Since Thursday, April 13th, we have been between Ascension and Pentecost. It is normal to think about all the services of Holy Week as “walking in the footsteps of Jesus,” but until this morning, I had never really thought about the fact that we “walk in the footsteps of the disciples” as we move from Ascension to Pentecost. The thought grabbed me, though, that between Ascension and Pentecost is a profound image for much of life.
At the Ascension, Jesus told the disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait for the power of the Holy Spirit, who would be given by the Father, so that they could accomplish the task to which they were called (Acts 1:4-8). The image of the disciples receiving a call and yet having to wait in patience for God’s powerful presence fits much of our experience. The disciples didn’t know how long the wait would be and didn’t know what it would be like to receive the presence of the Holy Spirit. They just had to wait in patience and faith.
We, too, oftentimes know that there is something for us to do. Perhaps it is a particular task, job, or goal that we know we are supposed to do. Perhaps it is a new spiritual discipline or a deeper level of pursuing God to which we know that we are called, and yet have not been able to succeed in yet. Perhaps it is a level of contentment and peace in our circumstances that we desire but cannot achieve in our own strength. Perhaps it is reconciliation in a particular relationship. We all have had moments where there is something before us, something from God, that we cannot yet reach. In those moments, we are called, like the disciples, to wait in faith. We are waiting for God to show up, waiting for the strength of the Holy Spirit to do what we are called to do, waiting for the promise to be given.
We don’t get to dictate the length of the wait. We don’t know what it will be like for God to arrive. We don’t know how the calling will be fulfilled. Like the disciples, we are simply called to remain in our particular Jerusalem until God arrives.
As you wait for Pentecost on Sunday, let the fact that we are between Ascension and Pentecost encourage you to keep waiting for the presence of God, who will lead you into the calling he has for you, in his timing!
Steven+
Song Spotlight
For a long time, Christopher Wordsworth’s “See the Conqueror” was a mainstay in Anglican churches on the Sunday after Ascension. By and large it has fallen by the wayside lately, though I’m sure there are still plenty of churches who have sung it every year for generations. It’s a beautiful hymn about Jesus’ triumphant ascension. Having conquered sin, death, and Satan on the cross, the risen Christ rises to take his rightful place in the heavenly throne room. That pronouncement of victory is reason enough for us to sing.
I hope that on Sunday when we sing this together your heart can catch a glimpse of the Ascension’s everyday importance for all of us. When Jesus ascends into the throne room of God, we go with him. That almost sounds like something we shouldn’t be allowed to say out loud, but it’s true! Because we are “in Christ,” bound to him, united with him, in some mysterious way we go where he goes. This is why we can sing with Paul “there we sit in heavenly places” (Eph. 1:20). When Jesus enters into the heavenly holy of holies (Heb. 10:19-20) we stand with him in the presence of God.
It also means that we share in his exaltation. Let that sink in. We have neither earned nor deserved it. We have won none of his cosmic victories. Still, on Sunday we will sing together “thou hast raised our human nature.” We receive the new life and renewed human nature of our risen and ascended Lord. His obedient heart and faithfulness unto death become ours, deserved or not. He offers us his triumph, his Spirit, and his righteousness. “Mighty Lord in Thine ascension, we by faith behold our own.”
Listen to "See the Conqueror" here!
- Justin
Scripture Reflections
If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:16-17
On Sunday, we heard Moses’ charge to the Israelites on the banks of the Jordan (Deut. 4) and Jesus’ words to the disciples at the Last Supper (Jn. 14). In both instances, they were instructing their people before a major transition and time of uncertainty. Moses would die, leaving a new leader to bring the people into their new lives in Canaan. Jesus would go through the cross, resurrection, and ascension, leaving his disciples to follow him without his visible presence.
The call from the passages is clear: Moses reminds his people of God’s faithfulness in the past and calls them to obey God’s commands in the uncertain present. They didn’t have to know everything or predict the future. They simply had to recognize that God had been faithful and keep obeying. Jesus also calls his followers to obedience. Again, the disciples aren’t expected to know more than has been revealed. Jesus simply tells them to obey what he has already taught them.
But Jesus also promises the presence of the Spirit to his disciples. This promise extends all the way to us! As we embark on major transitions in the church, as we step forward into an uncertain future, we can be at peace because the Spirit has been given! Jesus has promised to be present with us, through his Spirit. Pray that we would walk in obedience and trust by the strength of the Spirit!
Steven+