Mount Olivet and went to the upper room in Jerusalem, where the men and women, including Mary the mother of Jesus and the brothers of Jesus, devoted themselves in prayer.
AN ENACTMENT OF SCRIPTURE: Again, let us enact the scripture with the people receiving the Spirit, and let us do this with reverence. [Position the persons that pray] ~
The Faithful Creator is represented by the music ~
Christ ascends to Heaven ~
>From there Christ sends back The Holy Spirit to all the creatures on Earth ~
On the Earth his followers are "devoted in prayer" ~ [all of the congregation were asked to be in a receptive attitude of prayer -- there was a period of silence, with Christ holding his arms out in an attitude of bestowing, and the organ playing "Amazing Grace"]
Sometimes people say, "Meditation is listening to God & prayer is talking to God." But to say that prayer is talking to God is a half-truth. Talking to God is the first dynamic of prayer. The second dynamic of prayer is receiving -- receiving power -- receiving the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes people complain: "God didn't answer my prayer," meaning they didn't get what they prayed for. But did they receive power?
It is absolutely imperative that we learn to pray & that we practice prayer -- not only here in our worship, but also in our committee and circle meetings, our retreats, in our homes, and in our solitude. We must reflect more often upon the meaning of prayer in our lives. God help us.
Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, un-uttered or expressed -- the motion of a hidden fire that trembles in the breast.
o thou, by whom we come to god, the life, the truth, the way -- the path of prayer thyself hast trod, lord teach us how to pray!
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