Year A Easter VII Acts 1:6-14 John 17:1-11

When the apostles had come together, they asked Jesus, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”

This is the first Sunday after the Ascension, that is, of Jesus bodily return to His Father in Heaven. Ascension Day always falls on a Thursday, and in the Catholic tradition the Feast of the Ascension is known as a Holy Day of Obligation – you show up for church that day or you go to confession to ask absolution for not having done so.

In the Congregational Church, we don’t put that strong an emphasis on the Ascension, though it’s a day that certainly deserves our attention. Think about it. Jesus disciples, the Twelve and many other followers, have gone through a very difficult and emotionally grueling time. They have witnessed their Leader, the One they thought was the Messiah, publicly executed. Despair has fallen on them, along with fear of the Jewish authorities. It has been horrible for them. Then – miraculously, Jesus is among them again. He is bodily present with them, breaks bread with them, eats fish with them. He has risen from the dead, and they rejoice.

Our first reading today, from the Acts of the Apostles, gives us an idea of what Jesus’ followers must have thought came next. He was back among them, He would now continue to teach and lead them, He will restore the kingdom to Israel, and that is where our first Lesson picks up. The disciples, whom we now called apostles because they have seen the Risen Lord, are still asking questions and seeking more knowledge from their beloved rabbi. However, on the day our reading takes place, Jesus wasn’t giving the answers they sought

Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. And then He reminds them, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Think how vague that must have sounded to people who had no idea what was coming next, what Jesus meant by the “Holy Spirit”. It didn’t answer their question, and it certainly didn’t prepare them for what then did happen – which was the Ascension. We can see them, as Jesus ascends, standing there looking up, bewildered, confused, and once again experiencing that sinking feeling one feels when suddenly the bottom falls out. They have not received the Holy Spirit at this point, they are once again a confused group, gaping upward toward heaven.

But then, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven?

Silly question really, all things considered. And then is added a few words of encouragement. This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.”

What to do? The apostles do exactly what they did after the crucifixion, they head back to a room in Jerusalem, and there, not terrified as they were after Jesus’ execution, but nonetheless confused, they faithfully devote themselves to prayer. We can imagine some of the things they must have prayed for – like guidance, support, and some explanation of what was expected of them, of what was going on, of what to do next.

Jesus looked up to heaven and said, the very long prayer we heard this morning, the prayer we know today as The Priestly Prayer.

John’s Gospel, which is often attributed to The Beloved Disciple, is, like many books in our Bible, a compilation of the work of the original writer and later redactors (editors). As the spirituality and understanding of, in this case the Johannine community, grew and deepened, members of that community, redactors, added to the original writings. Scholars agree that the Priestly Prayer is the work of someone known to us as the First Redactor.

This is based on the fact that the writer of the original Gospel tended to see and write about Jesus as a prophet, as a man. It took the first redactor to bring into the Gospel that vision of Jesus as descended from the Father. We get hints that this is not the work of the original writer, as we pick up little anomalies, like Jesus referring to Himself in the third person as in: And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

So in today’s Gospel, not only did we hear what the early Church came to believe, what we believe, but we have had the opportunity to see how spirituality grew and deepened within the early Church. The Church itself existed after what we will celebrate next Sunday, after the arrival of the Advocate, of the Holy Spirit. The Apostles would go forth to spread the Gospel, and within the growing Church, deepening faith and understanding would be part of the gifts imparted by the Spirit.

The writing of the first redactor, as we hear it today, is powerful and deeply loving. The Priestly Prayer assures us, “All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.” How amazing, to think of Jesus being glorified in us. And there is also reference to the Ascension. “And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”

What does all this mean for us? That depends on where you see yourself this day. All of us have received the Holy Spirit in baptism. We feel confident. We’ve heard the Gospel, we know the Good News, and we have some idea of what our Lord expects of us – or do we? Certainly, on some days, we feel inspired, filled with enthusiasm for the work of Love that has been given to each of us. But – there are other days, days when we stand with the apostles, wondering what comes next.

Those days can be difficult, but being uncertain can also be a blessing, because it pushes us to be more open, to wait more diligently for the Spirit to guide and direct us. Of course, a state of uncertainty is a rather uncomfortable place in which to find ourselves, but we are called to welcome such times as part of our growing in grace, and to take full advantage of the opportunity it gives us to grow spiritually.

Today’s first reading, placed on or church calendar on the Sunday before Pentecost Sunday, calls us to think about how bewildered and lost the Apostles felt as Jesus ascended into heaven. It gives us a very human situation which, as we try to live Godly lives in our materialistic world, helps us to see those times of feeling lost, or separated from Jesus are part of being His followers. It also encourages us to consider how we act when such times occur.

The very first thing the Apostles did, was stare blankly into heaven to the place where Jesus had disappeared. We know those moments of empty confusion. And then, the Apostles returned to Jerusalem. Like them, we are meant to take time for prayer and reflection. To find our way, it is not our knowledge, our wisdom that we call upon. We are blessed to live in a time after Pentecost, to be baptized, and so we pray, and are guided by the Spirit that dwells in each of us.

From our Gospel, we learn that we are meant to continually grow in holiness, in our relationship with Jesus. The Priestly Prayer, the work of a redactor, shows as how the Love of God and of Jesus becomes more evident and deeper as we mature in the Spirit. We are called to grow in love – what a wonderful calling, what a blessed vocation.

St. Teresa of Avila once said, “It is love that gives worth to all things.” Though we all experience bleak moments, help is at hand, love dwells within. Our calling is to love one another as Jesus has loved and continues to love us, and we can do this because we are already so deeply loved by Him and by the Father.

“Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”

We walk in the loving Kingdom of God, and it is our job to be open to it. And this is eternal life, that we may know God, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom God has sent.

Let us pray:

Lord Jesus, please grant us the gift of patience, the ability to listen, the desire to pray, and above all the certain knowledge that we belong not only to You, but to one another. Please fill our hearts with Your grace and grant us the ability to slow down, focus, and recognize You are within each and every person. Fill our hearts with Your overflowing love, that we may spread it generously to others, and grant us the patience and strength to live according to Your will. All this we ask for your love and mercy’s sake. Amen.