SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER (B) - SUNDAY, MAY 12, 2024 | EASTER

First Reading, Psalm, New Testament & Gospel, Option I

First Reading Acts 1:15–17, Acts 1:21–26 “So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection.” So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed and said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.”

Psalm Psalm 1

New Testament 1 John 5:9–13 “If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Gospel John 17:6–19

John 17:6–19 (NRSV)

“I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. 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. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves.I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one.They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.

Revised Common Lectionary (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2009).

Good morning,

Welcome to our Seventh Sunday of Easter and also Ascension Sunday! Next week is Pentecost, so I wouldn’t want to neglect Ascension, which marks the occassion, when Jesus started working from home. His post-resurrection appearances had a cut off date and we have reached it.

It is at the very end of Luke:

The New Revised Standard Version The Ascension of Jesus

The Ascension of Jesus

(Mk 16:19–20; Acts 1:9)

50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven.p 52 And they worshiped him, andq returned to Jerusalem with great joy; 53 and they were continually in the temple blessing God.r

Yes, he was “taken” away from them, but it was a happy occasion for them - what was supposed to happen, happened.

So how does it fit in the tail end of Easter? And a little retrospective at that as the prayer in John happens BEFORE Jesus was arrested, to further confuse those that know the flow of the story. But in some ways, we can imagine such prayer occuring before his ascension as it has a farewell quality to it:

- They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.

I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours.

And then verse 11:

Revised Common Lectionary 5-12-2024: Seventh Sunday of Easter or Ascension Sunday

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.

I can see how this text can wear multiple hats, and it’s ascension related. Jesus is not just exitting with a poof and leave everyone wondering what just happened.

If anything, he is a master of the Midwest goodbye, which some of you may know.

According to urbandictionary.com, 

A cultural phenomenon wherein a group of Midwesterners, after gathering for an event, like say a meal at a restaurant, spend nearly as much time in the establishment's parking lot as they did sharing the meal saying their goodbyes.

And it has several stages:

the Welp: This is when you make your intentions known that it's time to go.

Hugs: You've got to give everyone some love before you can even think about walking out of the door.

The Door: This is the first time you feel like you're going to be able to escape. It took several minutes to get to this point.

More Conversation: Sorry but your visit isn't quite over yet. Now, is the time to finally catch up with the host.

Dropping The Hint: They haven't got the hint yet, so once again you drop a "time to get going."

More Hugs: For some people, there's no such thing as too many hugs.

The Door: You finally get to the point where you open the door and walk out.

Walk And Talk: As you're making your way to the car, the conversation continues.

The Wave: You're in the vehicle pulling out of the drive way and you're receiving what seems to be the never-ending wave goodbye. From my experience, that is the abbreviated Midwest Goodbye, it can take many more stages.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I feel like at least from the middle of the gospels, it is one prolonged Middle Eastern goodbye by Jesus. And a big part of it are prayers, loooots of goodbye prayers and if the disciples were paying better attention, they would notice it contains a lot of spoilers for what is happening soon.

So what does Ascension can mean to us today? Well, first of all, I like what one of my pastor would say: He never really left, did he. From that perspective, he is not really returning one day, but more like reappearing. We confess our faith in the ascension most Sundays, but it doesn’t mean that Jesus departed us completely.

He hasn’t really left us, in terms of the Midwest goodbye, we keep waving at him, because he remains in the neighborhood! We are not praying to a distant God, but rather God with Us, Immanuel. That is at the core of our faith, we are not worshipping some indifferent and passive God sipping on Martini and eating small plate appetizers. No, we worship one that is with us in the dust, dirt, and sweat every step of the way. And we may make distinction about when it is God the Holy Spirit, Jesus, or the Father, but ultimately it is all the same God that is with us.

And God with us we need for sure - civilian casualties are mounting in wars around the world as population centers are being bombed and humanitarian crisis deepens in places like Gaza or Ukraine; there are reports that Columbia University students who were arrested at campus protests were put into solitary confinement, beaten, and denied food and water for 16 hours; weather patterns around the country and the world intensify (tornadoes, hail, heavy storms..), Virginia school board is changing high schools’ names back to Confederate leaders in a major ideological regression since 2020 Black Lives Matter protests,…

Much to be anxious and scared about. But God is with us. Ascension is not an abandonment, but only one stage of Middle Eastern Goodbye that is ongoing. God is with us through it all and it is going to stay that way forever. God knows that through accompaniment and a sense of community much good can be achieved - it is isolation and separation that opens doors for violence, strife, and destruction. On this day, we can perhaps use an image of God as a mother - nurturing, strong, present, attentive, protective, wanting us all to get along, get to know each other, and form stronger bonds, respect ALL life, and protect the vulnerable and weak. It is not an exclusive image as fathers, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters and more also do step into this role, but this Mother’s day, it is important to highlight that God’s identity is as much feminine as it is masculine. Jesus was ascended to the right hand of God the father/mother, but it is more of a statement of a place of honor in God’s loving fellowship than an actual travel - we are not left behind, but rather invited to join in the circle of love, care, and compassion. Amen.