There Goes the Neighborhood

Jesus said, “You heard me say to you, `I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I.” John 14:28
This cryptic saying was in the Gospel lesson last Sunday, but due to the focus on International Sunday, it was read, heard, and (probably) promptly forgotten.  It is from the portion of John’s Gospel known as “The Farewell Discourse” when Jesus addresses his disciples at the Last Supper, offering assurance, support and a lot of strange rhetoric that doesn’t seem to make sense until after his death and resurrection.  However, this verse only makes sense in light of Jesus’ ascension, which the Church commemorates 40 days after Jesus’ resurrection.  This year Ascension Day is May 5th.
The Ascension is one of those important events that many modern Christians forget about even though it is mentioned in the Creeds and most Eucharistic Prayers.  This event doesn’t seem important to the story of Jesus, and yet it is essential to for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
While Jesus was alive, his corporal form could only exist at one place at a time.  He was confined by the rules of mortality in his ministry, which was beneficial for us because he could die. Jesus showed us just how much we are loved through his death. Jesus’ resurrected body, however, had different qualities than a living human. Even though he could eat, he still was able to get into locked rooms and disappear before people’s eyes. 
It is at the Ascension when Jesus’ earthly presence, however that can be defined, is taken up into heaven. Jesus had told his disciples, “I am going away,” which I believe refers to that moment when he’s earthly presence in human form ascends into the sky and removed from human sight. And yet that is not the end of the story because Jesus also said, “I am coming to you.”   In another part of the Farewell Discourse, Jesus talks about the Advocate, the comforter that he will send to his followers.  While the Spirit has been present in the Hebrew Scripture and in Jesus’ ministry, it was always at a particular time for a particular purpose. 
I dance on the edge of heresy to suggest that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are the same, because they are not, however by shedding any residual mortal presence, the Christ is able to become present to all people at all times, moving like the Spirit.  It is the great mystery of the Trinity of how that works, but it does and it is to our benefit that Jesus ascended into heaven and made way for the Holy Spirit to ignite the first Christians on the day of Pentecost. 
Yet we also live with those first disciples that witnessed Jesus’ ascension, feeling lost and perhaps even abandoned.  It is not a comfortable place to be, even with Jesus’ own words offering comfort, solace and assurance that there is more to come.  These 10 days between the Ascension and the Day of Pentecost are long and perhaps a bit familiar.
I fear many people in the world today feel disconnected to any sense of the divine in their lives.  While there are many reasons for that, I offer that it could be because we are not seeking the divine in beneficial ways.  God is not here to serve us; we are to serve God.  Discerning how to do that takes patience and persistence.  It also takes time, energy and sacrifice.  We hear the stories in Scripture of how the first Christians did this, and we can follow their examples today.  It starts with a willingness to believe what Jesus said, “I am coming to you.”  When we believe that, we should not feel abandoned but deeply loved and filled with possibility of what we can accomplished together for God’s sake.
With Easter Joy,

Rev. Valerie+

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