Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised, so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
Luke 24:44-53 (NRSVUE)
The Ascension of Jesus
Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple blessing God.
Folks I wonder, have you ever woken up in the morning, seen the sunrise or at least the sun shining bright in the sky, sat down and had a delicious hot cup of coffee or a glass of juice or whatever your routine is, looked out and saw the birds flying in the sky, maybe, a little squirrel or chipmunk running across your fence or a bunny munching grass in your backyard (If you consider those “varmin,” and they bring you stress, scratch that part from your story.) The buds are bursting open on the trees, and the flowers in your yard are stretching open to the morning sun. And you stop, take a deep breath, and think to yourself, “What a day! What a beautiful spring day!”
To be honest, I hope that has happened to all of you at one time or or another. I hope you’ve been blessed to enjoy life’s simple pleasures because those ordinary moments and simple things often let us experience the holy ground that is all around us and the sacredness of human life.
Friends, if you ever find yourself in a moment like that, do your best to cherish it. Don’t start thinking about what is coming next. Or what you need to add to your grocery list. Just take a deep breath and soak in the simple goodness because before you know it, your phone will ring, or you’ll hear that text message ping. You’ll start to worry about a meeting or a doctor’s appointment or what time you have to pick up the kids after school, and your sacred sabbath moment will quickly disappear.
In our scripture reading today, we heard about the last time Jesus appeared to the disciples before ascending back into heaven. Though the disciples were afraid at first, thinking Jesus was a ghost, once they realized it was him, their fear subsided. Can you imagine the deep breath they must have taken and the comfort they must have found when they realized that it truly was Jesus, that he was standing there in the flesh among them? Their fear and stress must have melted away in that moment. However, that sense of calm and comfort may have been short-lived because the next thing we hear in scripture is that Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he told them that they were to be witnesses to all the world. He told them to wait patiently for the Holy Spirit to come. Then he led them out as far as Bethany, lifted his hands, and blessed them. And if that weren’t enough, then he ascended–or was carried up–into heaven. What a day! What an exciting, comforting, overwhelming, confusing kind of day.
I wonder, How do you respond after something like that? Do you rejoice at finally understanding what is going on? Do you become overwhelmed by the responsibility of being called to be a witness and share the good news of Jesus with the entire world? Do you let the blessing of your rabbi and friend wrap you in unconditional love? Or are you totally confused by Jesus walking away and physically going up or ascending into heaven? The disciples could have reacted in many different ways, but scripture says they chose to return to Jerusalem, worship, and be filled with great joy!!
Friends, there are always ups and downs in life. Some moments scare us, overwhelm us, and break our hearts, but other moments fill us with joy, assure us that we are loved and not alone, and hold us when we don’t have the strength to care for ourselves.
We often think that we walk this world alone, but the truth is we are never alone. Not only is God always with us, but we are surrounded by other human beings, friends and strangers alike who cross our paths and who in unseen ways sacredly touch our lives.
I have been flip-flopping back and forth about whether to share this story with you, but I think it is an amazing reminder of how interconnected we all are and how much we affect and are affected by the lives of others and the things that are said and done daily. I also think it speaks to how important the lens that we choose to look at the world around us is.
A week ago, last Thursday, I woke up before the sun to head to the airport for a 6 am flight to Chicago. As most of you know, I was heading out to visit my daughter, Jane. I passed through TSA, boarded the flight without a glitch, and buckled into my window seat just as the sun was rising over the tarmac. It was a quick and easy flight, and I even got to have a nice conversation with the man sitting next to me. He was a professor from Brown University and was excited to be flying to Oregon for his son’s college graduation. We both talked a little bit about our kids and how proud we are of each of them. When the plane landed, I made my way outside of the baggage claim, where Jane and her friend Jayson picked me up.
Jayson had asked Jane what my favorite music was, so of course, he had the Beasties Boys playing in the car to welcome me to Chicago. Because it was still rush hour, we headed a little ways out of town for breakfast.
As we were waiting for our breakfast to be served, a little boy and his mom were seated next to us. Dallas, the little three-and-a-haldf-year-old, quickly became my best friend. He told me all about his sisters who were in school and how much he loves waffles. A few moments later, when the waitress set down a big waffle on the table in front of me, Dallas quickly slid across from his booth to mine. I asked his mom if it was okay to share with him, and though she was absolutely mortified, she said, “Are you sure? Just a little.” The utter joy on Dallas’ face made every second worthwhile!
After breakfast, Jayson dropped Jane and me off at Jane’s apartment and we sat in the living room discussing all the things that we could do: the Art Museum, Navy Pier, I could go see the lab where Jane works, or we could just put our feet up and chat. Because the day had already been so amazing, we decided to just take a deep breath and soak in the simple goodness.
We talked for about an hour when suddenly my phone rang. It was my brother telling me that my mom had fallen and thought she had broken her hip. He was on his way to the emergency room to see her. Now, at that moment, I was suddenly overwhelmed, worried, and scared. And I felt bad that I was in Chicago and wasn’t there to help her. But honestly, I should have known better because she was never alone.
I’m going to spare you the gory details because instead of focusing on the negatives, I want to rejoice and celebrate the angels along the way—and there were many of them! I quickly changed my flight and flew home the next morning. My daughter Jane came with me because she didn’t want me to be alone.
Luckily, my mom had my phone on her when she fell. And because she was here in the church and had locked the door behind her, she called Ed and Michelle to come unlock the door. Then there was the North Attleboro Fire Dept and the EMT’s, the Emergency Room staff and the orthopedic surgeon. There were the nurses, CNAs, nutritionists, social workers, and physical therapists, all of whom were kind and positive and encouraged my mom, my brother, and me each step of the way.
Texts and phone calls were coming in from family, neighbors, parishioners, and friends, sending prayers and offering any help we needed. My husband and my kids stayed extremely close, checking on me and reminding me to take a break every now and then. And when she was moved to the Maples on Monday for rehab, we met a whole new
host of wonderful staff to guide, encourage, and help us along the way. What a bunch of days! What a bunch of wild, crazy days!!!!
But like the disciples who were excited, confused, and overwhelmed, yet they worshiped and were filled with joy, deep down inside I somehow felt the same way. Now, would I rather have had a few quiet, simple sabbath days to spend in Chicago, when I could just take a deep breath and relax?
Sure, but sometimes, though we might think it’s in the quiet, simple mornings when we are comfortable and at peace that we experience sacred and holy moments, it’s often in the midst of struggle, worry, and concern, when it feels as though our lives are turned upside-down, that we get to witness the amazing kindness, love, and encouragement of others. And it is then that we truly find ourselves standing on holy ground and filled to overflowing with joy.
So, brothers and sisters in Christ, as you go out into your busy week ahead, take time to breathe and enjoy the simple moments. But also remember that it can be in the most overwhelming, confusing, and stress-filled days that we are filled with joy because we begin to see that we are surrounded by the kindness of others and blessed beyond measure. So, in the days and weeks ahead, try to open your heart and look for the good all around you and then do your best to take it day by day.
My friends, May it be so. Thanks be to God. Amen!
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