By Pastor Norma Malfatti

This Thursday we mark Jesus’ ascension. (You may remember Jesus tells Mary in the garden, “Don’t hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to Abba God.” John 20:17, The Inclusive Bible: the first egalitarian translation.)

This day is a turning point in the life of the early church. Unlike his death and resurrection three days later, this time Jesus really will be gone. No longer will the apostles have their friend, rabbi, and Lord with them to answer all their questions, to help them figure out what’s next, or even to have him offering those calming words in the middle of storms. While Jesus has promised not to leave them orphaned (John 14:18), life will be different.

So, it’s no wonder why, at the very beginning of Acts as the story of Jesus’ ascension is retold, the disciples are left standing staring at the sky where Jesus has disappeared into. Even though Jesus has given them some pretty clear instructions on what to do next – wait for the coming Holy Spirit and then go and be witnesses in Jerusalem, the entire region, and to the ends of the earth. Still, the disciples are truly in the in between times – the time between what they knew and the new life and roles promised to them with the Holy Spirit.

 

WE ARE LIVING in a particularly interesting confluence of Biblical stories and our present life. The governor has begun lifting COVID-19 restrictions, which includes capacity limits being removed at the end of the month for indoor gatherings, though face masks will still be required.

We are left with the question of what now? What do we do with these new rules? How do we live out Jesus’ instructions to be witnesses (Acts 1) and to love others as Jesus loved us (John 15:12)? It’s one of the many times in my life that I just wish Jesus would simply come and tell us what to do, something I assume the first disciples wanted quite a lot.

I don’t have any answers to solve your congregation’s building reopening questions, if you don’t already have plans in place. I do however have some questions that apply to our entire lives as Jesus-people, not simply whether or not we worship inside buildings. I also believe these questions are similar to those questions the disciples asked themselves again and again after they stopped staring at the sky.

  • What does it mean to be a witness to Jesus right now?
  • What does loving others as Jesus loves us look like right now?
  • What is at the core of what it means to be a follower of Jesus?
  • What are those things people initiated when following Jesus grew from a small number of people in Jerusalem to a global movement that has lasted 2000 years?

As we live in these in between times – between pre-pandemic and post-pandemic; between the way we’ve always done things and the new ideas that are springing forth; between the generational shifts in leadership that are always happening – I invite you to ponder these questions again. You may not have tongues of fire bouncing on your head, but you may just feel the fire of Holy Spirit burning in you to leap into what’s next.