The Surprising Gift of Change: Acts 1:1-11 - Ascension of Our Lord (observed)

 [Luke writes:] ¹In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning ²until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. ³After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. ⁴While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me; ⁵for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

  ⁶So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ⁹When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. ¹⁰While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. ¹¹They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (NRSV)

sunrays by Jo Naylor on Flickr. CC BY 2.0

I began my first-ever formal job in a department store in 1999. All employees were required to dress “business casual,” which, for men, meant a button-down Oxford shirt, necktie, and dress pants but no jacket. But over the years, the definition of business casual began to relax. Neckties and Oxford shirts were no longer required. We were even allowed to wear denim on certain days.

But the definition of “business casual” has been radically transformed during the pandemic, particularly for those who went from working at the office to working remotely. Many workers wear whatever they want—T-shirts, athleisure, or pajamas. Others will pair a dress shirt or suit jacket with pajama pants, since they are invisible to the webcam.

Our clothing habits have changed so much that stores like JCPenney, Men’s Wearhouse, and Macy’s are struggling to stay in business.

Everything in our world is changing—and the pandemic has accelerated the pace of change. This puts us in a good position to understand what Jesus’s disciples have been through over the last forty days. 

Today, Jesus appears to his disciples one last time. He gives simple instructions: stay here in Jerusalem, and wait for the Holy Spirit. The disciples thought that Jesus was about to drive the Roman occupiers out of Jerusalem and rule over Israel. This was what generations of Israelites believed the Messiah would do—and one of the biggest reasons why they followed Jesus in the first place.

Instead, he says, now is not that time. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” With that, he is carried off into heaven and vanishes from their sight. So… what now???

Jesus has spoken an incredible promise. God is about to do some amazing things that will change the world. But this is not the change the disciples wanted. 

I feel like we’re in a similar moment right now. There is some positive change happening… Pandemic restrictions are lifting as more and more people receive vaccinations. We are restarting our church’s ministries and reconnecting with each after more than a year apart. But people aren’t breaking down the doors to come back to church. This week we barely avoided the worst fuel crisis since the 1970s. As pandemic restrictions ease for us, Covid-19 is terrorizing the people of India. Meanwhile, Hateful speech and bullets keep flying across the political and racial divides. Prices keep rising and families keep struggling. In these times, I want normalcy—not all this craziness, and certainly not all this change.

As Jesus disappears from their sight, the disciples staring helplessly into the sky know full well: there is no going back to the old normal. And yet, it is in this time of incredible change and uncertainty, God’s mission goes global, and the Church as we know it is born. The disciples will indeed be Jesus’s witnesses “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth,” because of the change Jesus brings about. He ascends and baptizes them with the Holy Spirit. Their failures and their fears will not hold them back. Yes, Jesus’s foes will be their foes, too. They will be harassed, persecuted, imprisoned, and even killed for their public testimony to Jesus. Nevertheless, God’s purposes will prevail in and through them.

We wrongly believe that the greatest obstacles to our life in Christ are the things we cannot change. There is so much crisis, death and decay happening all around us that we assume they are the dominating forces in our world. We see change as the enemy; something to be avoided at all costs. But change is not a threat to our life in Christ. It’s our resistance to change that threatens our life in Christ! We won’t let go of control and let God be God. We don’t seek life in the cross; instead, we seek it in material things, in our achievements, and in the strength of our flesh. 

But God’s power is revealed and disciples are made within the ongoing rhythm of change, death and resurrection. The cross proves this truth: the resurrection life begins in weakness, failure, and devastation. Had not the disciples been through the trauma of Christ’s death and their own failure as disciples, they would not have been able to embrace the gift of the Holy Spirit—or participate in Christ’s brand-new global mission. Resurrection always disrupts the status quo. If you’re going to grow, God is going to need to clear you some room. If this church is going to grow, God is going to have to break down some walls so the good news gets out and the neighbors can get in. If you are to become witnesses to Christ’s power and love, the Spirit will be breaking you out of your comfort zone, cutting loose all the dead weight that holds you back, and turning you inside-out.

Realize that the greatest witnesses to God’s power and love are not the prosperous people who never seem to do wrong, whom nothing bad ever happens. The greatest witnesses are those who’ve ascended from the deepest depths and been raised to new life in Christ. 

What kind of church will reach hurting people, and proclaim the power of Christ in a world so full of death? A church of people who’ve been through the fire, yet delivered and restored by Jesus. A church who trusts that the Holy Spirit rides the winds of change to ensure that life and love prevail.  

The time of our arising has come, dear church, so that hurting lives are healed and the good news proclaimed.. With God for us, who can be against us?