Luke 24:49-53 ‘And now I am sending upon you what the Father has promised. Stay in the city, then, until you are clothed with the power from on high.’ Then he took them out as far as the outskirts of Bethany, and raising his hands he blessed them. Now as he blessed them, he withdrew from them and was carried up to heaven. They worshipped him and then went back to Jerusalem full of joy; and they were continually in the Temple praising God. -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985
A Study Thus ends this portion of the "orderly account" of what Theophilus has been told. Jesus is carried up into a place we cannot see, and his followers return to their worship, where they were when the account opened.
A Reflection Why, I wonder, was it necessary for His followers to wait in Jerusalem for the gift of the Holy Spirit? In the gospel attributed to John, Jesus breathes on them and tells them to receive the Holy Spirit; the gift of the Spirit as we have come to think of it (tongues of fire, etc.) is found only in the sequel to this gospel attributed to Luke, i.e., the Acts of the Apostles, generally thought to be from the same writer or writers as this gospel [at least there is no more compelling theory].
As Christians, isn't the Holy Spirit the Actor we feel in our lives? Paul alone claims a direct encounter with the risen Christ. And Jesus spoke of sending another comforter to His followers, in John 14. That gospel's different and more mystical way of presenting the gift of the Spirit is the lone place in the four canonical gospels that speaks to the Gift. If Jesus is the disciples' comforter when he is alive, pre-Easter, then the Spirit is our comforter, post-Easter.
Perhaps the paraousia, or "presence" of which scholars speak is not the "second coming" of which so little is known (and so much written!), but instead, the ubiquitous presence of the Holy Spirit. In all three synoptics, Jesus says that some to whom he spoke would not taste death before the arrival of the kingdom. The gospel with Matthew's name boldly makes out that the Son will come in glory as a part of that arrival, while Mark and Luke omit it, Luke also omitting "power."
When we are equipped with the Spirit, however, we have, as it were, an open channel to God, 24/7. And when we are mature enough to realize that it is the Spirit who wields us, and not the other way around, we can get our selves out of the way so that Spirit can work to the glory of God, in the kingdom of God in which we are now present.
It has always bothered me -- a lot[!] -- that the canon has structured the Bible such that it opens with God speaking good-ness into creation, and then closes with God wiping it up, in the nightmares of Revelation. Having given us the Spirit to empower us, and the promise made to Noah's descendants, a "second coming" doesn't seem to fit. But it does sell a lot of books, apparently.
The pre-Galilean understanding of heaven and the heavens has had the very unfortunate consequence of putting God and Heaven "up there." And the post-Easter Jesus, now the risen Christ still in a body, in this Lucan orderly account, had to go somewhere to bring the account to an orderly terminus. The metaphor forces us to think of God as being "out there," and not "in here," which is the experience each of us should want most dearly.
The Collect Almighty God, whose blessed Son our Savior Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abides with his Church on earth, even to the end of the ages; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Luke 12:22-31 Then he said to his disciples, ‘That is why I am telling you not to worry about your life and what you are to eat, nor about your body and how you are to clothe it. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Think of the ravens. They do not sow or reap; they have no storehouses and no barns; yet God feeds them. And how much more you are worth than the birds! Can any of you, however much you worry, add a single cubit to your span of life? If a very small thing is beyond your powers, why worry about the rest? Think how the flowers grow; they never have to spin or weave; yet, I assure you, not even Solomon in all his royal robes was clothed like one of them. Now if that is how God clothes a flower which is growing wild today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, how much more will he look after you, who have so little faith! But you must not set your hearts on things to eat and things to drink; nor must you worry. It is the gentiles of this world who set their hearts on all these things. Your Father well knows you need them. No; set your hearts on his kingdom, and these other things will be given you as well. -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985
A Study This selection follows the story of the man who was addressed as "Fool! tonight your life will be forfeit." This was the fellow who was so concerned about his barns into which he had put up his treasures. What good are treasures for those who aren't alive to use them?
A Reflection Our little parish family are engaged in what we are calling a "capital campaign" to raise funds for a church building. This last Sunday, our rector, a truly splendid scholar, pastor, preacher and friend, felt motivated to preach on raising money for a building.
I have heard less spiritual homilies, but not from his mouth.
The truth is, we can preach the gospel in our lives, as he does, everyday, and from the pulpit we can augment that message. But real estate and religion mix in a Jimmy Swaggart sort of way, only, for me.
A building for us would be very convenient. We could save about $2,000 per month in rent for an office and a worship space, and put that amount toward paying off a mortgage on a building. We could expand our food ministry for the local needy far beyond what it is now, and our adult education programs would not be constrained during the week to groups of fewer than ten, since that's what our rented office space will hold! All of those things would be convenient and good.
How much of our attention can we afford to devote to a building, though? And when does our focus on things other than the building become an irritant for those whose new goal in life is to get us into the building?
I think that these issues are bubbling now, but will pop soon to the surface as Screwtape gets to have his fun with our parish. Those of us who are ravens and lilies will need to be aware of a proper response for Screwtape, when he shows up.
The Collect O Lord, who through spiritual discipline strengthened your servant Monnica to persevere in offering her love and prayers and tears for the conversion of her husband and of Augustine their son: Deepen our devotion, we pray, and use us in accordance with your will to bring others, even our own kindred, to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.
