Ascencion Homily...

A Quagmire or a River?

Homily By The Rev. Marcia McRae

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Bainbridge, GA, 7^th Sunday of Easter, 1 June 2014

Year A RCL Acts 16:1-14; Psalm 68:1-18, 33-36; 1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11; John 17:5-11

I wonder what the disciples are thinking as Jesus is lifted up & that cloud takes him out of sight.

 They are staring up & suddenly 2 men in white robes bring their minds back down to earth. They have work to do here....as Jesus has just told them!

Jesus says in Acts: You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; & you will be my witnesses here & to the ends of the earth. Then Jesus ascends.

The disciples are staring, trying to figure out

what just happened!?

We do this, too. We yearn to make sense out of life.¹ Certainly seeing the Lord Jesus, so recently risen from the dead, ascend into heaven is a life issue they – perhaps we – would like explained, so that life can make sense.

The 2 men in white who suddenly appear might have been unnecessary if the disciples had our advantage: either of these 2 books! (Or other similar books.)
Then they could have understood this event that leaves them staring upward.

Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms & Faith Seeking Understanding ² tell the essentials of the ascension:
Jesus’ earthly ministry is accomplished; he returns to God the Father so the Holy Spirit can come & minister through the Church – that’s you & me; Jesus reigns & will come again (which we declare in the creeds).

After the encounter with the men in white, the disciples go to Jerusalem & wait in prayer for the Holy Spirit. They start living into their new Christian freedom: “freedom from the bondage of sin (AND freedom) for partnership with God & others.”³

We have work to do in partnership with God & in this Body of Christ. We share in this work to bring our brothers & sisters in the human family into the joy of knowing Jesus. Our faith & love strengthen us & empower us to work with & for the powerless, to live in confidence & joy, to overcome self-hatred & debilitating doubt.⁴ . . . . How?

How do we satisfy this yearning to have life make sense, especially in life’s hard times? We see this struggle regularly on the news when tragedy, disasters, human-inflicted cruelties grab our attention 24/7. We hear all kinds of details & expert opinions about the situation, its ramifications & damage to psyches….until the next big event starts a new cycle of reporting.

 So much of our reporting focuses on damage & victimization.

I remember my first Associated Press newspaper editor's critique of an article I had written. I had focused on the good news of the 100 survivors. He said I missed the point:

the one who died would grab the headline.

Rewrite it: people pay attention to tragedy.⁵

Our news tends to make survivors into victims, focusing with credentialed experts on possible long-lasting emotional damage. We keep people stuck in the bad situation. We keep people stuck in a quagmire of the past. We forget what Peter says in today's Epistle:

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you...rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may also be glad & shout for joy when his glory is revealed... the Spirit of God, is resting on you. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time.”

 So that God may exalt you....

What does that mean?

Exalt means more than glorify & magnify. It also means “to enhance the activity of, to raise in rank, power, or character, to raise someone...to a higher level.”⁶ 

Exalt is a gift. Exalt is grace.

Jesus calls us to be a river of grace, restoration & freedom for ourselves & for our hurting sisters & brothers who do not yet know Jesus.
As a river of grace, we can buoy our brothers & sisters – exalt them – up from the quagmire of being stuck, of being victims.

In the river of grace, victims become survivors

& thrivers.

Survivors are what the news media interview & ask questions about their being victims. Survivor Tori Amos says: 

“The last thing I want to be known as is

'The Girl Who got Raped'. 

The big turn around you make in your head is

from victim to survivor.”⁷

She says:

“The idea is to rescue myself from the role of a victim.

That I have a choice left.

Though I can't change what has happened,

I can choose how to react.

And I don't want to spend the rest of my life

being bitter and locked up.”⁸

This survivor is a thriver: out of the quagmire of resentment & in the river of grace.

She is exalted. God has raised her character, raised her to a higher level of living.

May we, by God's grace, be exalted!

May we work with God to exalt

our Brothers & Sisters who are hurting.

 

Bibliography

Bacon, Ed.8 Habits of Love: Open Your Heart, Open Your Mind. Boston: Grand Central Life & Style. Grand Central Publishing. 2011.

Grenz, Stanley J. David Guretzki. Cherith Fee Nordling. Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. 1999.

Harper’s Bible Commentary. General Ed.: James. L. Mays. San Francisco: Harper & Row Publishers. 1988.

Holy Bible. New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford University Press. 1989.

Lectionary Page. http://www.lectionarypage.net/. Accessed: 8 May 2014.

Markham, Ian S. Understanding Christian Doctrine. Malden, ME: Blackwell Publishing. 2008.

Merriam-Webster. Smartphone Dictionary app. Merriam-Webster Inc. 2012. Accessed: 30 May 2014.

Migliore, Daniel L. Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology. 2nd Ed. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2004.

The New Complete Works of Josephus. Revised, Expanded Edition. Translator: William Whiston. Commentator: Paul L. Maier. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications. 1999.

Voyles, Robert J. Restoring Hope: Appreciative Strategies to Resolve Grief and Resentment. Hillsboro, OR: The Appreciative Way. 2010. www.appreciativeway.com.

Wright, N.T. For All The Saints? Remembering the Christian Departed. Harrisburg: Morehouse Publishing. 2003.

1 Bacon, Ed. 8 Habits of Love: Open Your Heart, Open Your Mind. P. 126.

2 Grenz, Stanley J. David Guretzki. Cherith Fee Nordling. Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms. Pp. 15-16.

Migliore, Daniel L. Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology. P. 404.

3 Ibid. Migliore. Faith Seeking Understanding. P. 160.

4 Ibid. Pp. 160-161.

5 Note: It was a writing practice exercise that I wrote, not local news that was published.

6 Merriam-Webster. Smartphone Dictionary app. Merriam-Webster Inc. 2012. Accessed: 30 May 2014.

7 Quoted P. 39 of “Teaching Forgiveness” based on Voyles, Robert J. Restoring Hope: Appreciative Strategies to Resolve Grief and Resentment.

8 Ibid. P. 40. “Teaching Forgiveness” based on Voyles, Robert J. Restoring Hope: Appreciative Strategies to Resolve Grief and Resentment.