Loving God, you call us even in the midst of confusion and fear to lean into your future.  Empower us by your Holy Spirit, that we might share your love in all that we do, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            Given that it was just last Sunday that the empty tomb was discovered, we have taken a gigantic leap forward in time in today’s reading from Acts.  Forty days have passed since Jesus was raised from the dead.  During that time, Jesus’ disciples have been able to see him and touch him and eat with him, while Jesus has continued to teach them about the kingdom of God.  In spite of this, however, the disciples still have not figured out what their new normal is going to look like.

         Granted, they were traumatized by the events of Holy Week.  It is entirely possible that they haven’t recovered just yet.  After all, it is not a particularly easy mental switch for them to have gone from physically being with Jesus, to seeing him dead and buried, to seeing him risen from the dead.  And so, even though he has been continuing to teach them about what the kingdom of God is like, they seem to have gone back in their minds to what they had hoped right from the beginning: An earthly kingdom where they are in charge rather than the Romans, and Jesus rules over Israel.  This is what is implied in their question to Jesus, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6).

         However, soon after, they are asked to adjust to yet another new normal.  As they are watching, Jesus is taken up into heaven until he is hidden by a cloud.  Now, they will no longer see him and talk to him and eat with him.  Now, their only job is to stay in Jerusalem and to wait.  They are to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit, and they are not given any timeline as to when this will happen.  Does any of this sound familiar to you?

         You have to wait, and you don’t know how long it is going to be, and what do you do in the meantime?  In the case of the disciples, we hear that they “were constantly devoting themselves to prayer” (Acts 1:14).  What better thing is there to do while you wait?  For, surely, they had many questions about the future and about what they would be asked to do.  “What then must I do, where then must I go, what shall become of me?” (Spill the Beans, Issue 18).  Thankfully, however, they did not have to ask these questions alone, as all of them were staying together and praying together in Jerusalem.

         Over these past few weeks, many people have also been asking themselves what comes next.  What do you do in the midst of a pandemic when you don’t know how long it is going to last?  What do you do when you’re suddenly at home most of the time rather than at work or school?  What do you do when you can’t participate in your normal activities or visit your friends or family?  Many people have struggled with this, regardless of their circumstances.

         Some suggested early on that we treat this like a Sabbath rest – a time to take a break from the normal rat race and rest in God.  Others have had to spend some time setting priorities as they try to juggle working at home with children who are home from school and daycare.  Those who don’t have such obligations have struggled with the temptation to spend each day eating junk food and binge-watching TV.  Still others have sought out new ways to connect with others – even if it means visiting with somebody while outside a window at a personal care home.  And some have focused on finding ways to help others who are in need.

         At the same time, there has been as great a need as ever for prayer: Prayers for healing and prayers for those who are grieving.  Prayers for health care workers and prayers for elected officials.  Prayers for those in need and prayers for wisdom and courage.  Prayers for God’s guidance and prayers for the future.

         In today’s reading from Acts, we are not told the content of the prayers of the disciples.  We can surmise that perhaps they were praying for the Holy Spirit that Jesus had promised, or even that his return would be soon.  It is also likely that they were praying for God to show them what comes next.  In the verses that follow, they also pray for God’s guidance in choosing somebody to replace Judas Iscariot as one of the twelve.

         While we noted earlier how the disciples wanted to go back to the power of King David’s reign, their new normal will actually be quite different from that of powerful kings.  Instead, their lives will end up resembling the life of Jesus:  Serving as Jesus served, healing as Jesus healed, eating with outcasts and sinners just like Jesus, sharing the good news of the kingdom of God (just like Jesus), and even being persecuted and imprisoned and put to death (just like Jesus).  And, in the midst of these things, they will have joy and gladness, which are always a possibility where the Holy Spirit is involved!

         It is also a question for us whether we will want to go back to the way things used to be, or to go forward into a new and different future.  Some people have been asking the question, “Will more people come to church after this?”  Others have turned the question around in order to ask, “Will the church come to the people after this?” (RevGalBlogPals.org).  Of course, we might not know any better than the disciples did what the future holds.

         What we do know is that we, too, are promised the gift of the Holy Spirit and are commissioned as witnesses for Jesus.  This doesn’t mean that we all end up preaching on a street corner or even going door to door, but it does mean that we share the forgiveness, new life and salvation that we have experienced in Christ.  For Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Amen.

Easter 2 (NL 2)                                             Acts 1:1-14

April 19, 2020

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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