Sermon preached at St. Alban's, Spirit Lake, on May 4, 2008
(Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year A, BCP Lectionary)
by the Rev. Carl D. Mann

Texts:   Acts 1:(1-7)8-14
Psalm 68:1-20
1 Peter 4:12-19
John 17:1-11

Now what? They have followed him for three years. They have watched him be crucified. They have been astonished at his rising to life again. They have had their minds illuminated for forty more days, transforming their fear into peace, and now just before Jesus ascends to the heavens, they ask, “ Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”

They still can’t get past their own preconceived notions of what a Messiah should be. They are still looking for a warrior king to restore the throne of David and deliver them from the subjection of the occupying Roman government. They have seen that Jesus has the power over death, and he can appear at will through locked doors. If he isn’t the One and this isn’t the time, it’s got to be getting close, doesn’t it?

But Jesus still says no! That’s on a need to know basis and they don’t need to know. Only the Father knows and only He has the authority to reveal the time schedule. But the Apostles will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes and then they can be witnesses to Jesus in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

And then off he goes, lifted into heaven disappearing in the clouds without even a chance for more questions and they are standing there with their jaws dropped, eyes staring, once again in awe of what they have seen. So now what?

Now I have this vision of the largest game of “Made you look” ever to take place. I wonder if anyone came by and saw them staring into the sky and joined them. How long were they standing there? Probably not very long for scripture says, behold or suddenly they are broken from their trance by two men in white robes who ask them what they are doing? “Why are you standing their gawking up at the sky? Don’t you know that this Jesus whom you saw leave will come back in the same way! Now get to it!”

Get to what? Do what? What now? This is what we were discussing in Bible Study this week. What was going through the minds of the Apostles as they went back to the upper room? What exactly is the Holy Spirit? What sort of power will they receive? How long do they have to wait for either one? What exactly are they to witness about and to whom? And what’s this about him coming back? How long will he be gone? Inquiring minds want to know!

To give the Apostles credit, with all of these questions they did the proper thing by going back to the upper room and devoting themselves to prayer. This is one of the fundamental tools that Jesus exemplified. Before taking on any new endeavor, take time to pray. Seek God’s will and listen to His Word. Ask for whatever will be needed to accomplish the task at hand.

Look at today’s Gospel. This passage comes at the end of the last supper after a lengthy discourse with the twelve and before he is arrested. First he prays for himself. He knows exactly what he has to do and prays as if it has already been accomplished, and is requesting to be returned to the glory that was his in the Godhead before the creation of the universe. Next he is praying for the disciples. He is thanking the Father for giving them to him in order to teach and to train for the upcoming mission that they have yet to be given. He is asking for the Father’s protection for them because by knowing and believing that Jesus and the Father are one, they are no longer of the world but still have to remain in the world and therefore their newly transformed lives make them targets of derision and scorn. Without naming it, he is at this point, asking the Father to send the Holy Spirit to keep them under His wing.

What isn’t mentioned in today’s Gospel is that Jesus then prays for us, the Church, the Body of Christ. “I pray not for these only but also for those who believe in me through their word.” This is why he tells the disciples that they will be his witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. He knows that his disciples will be successful in their mission so he is able to pray for future generations of believers, justifying us, sanctifying us, assuring us that he will be with us forever. It is because of his prayerful assurance that we are able to pray, “You have promised that where two or three are gathered together in your name, that you will be with us.”

As I mentioned last Thursday at the Feast of the Ascension, one of the great paradoxes in Holy Scripture is that in order for Jesus to fulfill his promise to his disciples and to us to be constantly present with us to the end of the ages, Jesus has to ascend back from whence he came. He has to return to the Glory of the Godhead so that the Holy Spirit may proceed and be sent for it is through the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit that we are protected and empowered, and equipped to continue the work that the Father began in the world through Jesus Christ, His Son.

So now what? What are we supposed to do? We’ve already been given our mission. We know what to do. We are to witness to Jesus to the ends of the earth. We are to baptize all nations in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them all that Jesus has commanded us. We are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, quench the thirsty, and visit the sick and those in prison. We are to be heralds of God’s kingdom to the world even though the world may not want to hear about it.

But we also need to take time and devote ourselves to prayer. Prayer is what keeps us connected to the Godhead which is the source of all that we are and all that we do. Jesus has taught us to pray daily. The Apostle Paul instructs us to pray without ceasing. We are told that the family that prays together stays together. And that’s really the point of Jesus’ prayer in today’s Gospel. He is praying to the Father that we will all be one with ourselves just as the Father and the Son are one. And this unity can only be attained through the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit.

During this next week as we prepare for the celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, let us devote ourselves to prayer. Pray for the Church, those present, those absent, and those who have gone before us. Pray for the world that in time as we fulfill our mission it may know and believe Jesus as Lord. Pray for the Anglican Communion that it may continue to remain intact. Pray for everyone in every condition. When in doubt, pray. Pray that once again, the Holy Spirit may move over the face of the earth and bring peace and order to the chaotic waters of civilization and transform the world into the kingdom of God as we patiently await the coming of the Lord’s Day. Gloria Patri