Today I experienced two things: Ascension Day, and the funeral of an old friend.
Ascension Day is the fortieth day after Easter, and marks the time when Jesus “was received up into heaven, and sat at the right hand of God.” (Mark 16:19)
The Gospel of Luke says “And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. (Luke 24:50-51)
The book of Acts says, “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.” (Acts 1:9)
These three accounts are all passive tense (Jesus was acted upon, rather than Jesus doing the acting): He was received, He was parted from them, he was taken up. And the book of Acts includes the detail that “a cloud received him out of their sight.“ (Even at the end of His time on earth, Jesus did not exalt himself, but still in the form of a servant, and was lifted and exalted by God.)
Jesus’ followers were not expecting Him to be crucified, though He warned them many times that He would die. And though He told them He would rise from the dead, again, they were not expecting it, and it took some convincing for them to accept that He had, actually, risen from the dead. Thomas actually had to put his hand into the wound in His side before he would believe that it really was Jesus who had risen from the dead. (John 20:27)
And yet, so many of them had seen the heavens open up when John the Baptist took Jesus into the water, and baptized Him. The Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove, and the voice of God was heard: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17) So God himself, from heaven, declared that Jesus was His son, and still Thomas doubted.
But Jesus didn’t want to lose Thomas, and so he gave Thomas another chance to believe. After Jesus rose from the dead, and stood before Thomas, He invited him to touch His wounds. And Thomas felt them and acknowledged Jesus as, “My Lord and my God.” Jesus responded, “Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:28-29)
That’s us, y’all.
This is the grace of the Lord Jesus, in that while He was denied, disbelieved, not understood even when He said things in plain language, that He continued to give second chances, even after He died and rose again. For that is why He came: To provide a second chance.
For forty days, Jesus tied up the loose ends. And He did many miracles. And then, He was taken up. And again, His disciples were left a little flat-footed.
“As they were straining their eyes to see him, two white-robed men suddenly stood there among them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky? Jesus has been taken away from you into heaven. And someday, just as you saw him go, he will return!” (Acts 1:10-11) NLT
It’s easy to make judgments about how slow the disciples were to believe, even when they had been outright told what would happen, but don’t we do the same things? We all seem to struggle to believe. Even when it’s all laid out for us, and we have been told in plain language, we struggle, we doubt, we are hesitant to act, and we resist.
I think of our dear friend, Bob Haviland, who died a few days ago. Today, I found myself sitting in the service, listening to his grieving family talk about the good times, and hearing our pastor tell what a righteous man he was. I knew all of those things were true, and more. But all I could think about was that I had promised to stop by and take him out for ice cream, but hadn’t done it in time.
I knew that Bob was struggling a month ago, when I saw him at a gathering. I knew he was 90 years old. I made a note to myself for our family to be sure to spend some time with him, but I let the time get away, and the next time I saw him was at his funeral.
Things happen in increments, don’t they? We tell ourselves that there is still time. The truth is there, right in front of our eyes, and still we don’t see; we don’t understand that there is an end. There is a time limit to each of our lives, and there is a time limit for this earth. When the time for mercy has come to an end, it will be the time for judgement.
I think about Bob, and even though I just attended his funeral, he still seems so close. Bob, whose beautiful, gnarled hand I can almost feel shaking my own (for he was the church greeter for decades), dear Bob is gone. We often joked about his hands, which were bruised from the blood thinners he took. (“You should see the other guy,” he would say.)
He is with Jesus now. The man I was just talking to so recently. Was he ready to go? Did he feel like he was prepared for what comes next? What is he experiencing now?
Life presses in, and “way leads onto way,” said Robert Frost, “and I doubted that I should come this way again.” (From “The Road Not Taken”) So many times in life, we have a decision to make, and the path we choose changes everything that comes afterward.
As I sat in the congregation, waiting for the service to start, a new friend spoke to me about the beautiful flowers blooming in her yard. We talked about how quickly the blooms come and go, and how important it is to stop and notice them, to literally “stop and smell the roses.” It all goes so quickly. Already this spring, the snowdrops are gone, the crocus are gone, the lily of the valley are gone, the tulips are gone . . . and now Bob is gone.
And yet, he his not totally gone, for energy cannot be destroyed. Bob is “absent from the body, and present with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8)
When we lose someone we love, if they know the Lord, we know that they are present with Him. Are you lonely for them? Lean in to the Lord. The closer you are to Him, the closer you will be to the one you love. All the beautiful qualities that made that person who they are came from the One True God who designed him. That unique pattern is there in God’s mind. Your dear one is not lost. His life is “hid with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3)
We know that our time on this earth is short. Jesus is coming back, the same way he went, just as the angels said. And when He does come, the time for telling people about him, and the time for ministering to those who have needs will be over. I just want to urge you to do it now, whatever it is that you feel you should be doing.
Are you on the edge, wondering if you should take the plunge and commit to the Lord? Make a decision, and then tell someone about it. God will not reject you; if you are feeling that tug on your heart, it’s the Spirit of God drawing you. It is confirmation of your calling.
And if you know Him, and some task keeps coming to mind, that is also the Spirit, leading you gently to be a minister for him. Maybe you need to call someone. Maybe it’s a visit. Whatever it is, the tasks the Spirit gives us are our real job, and everything else must come second.
Whatever it is, don’t wait. We don’t know how much time is left, for ourselves, for our friend, or even for this earth. This is real, the most substantial thing on earth. God’s love and mercy are the only things that keeps us here.
“For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the power of our Lord Jesus Christ and his coming again. We have seen his majestic splendor with our own eyes. And he received honor and glory from God the Father when God’s glorious majestic voice called down from heaven, “This is my beloved Son; I am fully pleased with him.” (2 Peter 1:16 – 17) NLT
The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. . . .And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight. (2 Peter 3:9, 14) NLT
The Fullers Four 