Easter 7, Year A (Acts 1:6-14, Psalm 68:1-10, 33-36, 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11, John 17:1-11)

Many of us here today have gone on a trip somewhere.  It could have been to another city, state, or country.  The one thing that all of us travelers have in common is the preparation we undergo prior to leaving.  We might run to the bank and get some last minute money for our trip, find a good seminarian to take care of our pet, or find someone to watch the house while we are away.  Nonetheless, there are activities that go into our departure.  

In the Gospel today, we see Jesus nearing the end of his physical ministry on earth.  Over the last few weeks, the readings have shown us how Jesus is preparing for his departure.  Today is no different than before.  We are told that Jesus looks towards heaven and says, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people.”  Jesus is indicating that it is time to return to where he has come from.  It is time to return to His Father in heaven.  Jesus gives thanks to His Father in heaven for his ministry and for sharing the word to all of God’s peoples.  He goes on to give thanks for his friends, the disciples.  It is a selfless act Jesus commits when praying for his friends.  Jesus acknowledges their importance and more importantly His love for them.   Near the end of the passage Jesus offers a blessing.  The blessing has two main components.  The first part of the blessing is directed towards the immediate followers of Jesus, the disciples.  He prays that they may be perfectly one in heart.   After Jesus’ departure, the disciples were left in a world that was full of hostility.  It would have been easy for them to disperse and lose faith in Christ and more importantly, one another.  Jesus must have foreseen the challenges that faced His earlier followers.  The second part of the blessing is geared towards the entire body of the faithful.  His second part reminds us that all of his followers are joined together through Him.   So, with Jesus preparing to leave, what does that mean for us?  What are we to do until his return?

One of my fellow seminarians, Kim, described this as living in the “meantime”.  We live in the meantime more times than we probably realize.  When we apply for a loan and wait for the answer, we are living in the meantime.  When we apply for college and await a decision, we are living in the meantime.  When we get home from a doctor’s appointment and await test results, we are living in the meantime.   There are many more examples I could share with you today of living in the meantime.  Our lives are filled with moments when we are living in the meantime.  

Our reading from Acts depicts how we should live in the meantime.  The first thing they ask Jesus is: “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”  It is an interesting yet appropriate question to ask.  The disciples believed that Jesus would restore the Kingdom immediately.  They wanted to go back to a time that was safe and familiar.  They wanted to return to an old order.  Today, as we face a looming recession and a continued war, we may wish to go back to a past time.  It may also be the simple hardships that draw us back to the past.  Some parents here today may wish they had more time with their children before they leave home.  Some of us may be facing personal hardships that make us believe that the past was better.  

However, Jesus responds by rephrasing the question.  Jesus says, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority”.  He goes on to say that they should be His witnesses throughout the whole entire world or, “to the ends of the Earth”.  It is a powerful response to a simple question.  This brings us here today to the first way we can live in the meantime.  We are to be witnesses of Christ to all those in the world and especially to those who may not know Christ.  It is sharing the good news throughout the world that should bring us great joy.  We found out a few weeks ago that we are not alone; the Father is leaving us an advocate to help.  The Holy Spirit will be our guide in accomplishing these tasks.  It is important for us not to linger on the past or what used to be.  We are called to live in the present, not to dwell on the past.  We should live out our lives in the knowledge and love of God.  

Upon giving his response, Jesus is whisked back up to heaven on a cloud.  It is interesting to note the parallels between the cloud enveloping Jesus and the cloud that shielded God in the Old Testament: the God that existed in a Cloud who spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai.  The disciples stared upwards at heaven after Jesus went away.  It is clear that looking to the stars and to heaven is a fascinating activity. Growing up on St. Simons gave me the opportunity to go out to the beach on those clear nights and stare up at the stars.  I found this to be a relaxing activity.  Many of the early Christians looked to heaven to see if Jesus would return the same way He went.  This brings us to our second lesson in living in the meantime.  We are not called to idle waiting and watching.  We are not to stare into heaven and wait for a miraculous event to occur.  I was sitting in TGIS the other day when the leader remarked, “Do not sit on your bottoms and talk, but get out and do”.  I found this to be very appropriate.  It is the right thought to have.  We are not supposed to stare in hopeful anticipation.  We are not to just watch and wait for something to happen, but to go out and do.  When we go out and do, Jesus is more present than when He was physically on Earth.  Now, He is present in the Nave this morning.  He is present in you and me.  He is present everywhere.  We do not need to worry about when his return is and stare upward, but rather head out into the world trusting that Jesus is present among us.

The last part of our account from Acts, we see the disciples and the women in an upper room praying.  Prayer being one of the main tasks that we as Christians can undertake.  They are living out that example. The activity of prayer is the third response to the question about living in the meantime: that we are all living in the Body of Christ.  The disciples and close followers of Jesus were praying together and sharing fellowship with one another.  We too are called to share in this faith journey together.  Here today, we worship together, and as we go out into our jobs, we are to continue to live as a faith body devoutly centered on God.
 
Be humble and love and serve the Lord.  It is a simple task Jesus leaves us with to fulfill in the meantime.  Basically, work towards our salvation living a Christ centered life.

Christ has granted us our salvation through his crucifixion and resurrection.  Maximus the Confessor was an Early Eastern Church father who wrote that humanity is intended to be fully united with God.  This is possible because God was united with humanity through the incarnation.  Trusting that we will be united with God and remembering that Christ will come again should bring us great comfort as we live our lives. As Fr. Deneke stated at our liturgy for the ascension, Christ brings our humanity before the Lord and asks the Father to forgive us; for our faults and failings, for the failure to love as Christ calls us to.  This is the hope of the Christian message, this is what it means to live in the meantime; to live in the present, to not worry about our faults and failings, our weaknesses, or our lack of love.  

As we fulfill our tasks and duties this week, let us remember that we are called to live out our faith in all we do.  Strive to see God working in all things, even the most mundane tasks.  I am certain that if all of us here do this; we will be living into the life Christ calls us to. AMEN.

Justin Yawn
Seminarian