6/2/2019

Are scripture reading for this morning is taken from Acts chapter 1 verses 1 to 11.

In the first book Theophilus, I wrote about all the Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen after his suffering. He presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs appearing to them during 40 days and speaking about the kingdom of God while staying with them. He ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the father this he said is what you've heard from me for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. So when they did come together, they asked him Lord is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel he replied it is not for you to know the times or. The father has set by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my Witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the Earth when he had said this as they were watching he was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight while he was going and they were gazing up toward Heaven suddenly a two men in white robes stood by them. They said men of Galilee. Why do you stand looking up toward Heaven? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven the word of God for the people of God. Thank you.

Well, it's been awhile since I've been with you and in case we've not met before you forgotten. My name is Betsy elephants word. I am the campus Minister and director at the Wesley Foundation, which is the United Methodist student Ministry at Eastern. So I'm glad to be with you here today. And I'm glad that your church number three and there's not a number. Yeah, so there are lots of Sunday's that I'm not leading worship at all on Sunday mornings. But whenever I asked me to fill it makes it that much more exciting for my Sunday, but I'm glad to be here with you and we have a history. I don't know if you're aware of this but we have a history of being together on the lesser-known. Holy days. I was with you at on Christ the King Sunday Last fall. And then the last time I was here we had an epiphany together. These are days that I get excited about it. But most of you probably took so today is another one of those days and it was actually Thursday was Ascension of the Lord that's 40 days after Easter. But we we are observing that today because we're all together on Sundays in. On Thursdays. So here we are at the sentient of the Lord Sunday. Probably Thursday. You didn't buy any cards and send them to people saying happy Ascension of the Lord day. That's all right. Yeah. Yeah, but here we are. And so this story right here at the beginning of Acts. It's actually the same story that the Book of Luke ends with we think the same person wrote both of those books. And here in taxi at the few extra detail and he also start so he's riding to Theophilus. Right? We don't know who the office is someone that Luke new and he's telling Theophilus in the first book. I shared with you all the stories of what Jesus taught and did while he was here and so here in this second book the book of Acts. He's going to share about what the disciples did after Jesus wasn't here anymore. And I like that he says that Jesus appeared to the disciples for 40 days after the resurrection and he shared with them any convincing proofs now, I don't know what it takes to convince you of something. I was trying to get my three-year-old to convince me or something earlier this week. It didn't work out so well, but he was not behaving all that well. Which is not surprising cuz he's three but I was about to put him down for his afternoon nap before I went back to work for the afternoon and he wanted me to rock him. And I said what why should I rock you? You've not been following my instructions. You didn't eat your lunch like you're supposed to why should I rock you? And he said because which when you're three, I think it's supposed to be the best reason but I pushed principal why we know what why would I do that? Because I want to which is kind of deeper thinking for 3 years old, right? And so I said, what would still what different you know, what good does it do and so I suggested finally maybe would help you go to sleep. And he said yes, so we settled on that but I wasn't really convinced by him. He was convinced that it was absolutely necessary, but I was snuffed so I've been thinking about what it means to be convinced of something, right? So that is Peoples are supposed to be convinced. Luke says that Jesus gave the many convincing proofs doing during those 40 days that he appear to them and was with him after the resurrection. I don't remember a train coming through before and after Des

but I could have just forgotten it. So yeah, I would on a side note. I preached for 4 years in a town where there was a whistle at noon. So let me tell you we knew when Betsy ran over and then I heard about it. But anyway, all right, so the disciples should have been convinced to write Luke says many convincing proofs. But then when we see them gather with Jesus on this last moment that they're together with him in Mirror really makes me wonder where they convinced. And I don't know. I mean am I convinced all the time? I'm not always sure but I look at the disciples and I think are they convinced because they gather with Jesus?

All right, they gather with Jesus they may not know it's the last like the very last moment with him. But still they gather with him. He's done all this teaching with them. And so what did they say they say is this when you're going to restore the kingdom to Israel? Now they spend time with him and he's talking about what kingdom the Kingdom of Heaven the kingdom of God, not the Kingdom of Israel. I'm going to save over like yeah, this is just a moment. This is what we've been waiting for. It's going to happen right now. We're thinking about this Earthly Kingdom. Can you bring it back? Like it was during David's time is that was going to happen. Jesus is like no. That's not what you're waiting for. That's not why I brought you here. And so I wonder I couldn't disciples really convinced that Jesus is who he says he is. I don't know if it continues though. So he tells them no, that's not for you to worry about this is what your job is you go back to Jerusalem you wait until the Holy Spirit comes and then you go out to be my witnesses to all the world. So he gives them a specific job. Right? Like that's their next steps. It's all tied up and he gets taken away in a cloud which is really weird to us because we know what the clouds are and they're not know. It's a strange story right? Where did Jesus go? Did he just pooped and disappear? We don't know but what we do know is that this is the Fulfillment of the promise that Jesus would go to sit on the right hand of God the father, right? So we don't know how it happened. It probably looked a little bit. Well, I'm sure it looked a little bit strange. Anyway, whether it was a real cloud or like a like God suddenly made a fancy clown that took Jesus away like a chariot or something, but the disciples instead of saying, oh we have our job to do they just they do what they just stand there staring at the sky right where they really convinced that Jesus was who he said, he was really really convinced that they had a job that they were supposed to go and do now sometimes I wonder but luckily for them as Luke tells it they had two guys that showed up and said, why are you looking at the sky? Go on and do what you're supposed to do. But I think maybe I should not be so hard on the disciples because let's be honest and it shirt we do the same thing, right we get distracted. We may not be staring at the sky. We have a lot of conversations about the color of the carpet in our church is and how many bathrooms and we get distracted about some things and we might need those two angels to show up and say hey go and do what you're supposed to do. We don't always have pets but we still have the same mission that the Jesus gave the disciples right? Jesus said to them. First of all, he told them many convincing proofs. They were supposed to already know and understand and then Jesus said to them your job now now that I'm leaving and you've been taught everything I'm going to teach you your job is to wait for the Holy Spirit. And once the Holy Spirit comes you go out to Jerusalem, which is where they were to Judea which is home to Samaria, which is where their enemies lived in into all the world. That's your job. And that's our job to are you convinced? I don't know there are days that I'm really well convinced. Yes. This is the story of who God is and how God came to be with us. This is the story of Jesus and it matters in my life. And then there are other days that I think well, I could be all wrong about this but I've already decided to go with it. So I'm going to stick with it. Right so when they were convinced or whether we're not convinced given the day we still have a job that set before us which is to go and be Witnesses and that takes a lot of forms. That's a lot of different things that we do in our own ways. Right? It's the way that we live. It's the way that we talk. It's the way that we love others the things that we do, how are we witnesses to Jerusalem where we are Judea home Samaria where our enemies are and all the world

are we convinced? Well, maybe do we have a job to do? Yes, we do. We may not always get it, right the disciples didn't always get it. Right the book of Acts has a really interesting stories about the way the disciples did get it right the way that they work together the weight of the early church got going. And also some interesting stories and some of them didn't get it, right. So if you're needing some summer reading, I would recommend the book of Acts. It's very it's very inspiring about how the Holy Spirit moved they waited like they were supposed to and they receive power from the Holy Spirit that's going to be next Sunday, which is what holy day. Pentecost yes. All right. So next Sunday is Pentecost and they receive the power and then they went out to the world and that is our job to no matter how convinced we are on a given day. Our job is to go and spread that good news to share that love of God to tell them itd that's what Pentecost is. They receive power to tell the mighty Deeds of God, so Whether you're convinced you're not our job is to go to go and to be witnesses to go and to do to go and to be God's followers wherever we are. One way that we get ready to go and do that. Is it we share together in this meal that we call Holy Communion Holy Communion is a time where we remember what God has done for us and we celebrate that and give thanks. It's a time where we gather together at Christ's table and so you are invited to be part of that today. This table is Christ's table not just the table of Grace United Methodist Church, not the table of the United Methodist Church for the table of Christ. And so I want to invite you to join together in our meal where we will find that in the ordinary bread and juice. Christ meet us and then sends us out to be witnesses as well. So if you would turn in your hymnal.

It's over here. If you would turn in your Hymnal, we're going to go we're going to share together in the Liturgy of convenient. And so first you can turn to page 88 and I'm going to share with you first the invitation Christ Our Lord invites to his table all who love him who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another therefore. Let us confess our sin before God and one another are prayer of confession is found on page eight. Let's sharing that prayer together. It will be followed by a time of silence for silent prayer and the Assurance of Pardon. So let us pray. Merciful god we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will we have broken your law? We have rebelled against your love. We have not loved our neighbors and we have not heard the Cry of the needy forgive us. We pray free us for joyful obedience through Jesus Christ Our Lord.

Share the good news Christ died for us while we were yet sinners and that proves God's love toward us in the name of Jesus Christ. You are forgiven.

Glory to God Amun and let us continue with page 9 with the the great Thanksgiving. It's a prayer that we pray responsively where we remember and thank God the Lord be with you. lift up your hearts

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right and a good and joyful thing always and everywhere to give thanks to you father almighty, creator of Heaven and Earth. You formed us in your image. And Brie cheese into us the Breath of Life when we turned away and our love failed Your Love remained steadfast. You delivered us from captivity made a covenant to be our Sovereign God and spoke to us through your profits. And so with your people on Earth and all the company of Heaven We Praise Your Name and join their unending hymn, holy holy holy Lord God of power and might Heaven and Earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest blessed. Is he who comes in the name of the Lord hosanna in the highest? Holy are you and blessed is your son Jesus Christ your spirit anointed him to preach good news to the poor to Proclaim release of the captains and recovering of sight to the blind to set at Liberty those who are oppressed and to announce that a time had come when you would save your people. He healed the sick feather hungry and ate with Sinners by the baptism of his suffering death and Resurrection you gave birth to your church delivered Us From Slavery to sin and death and made with us a new covenant by water in the spirit. When the Lord Jesus ascended he promised to be with us always in the power of your word and holy spirit on the night in which he gave himself up for us. He took bread gave thanks to you broke the bread gave it to his disciples and said take eat. This is my body, which is given for you do this in remembrance of me. When is supper was over? He took the cup gave thanks to you gave it to his disciples and said drink from this all of you. This is my blood of the New Covenant Port out for you. And for many for the Forgiveness of sins do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. And so in remembrance of these you're mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves and praise and thanksgiving and the holy and Living Sacrifice and Union with Christ offering for us as we proclaim. The mystery of Faith Christ has died Christ is risen Christ will come again pour out your Holy Spirit on us gather here and on these gifts of bread and wine make him be for us the body and blood of Christ that we may be for the world the body of Christ Redeemed by his blood by your spirit. Make us when we Christ one with each other and wanted Ministry to all the world until Christ comes in final Victory and we Feast it is heavenly banquet through your son Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit in your holy church all honor and glory is yours Almighty father now and forever. I'm in

Because there is one loaf we who are many are one body for we all partake of the one loaf and the bread which we break is a sharing in the body of Christ.

The Cub over which we give thanks is a sharing in the blood of Christ.