As the Guardian’s mother is still very poorly, today’s reflection has kindly been written by Christopher Belk – thanks to him for doing this.
Reflection for the Sunday after the Ascension.
Waiting…
24 “‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 28 Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. Ezekiel 36. 24-28
If you have ever been to A&E you know what waiting is like. You know you are not right, you expect some form of emergency treatment, you may not know exactly what to expect, and you certainly don’t know how long you will have to wait. Meanwhile you pop a paracetamol and hope
Our eldest granddaughter Sophie is getting married next Saturday, after being engaged for over a year. Ruth and I were also engaged for over a year, so we know how it feels. All sorts of details to be sorted; invitations, service, clothes, food, honeymoon, need of paracetamol from time to time, but underlying joyful expectation.
Ezekiel had his message from God during the exile in Babylon: – God has something good in mind but you will have to wait for it. Like many OT prophecies, it can be short term – they will get their land back, which they did soon after, – or long term – they will always keep the land. Many, including probably Mr. Netanyahu, still quote it in the long term political sense.
But the spiritual promise about being given a heart of flesh and having God’s Spirit goes way beyond the political – what did that mean? Probably Israel would have thought, and may still think, this is just another rather vague promise about the long awaited Messiah. They got the land back short term but still had to wait for the Messiah. The waiting period in Babylon was only part of that longer term Messianic wait.
We of course believe that the Messiah has come in the person of Jesus. That waiting period is over, if only He could be recognised. But the spiritual promise was even yet not wholly fulfilled.
At this time of year we are looking at the waiting period Jesus’ disciples were in, between his ascension and Pentecost. Lets look at how Luke describes this
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. Luke 24. 44-53;
Luke describes the scene again in Acts 1, adding that Jesus’ mother and the women were with them in the Upper Room.
So the disciples knew they were in for another waiting period: they seem to have not been given much clue as to how long it would be or what exactly was going to happen, but fresh from Jesus parting blessing they certainly were in joyful expectation of whatever being clothed with power might mean. In the meantime they prayed, met constantly for worship, and saw to a bit of admin by choosing Matthias as replacement apostle no.12.
We know now how that waiting period ended, with the dramatic happenings at Pentecost (next week in our calendar). So after that, don’t tell me there is yet another waiting period…??
Before we get onto that, lets sing the sort of praise the disciples might have sung between Ascension and Pentecost.
[139 Crown Him with many crowns]
Look now at what Jesus said, first in John’s gospel and then in Revelation
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you[e] known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” John 17. 20-26
12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you[a] this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Rev22., 12-14,16,17,20,
So we are now in a new waiting period, between Pentecost and the time when we get to be with Him where He is, and see His glory, whether that be at the end of our earthly life or at his earlier coming. Again, we do not know when either of those things will happen, but we need every day to expect and pray for his coming, and be ready for either. But in this period we should not just be sitting in the waiting room popping paracetamol, uncomfortable though it may sometimes be. There is much to be done, not least praying and praising.
First we need to be sure that we have personally answered the invitation to take the free gift of the water of life, so that, as Ezekiel foresaw and Jesus promises, the Holy Spirit will be fully in us and will move us to follow God’s decrees and be careful to keep his laws, and so that as Jesus promised he and his love will be in us and we in Him. Only thus can we have the power to serve the world and help others believe. The book of Acts tells many stories of how this worked through the original disciples, but we must never fall for the idea it was only for them. “Let the one who is thirsty come…” is an invitation to the whole world, and most immediately to any Christian who feels thirsty for spiritual progress in this waiting time. I guess that means us, and that we should come and accept the power to be part of the continuing Acts of the Disciples. How to come? Just ask God. Jesus said, “How much more will my Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him”.
What exactly do we anticipate? Noone expected to get out of Babylon with the blessing of King Cyrus. Noone expected the Messiah to come in quite the way He did. Noone expected actual tongues of fire at Pentecost. God has a habit of fulfilling prophecy in unexpected and wonderful ways. We can anticipate a treat beyond anything poets, prophets or theologians may have tried to describe
Do we experience that as a constant joyful expectation? Should be worth waiting for, and praising for meanwhile…