Here we are again. Another Memorial Day weekend is
Seventh Sunday of Easter – May 28th, 2017: Acts 1:6-14 “Heart in the clouds, feet on the ground.”
Here we are again. Another Memorial Day weekend is upon us. Officially, and it marks an important commemoration in our life as a nation – as we pause to remember all the brave men and women who’ve died in service to their country. We do not pause to glorify war, but to honor their sacrifice – their courage and their commitment to their fellow man – in the seemingly endless battle against a systemic evil that seeks to divide and oppress the peoples of the world through war. And as we pause in gardens of stone to set small flags and lay wreathes over those fallen -- our honoring of them would be incomplete if we didn’t also pray -- crying out with the prophet, Habakkuk, “O LORD, how long shall [we] cry, and thou wilt not hear … cry out unto thee, “violence,” and thou wilt not save?” Unofficially – the holiday also marks the beginning of the Summer season – people traveling to the shore – or the mountains – or just staying home -- a pause from the labors of our day-to-day – for cookouts and time spent with family and friends. But, even in this often busy, celebrative mode, opportunities to pause and throw one’s heart out into the void come as well. They creep in quietly while laying on your back in a rowboat, floating on a mountain lake at night – staring into a sea of stars – or as the pounding of your heart is lulled by the easy rhythmic pulse of ocean waves against the shore – or perhaps while simply sitting quietly in a
lawn chair, staring into the warm, hypnotic, flickering flames of a camp fire. In these moments the ultimate questions of life and meaning that get stifled by the labors of our day-to-day find their voice – “What’s it all mean … or “what’s next” … or as I’ve often asked … and I don’t think I’m alone here… “God, what is your will for my life?” The Apostles … that is, the eleven who were left of inner circle of twelve … ask Jesus, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” Jesus’ answer sounds a lot like what my mother would often say to me when I asked questions she felt were “above my pay grade:” “That’s for me to know and you to find out.” In my own moments of asking, “God, what is your will for my life” -that is the answer that I most often think I’m given – not in words -but by the silence that follows. Now some people would hold up that silence as evidence that there is no God – and some people would use that silence as proof that there is a God who either doesn’t like them very much—or that they’ve offended, so God is giving them the silent treatment. Humbug! Think about it: when you say to a child -- “It’s for me to know and you to find out” what is their next move? Everything in their power to find out what you know – they’ll follow you, nag you, spy on you, listen around corners and eavesdrop on you, they’ll ask other people in the family – they will not stop until they
know what you know. And, for that moment that child’s energy for living flows out of that journey of discovery. Jesus said, “you must become as a child to see the kingdom.” “Lord, is this the time when YOU will restore the kingdom to Israel” “It’s not for you to know … but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” -- to set out on your own journey of discovery … as “my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea, and Samaria, and the ends of the earth.” And then he left them … left them with their memories of their travels with him – of his teaching – of the works of power and healing – of feeding thousands of people with just a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish – of his life as they observed it, bathed with prayer – of his obedience and trust in The Father -- of his deep love for all people – and his ability to forgive – even as he was rejected and beaten and nailed to a cross to die by those whom he loved – of how The Father glorified him, raising him from the dead – and still his most heart-felt prayer for us – to share fully in the circle of relationship that he shares with The Father and the Spirit – “that they may be one, as we are one.” He left in a cloud – the apostles gazing up toward heaven – and I’ll bet that even with all they’d seen and heard from Jesus, someone said, “well … what now?” There’s an old story about a tent preacher who held what he called "quittin' meetings" for those converted at his revivals. These meetings were to get people to confess their sins (cussing, drinking, gambling,
and so on) and then have everyone pledge to quit their sinning. At one of these meetings, this preacher looked to a lady in the circle and asked her what she was going to quit. She said, “Well … till now I haven’t been doing much of anything, so, I guess I have to quit that.” Meaning and purpose, loving relationships, power for living – it’s all there in Jesus. The wars will end, only as we come together as one, as he and the Father are one, and work together for peace – That “roaring lion” our “adversary the devil” – the systemic evil that feeds on division – only wins when we allow ourselves to be divided –and failing to love and forgive, as we have been loved and forgiven. The ascension of our risen Lord tells us that rather than looking into the stars in order to try to determine God’s will for our lives -- rather than seeking to find God’s presence in some state of spiritual oneness with our inner self – all we need do is look to the life of Christ – and empowered by the Holy Spirit – joyfully embark on our own journey of discovery—imitating what we see -- “our heart in the clouds, and our feet on the ground.”
Here we are again. Another Memorial Day weekend is upon us. Officially, and it marks an important commemoration in our life as a nation – as we pause to remember all the brave men and women who’ve died in service to their country. We do not pause to glorify war, but to honor their sacrifice – their courage and their commitment to their fellow man – in the seemingly endless battle against a systemic evil that seeks to divide and oppress the peoples of the world through war. And as we pause in gardens of stone to set small flags and lay wreathes over those fallen -- our honoring of them would be incomplete if we didn’t also pray -- crying out with the prophet, Habakkuk, “O LORD, how long shall [we] cry, and thou wilt not hear … cry out unto thee, “violence,” and thou wilt not save?” Unofficially – the holiday also marks the beginning of the Summer season – people traveling to the shore – or the mountains – or just staying home -- a pause from the labors of our day-to-day – for cookouts and time spent with family and friends. But, even in this often busy, celebrative mode, opportunities to pause and throw one’s heart out into the void come as well. They creep in quietly while laying on your back in a rowboat, floating on a mountain lake at night – staring into a sea of stars – or as the pounding of your heart is lulled by the easy rhythmic pulse of ocean waves against the shore – or perhaps while simply sitting quietly in a
lawn chair, staring into the warm, hypnotic, flickering flames of a camp fire. In these moments the ultimate questions of life and meaning that get stifled by the labors of our day-to-day find their voice – “What’s it all mean … or “what’s next” … or as I’ve often asked … and I don’t think I’m alone here… “God, what is your will for my life?” The Apostles … that is, the eleven who were left of inner circle of twelve … ask Jesus, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” Jesus’ answer sounds a lot like what my mother would often say to me when I asked questions she felt were “above my pay grade:” “That’s for me to know and you to find out.” In my own moments of asking, “God, what is your will for my life” -that is the answer that I most often think I’m given – not in words -but by the silence that follows. Now some people would hold up that silence as evidence that there is no God – and some people would use that silence as proof that there is a God who either doesn’t like them very much—or that they’ve offended, so God is giving them the silent treatment. Humbug! Think about it: when you say to a child -- “It’s for me to know and you to find out” what is their next move? Everything in their power to find out what you know – they’ll follow you, nag you, spy on you, listen around corners and eavesdrop on you, they’ll ask other people in the family – they will not stop until they
know what you know. And, for that moment that child’s energy for living flows out of that journey of discovery. Jesus said, “you must become as a child to see the kingdom.” “Lord, is this the time when YOU will restore the kingdom to Israel” “It’s not for you to know … but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” -- to set out on your own journey of discovery … as “my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea, and Samaria, and the ends of the earth.” And then he left them … left them with their memories of their travels with him – of his teaching – of the works of power and healing – of feeding thousands of people with just a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish – of his life as they observed it, bathed with prayer – of his obedience and trust in The Father -- of his deep love for all people – and his ability to forgive – even as he was rejected and beaten and nailed to a cross to die by those whom he loved – of how The Father glorified him, raising him from the dead – and still his most heart-felt prayer for us – to share fully in the circle of relationship that he shares with The Father and the Spirit – “that they may be one, as we are one.” He left in a cloud – the apostles gazing up toward heaven – and I’ll bet that even with all they’d seen and heard from Jesus, someone said, “well … what now?” There’s an old story about a tent preacher who held what he called "quittin' meetings" for those converted at his revivals. These meetings were to get people to confess their sins (cussing, drinking, gambling,
and so on) and then have everyone pledge to quit their sinning. At one of these meetings, this preacher looked to a lady in the circle and asked her what she was going to quit. She said, “Well … till now I haven’t been doing much of anything, so, I guess I have to quit that.” Meaning and purpose, loving relationships, power for living – it’s all there in Jesus. The wars will end, only as we come together as one, as he and the Father are one, and work together for peace – That “roaring lion” our “adversary the devil” – the systemic evil that feeds on division – only wins when we allow ourselves to be divided –and failing to love and forgive, as we have been loved and forgiven. The ascension of our risen Lord tells us that rather than looking into the stars in order to try to determine God’s will for our lives -- rather than seeking to find God’s presence in some state of spiritual oneness with our inner self – all we need do is look to the life of Christ – and empowered by the Holy Spirit – joyfully embark on our own journey of discovery—imitating what we see -- “our heart in the clouds, and our feet on the ground.”
