"Up, Up and Away?" - June 5, 2011 Sermon

 

Scripture: Acts 1: 1-14

The Sermon:
Today we celebrate Ascension Sunday…Ascension Day was actually last Thursday… On Ascension Day, the disciples are standing there watching as Jesus does a disappearing act that David Blaine or Criss Angel would be envious of. Jesus goes, Up, Up and Away, disappearing into the clouds. Was He abandoning them? Leaving them to their own devices?

The Ascension must have been a spectacular sight to see ! Equally amazing, to me at least, is the unlikely group with whom He left the Mission. None of these men had grown up as religious leaders…they were fishermen and tax collectors. They had continually misunderstood the parables He told. They fell asleep on the job. In His last days, they had denied they even knew Him. Humanly speaking, those disciples were not the best choice to advance the Good News. That is, until the last 40 days Jesus was on Earth. During that time He opened their eyes to the meaning of Scriptures. The Ascension was, in a sense, the HINGE of their Apostolic mission. It took place between the Resurrection and Pentecost ! It told the Disciples that Jesus’ mission was now THEIR mission. Far from feeling abandoned, they felt empowered. They followed His instructions to “stay in Jerusalem” and wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Ascension Sunday is a time for us to reflect on how WE partner with Jesus in our life and Faith. Do we have a sense of personal mission? Do we feel empowered as we should? Do we see the Gospel as “church work” or as a vocation?

A few things come to mind. One thing is , It is our choice to say YES, to the Call of Christ. Just like the disciples, we can find plenty of reasons, excuses for NOT answering the call to serve. Some I have heard over the years, and used myself are: I haven’t been a Christian long enough…I’m not trained well enough…I haven’t been to seminary…I don’t have enough time because of my job and family… I’m not good enough. Guess what…imperfect people are part of God’s primary plan, not His back-up plan, to share the Gospel. We all have felt or currently feel, inadequate… the power of the Holy Spirit makes us more than adequate and empowers us to accomplish whatever God puts before us.

As post Pentecost Christians, we have been given the same Spirit the disciples received… that means our imitations are no longer a problem. Nor are they an excuse.

Whatever our mission is, we are not alone in it… we are in partnership with God’s Spirit. Knowing this, we pray with a purpose and join with God in doing His mission.

Another thing, Jesus was not going to let the disciples be content to stay in Israel and do their mission there. He told them they would go out to Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. They were to be witnesses to more than just their own natural sphere of influence. We all have a circle of influence: family, friends, co-workers, etc. They are all, for the most part, in our comfort zone. We have to allow the Spirit to guide us out of our areas of comfort in order to fulfill Christ’s call upon our lives.

(Personal testimony)

Ascension Day is the perfect time to take a look at our own personal spheres of influence and ask ourselves this question: Am I advancing my calling or am I staring into the sky as did the disciples, musing over Jesus going Up, Up and Away, and doing nothing more than fantasizing about His return.??

Amen.