| During the last two Sundays
of Lent, we have been focusing on the conception, birth, life, death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. Theologically, these were the events
that gave credence to the understanding that Jesus inaugurated the kingdom
or the reign or the commonwealth of God on earth. I have shared my
perspective, that through the passion of his life’s teachings and healings
and justice-making deeds, Jesus offered to us the possibility of redemption
and salvation. And when we have the courage and conviction to commit
our lives to the liberating actions of Jesus’ life work, we recognize that
indeed, we have been saved. It was because of the way that he lived
that Jesus was crucified on a Roman cross, convicted of blasphemy and being
a threat to the political powers of his world. Jon Sobrino reminds
us that “to die crucified does not mean simply to die but to be put to death”
(Jesus the Liberator: A Historical-theological View, p.255).
Resurrection followed crucifixion. The resurrection of Jesus was consistent
with his life and ministry because it confirmed the arrival of the reign
of God. Through resurrection, God was victorious in the struggle against
the powers of death and injustice and hatred, and Jesus’ resurrection puts
an exclamation mark on God’s intentions for life and love and non-violence
and justice to be realized here on earth. The passages of the Apostles Creed that we have been pondering, emphasize that with the life and death and resurrection of Jesus, the reign of God has begun. It is, as theologians love to say, “the already.” Today we examine those articles of faith that focus on the “not yet.” Jesus “ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of God and will come again to judge the living and the dead.” With these words we leave the earthly life of Jesus behind and focus on yet-to-be-revealed future possibilities. The ascension itself is the moment that moves us from the “already” to the “not yet.” I remember on my first pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1984, right after my graduation from Andover Newton Theological School, climbing up to the summit of the Mount of Olives and there, pausing at the traditional site of Jesus’ ascension. There, a small Moslem mosque marked the site. Like the slides that I showed you last week of churches and chapels in Jerusalem that have been built over holy sites, so too the site of the ascension has had its varied markings. Originally a church was built there by the early Christians; this was leveled by the crusaders who built their own chapel over the site; later the land was claimed by Arabs and they converted the chapel into a mosque. Now it is mostly ancient ruins. We gathered in a circle for worship and the sharing of communion. I remember standing there, looking up into the heavens and then down at the bread and little olive wood communion cups that had been prepared for the worship service. And to my horror, I saw colonies of ants crawling up the rock on which our holy meal was waiting, and of course, they were headed straight for the bread and the sweet grape juice! Later that night, I recorded these thoughts in my journal. “Today we went to the summit of the Mount of Olives, a place where Jesus went often in his life and where traditionally he ascended into heaven. We gathered to worship and break bread together. During the service the natural and the supernatural became one: ants and grape juice; bread and birds; prayer and song; the physical elements and the spiritual presence.” To this day, this is the lesson that the Ascension teaches me. Heaven and earth mingle together. The mystery of God fuses with everything that is real and concrete and we can find God in all things. It is what the contemplative sees daily. The divine is in the new green shoot that pushes through still frozen ground. Awe is there at birth and at death. When we peel a potato, or paint a picture, or sing a hymn, or protest for a cause, or ski down a slope, or pray, or struggle to listen to one another, or dance, or wrestle with a hard decision, or write in our journal – in all things, the divine comes together with reality. This morning’s bulletin cover shows a woodcut by the great German artist Albrecht Durer. He invites us to actually witness Jesus’ ascending. Note how Jesus leaves behind his footprints, the miraculous footprints that pilgrims flocked to see on the Mount of Olives. Christ’s ascension is the final proof to early Christians that now he is seated at “the right hand of God” which underscores the marriage of the human and the divine. But heaven was not Jesus’ ultimate destiny. The early church expected his imminent return so that the “not yet” could be completed in the fullness of the reign of God here on earth. Much of Paul’s advice to the early Christian churches is based on this assumption. Preparation for Jesus’ second coming consumed everything. But Jesus didn’t appear. Disappointment prevailed. Eventually, Jesus’ return became a hope rather than a daily expectation. The way that I have come to interpret Jesus’ coming again is to expect him daily. I look every day for signs that Jesus has been with me, don’t you? With the co-mingling of the “already” and the “not yet” I can live not only with future anticipation, but I can live in expectation that Jesus will appear to me everyday. It’s a matter of seeing and hearing and feeling and touching and tasting the Mystery, the Awe, the Holy in my daily experience. Indeed, I can say without hesitation that I believe that Jesus “will come again and again and again!” And as for the judgment? If I believe that Jesus comes again daily into my life, then I can expect that he will help me to see if I am really a living disciple of his or if I’m as good as dead. “He shall come again to judge the living and the dead” is what the creed says. Old English refers to “the quick and the dead.” You can imagine over the years the questions and conversations I’ve had in confirmation classes over the meaning of the “quick and the dead!” One fellow thought that if you ate Bisquick you’d be dead! Ah yes, the living and the dead. Michelangelo’s famous portrayal of The Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel reflects the traditional understanding of an angry judgmental Jesus who hurls the condemned downwards and raises the elect up to heaven. I prefer to hear Jesus asking me on a daily basis whether I am “quick” or “dead.” What better question can we be asked each day….am I truly alive for Jesus? am I saved today by committing myself to the liberating acts of Jesus life? or am I among the dead? finding myself keeping step with worldly values and worshipping the idols of the today’s society instead of living sacramentally for Jesus? Am I alive for Jesus by living the great commandment – to love God and neighbor as myself – to the best of my ability? I like what Joan Chittister says about this line in the creed. “The segment of the Creed that calls us to remember judgment is not a call to fear, it is a call to growth, to right-mindedness, to fidelity of direction. It is a call to the human community and a reminder to the individual…(that we have been created) to prove our accountability, both personal and communal, to God’s hopes for humankind.” (pp. 154-155 In Search of Belief). Like other religious institutions, Lexington UMC is held accountable for its response to God’s breaking into this world and inviting us to “pick up our true crosses” and follow Jesus. What better vision could we have than “Everyone Included – Everyone in Service?” It is the Holy Spirit that makes such a vision possible. “I believe in the Holy Spirit,” claims the creed. And just who or what is the Holy Spirit? How do you understand the Holy Spirit? (Solicit images from the congregation.) For me, the Holy Spirit is the final third of the Trinity. It is God’s energizing presence among us (Chittister, p. 162). It is God’ breath, ruah, that created all things and continues to create. It is the Comforter, the Counselor that Jesus promised to send following his departure at the ascension. It is Sophia, wisdom, the feminine side of God that compliments and completes the Trinity. It is that which founded the church, descending on Pentecost, filling believers with the living presence of Jesus Christ. It is the source of differing spiritual gifts among believers. As a child, I believed that the Holy Spirit was a Halloween ghost – except it was a Holy Ghost. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child, but as my faith matured, so did my understanding of the Holy Spirit. Because of the life giving power of the Spirit, I believe that Jesus is a living spiritual presence in our lives and God’s creating energies and ongoing revelations are right here in our midst. The Spirit prods us, challenges us, comforts us, sustains us, energizes us, companions us, leads us, holds us, forgives us and loves us. It is because of the Spirit that we can partner with God and Jesus Christ and with one another in bringing the “not yet” of God’s reign closer and closer to the “fulfillment of God’s reign of peace with justice” here on earth. The sand dollar is a lovely symbol for the Holy Spirit, as well as for the various articles of faith which we have been pondering. It was Arthur and Dorothy Schramm that brought me the legend of the sand dollar from their winter days on the sunny beaches of Florida. Known as the Holy Ghost Shell, it is a very unusual species of marine life. On it and in it are symbols of the birth and crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus as well as the wonderful surprise of the Holy Spirit. (Clusters of 4-5 gather and each cluster receives a Holy Ghost Shell and explanation of the Legend of the Sand Dollar.) If you look at the top side of the shell, you will see an outline of the Easter Lily. This is the sign of resurrection. Then note how from the center of the lily, a five point star appears. This is the Star of Bethlehem, representing a symbol of Christ’s birth. The four slits around the edge represent the four nail holes that Jesus suffered on the cross and the central opening has been seen as the spear wound made in his body during the crucifixion. On the back side of the shell is the outline of the Christmas Poinsettia and also a bell. The gift of the Holy Spirit can only be discovered if we break the Holy Ghost Shell. So, do the deed, and watch for a small circle of doves to come tumbling out. Break the circle apart and give each person in your small group a dove, a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Here is the mingling of the natural and the Supernatural, the ordinary and the Divine. Treasure the little dove and be reminded of the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life – today and all days. Alleluia! Amen! |