May 17, 2015 – Ascension Sunday: May God’s words alone be spoken, may God’s words alone be heard. Amen.

I love when I can watch a movie and its sequel one right after the other…or, in the case of “Rocky,” “Star Wars,” and a host of others – over the course of an entire week (though seriously – “Rocky” should have just stopped after the first one). That is what makes the readings today kinda cool…we get “Ascension – The Movie” in Acts, our first reading, and then “Ascension – 3D” in the Gospel. Or really, it is very much like “Star Wars” (a Hollywood production known for its’ theological messages), because like Star Wars, we got the stories told to us out of order. In our readings today we started with Part II, of the two part Luke-Acts scriptures – both written by the same author, and then, in the gospel, we heard Part I. I suppose then we might think of the account of the Ascension in the gospel of Mark as “Ascension: Revenge of the Sith.”

Not to take this “Star Wars” reference too far (although I think that X-Wing star ship has already sailed), but the actual titles of the movies I find compelling for this week and next. The first “Star Wars” movie, which as you likely know was Part IV of a six part story because…well, doesn’t everyone start a book in the middle? Anyway, the title of that one was…anyone remember… “A New Hope.” And the title of the last movie – Part VII, coming to a theatre near you is called “The Force Awakens.”

I like to think those are great titles for the stories we hear today and next week at Pentecost. Today, the story of the Ascension is “A New Hope.” And next week, the story of Pentecost is “The Force Awakens.”  I suppose that is one of the reasons that I love the Gospel of Luke, no, not because the author was into science fiction, but because the author wrote a sequel, seeming to know that the story isn’t over with the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. The gospel of Luke begins with these words “Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed.” And Acts, the very reading we heard today, opens with “In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven…” In other words, the story continues.

Now, we don’t know who this Theophilus was. The word can be a Greek description, or the honorific title given to someone depending, on its usage; so, we don’t know whether this account that the author was writing was for a person with that title, or generally for those who love God or are loved of God as θεός (God) and φιλία (love or affection) would be translated. But, it really doesn’t matter. What does matter is that it was clear that the Ascension didn’t bring about the same reaction among the disciples as the Crucifixion or even the Resurrection, and that the author of the Gospel of Luke knew that the story didn’t end with Jesus going up, up and away.

Now, my favorite part of this whole Ascension story is the two messengers – the ones that appear next to the disciples – who basically say to them as they crane their necks to stare at the departing Jesus, “Wadda ya lookin’ at?” In other words, you aren’t going to find Jesus up there folks. Get going – you’ve got stuff to do.

And unlike their reaction when Jesus was crucified, they didn’t go find a place to cower in fear, they went to the temple praising God. They were happy, not grieving. These were people who had been given something in this Ascension story. Something that changed their lives completely. What was it?

We find it in both accounts we heard this morning. In both Acts and in Luke, the disciples are taught by Jesus (their minds opened up as it says in the gospel), and that teaching prepared them to continue the work that Jesus had started with them. On the day of Pentecost, which we celebrate next week, the Spirit descends upon them, launching their mission, which is why the author of the gospel had to keep the story going in the Acts of the Apostles, because this story has no ending. Actually, the story of God’s relationship with us is a never ending story.

The story of God at work in the world didn’t begin with Jesus, but in the very beginning of creation. In a very real sense, the story of Jesus had prequels. And the story of God in relationship with us and the story of Jesus didn’t end with the Ascension. This is a multi-part story. It reminds me of another sci-fi reference – “Star Trek,” where the show used to open with “These are the voyages of the Star Ship Enterprise. Its five year mission, to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.” Well, eventually sequels were launched and those opening lines were changed to: “Its continuing mission…to boldly go where no one has gone before.” The writer of Star Trek, Gene Rodenberry, realized how limiting that first opening was, and the author of the gospel of Luke realized how limiting the story of Jesus would be if it ended with the Ascension. Jesus had a “three year mission…to boldly go (and lead others) where no one had gone before”! Physically and spiritually. But the sequel is where we discover that it was never a mission limited to three years. It continues through the Acts of the Apostles, and the acts of you and me.

So often we get this whole Ascension thing wrong, just like the apostles did initially. We even say it in our creeds. “He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.” Now, I don’t know about you, but the Jesus I know, the Jesus I read about in the scriptures, is NOT one to sit around anywhere! Like our opening hymn, we root Jesus in some sort of earthly understood kingship – sitting all high and mighty on some sort of throne. Now, don’t get me wrong, for the scripture writers, this was not only how they understood the cosmos, as a three-tiered structure, but also this was, and continues to be, a radical statement of subversion against the powers of our world – the heads of state that yield their power against all people. This is a statement that this “born in a stable” “here for the poor” savior is truly our leader, not anyone elected, appointed, or forced into power here on earth. We look elsewhere to something greater than all of them, to place our trust and our hearts.

Still, songs like our hymn this morning (even though I love that tune), and our creed, seem to place Jesus, God, the entire trinity really, in some sort of location – “up there” somewhere – and worse…sitting down. Nothing could be further from the truth. This Christ at Ascension, our Christ, was not one to sit at the right, left, or any hand…this Jesus that they knew, the Christ we know, was not one to sit around in a recliner with his feet up watching the TV. The truth is, Jesus had to leave because we couldn’t keep up with him! The human existence was just too limiting.

The messengers that day were right – don’t look up – look around! In fact, look in the mirror! One of the things about the movie Star Wars is that it wasn’t really about the wars with lasers and star ships at all. Not really. It was about the hardest kind of war – the war within – the fight in our very souls to understand who we are, or really, who we were meant to be if we claim it, and in whom we should place our trust…and if we don’t understand these things, how difficult and dark the journey can become. Luke Skywalker, the protagonist of Star Wars, (notice the first name by the way) didn’t just become a Jedi Knight – the ones who were looking to free the world of the evil darkness of the Empire. Luke had to first discover who he was, and he couldn’t do that alone. He had a master teacher – Yoda. Yoda opened his mind to the power that was within his own heart. And like Jesus, who did not quite match Jewish expectations of the all powerful Messiah, Yoda was a little three foot odd looking creature with green skin, and funny ears, who spoke like a cross between Shakespeare and the King James bible. He was not what one would expect to be the master teacher of great knights. Through Yoda’s teaching, Luke slowly started to understand who he was, and he began to be empowered – empowered to engage with that ever powerful cosmic energy called the Force, and to use that power for good.

If this sounds familiar, it is because that is exactly what Jesus did with his followers. He opened their minds to the scriptures, which is really opening their hearts to understand who they were as children of God, as the body of Christ present in the world. He had to leave their sight, so that they could begin to look elsewhere for him. And they suddenly realized just what a gift they had been given both in Jesus’ teaching and in his Ascension. Talk about an awesome and empowering moment worthy of praising and giving thanks to God – the moment when one looks in the mirror and sees the face of Christ!

Now, have you ever had a moment like that? An overwhelming epiphany? That a-ha moment as Oprah calls them? If you have, you know it is something that makes you want to shout, skip, or post on Facebook.   It is something that gives you great joy, like you’ve been released from some sort of box you didn’t even know you were in and you are suddenly free. It is life changing. It was for those earliest followers of Jesus, who realize that what Jesus gave them was a new hope for the world. His love, his message – a message that all people are children of God, made in God’s image, and loved unconditionally, was something to be shared beyond Jerusalem. That not only do they see Christ in the mirror, but in the eyes of their neighbor too, and that is a powerful message of love that is life giving for them, and for the world.

The reason those two messengers in white robes ask the disciples why they are looking up at heaven is that they were looking in the wrong place. And suddenly, the disciples understood it too. Suddenly they understood everything Jesus had just taught them. Christ is EVERYWHERE and they were the body of Christ. The world would be looking at them, as they were looking up, soon enough. They were so excited and happy about this realization that they went straight to the temple to pray and give thanks. The story continued with them, and through them. And here’s the best part…

Today – YOU are the body of Christ – the world is looking to YOU. Jesus didn’t disappear from the earth at the Ascension, the Holy Spirit didn’t stop moving in the world on Pentecost, and God hasn’t stopped continuing to try to be in relationship with us – us – the Theophilus of today – the ones to whom this work is addressed, and for whom it serves as inspiration.

The joy of the apostles when they finally understood this powerful message sent them right to the temple to give thanks, which is where this first part of the story ends. But here’s the catch, or perhaps it’s a cliff hanger – you knew there was one, right? The apostles didn’t stop there, as our author we call Luke will tell you. There’s a sequel for them, as there was for that other Luke – Luke Skywalker. Today though is not the time for that…today is the time for giving thanks to God for this great gift we have been given in this first part of our never ending story – the Ascension – the gift of A New Hope for the world. When the story continues next week…The Force Awakens. And oh what a Force it is! So stick around…this is one sequel you don’t want to miss.

Amen.

[Sermons as written are not necessarily as delivered on any given Sunday]

Rev. Diana L. Wilcox
Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge
May 17, 2015
The Seventh Sunday Of Easter – Ascension (trans.)
1st Reading – Acts 1:1-11
Psalm 47
2nd Reading – Ephesians 1:15-23
Gospel – Luke 24:44-53