Ascension Sunday!

Have you ever had to plan an event?    You probably had an idea of what you wanted to have happen, you probably had and idea of what to expected, you probably had a metal image of how things would go.   So… did they go that way?    Or did “Murphy’s Law” apply?    You know, where things don’t go as planned or as expected.   My first experience in the Army was as an Infantryman, and the phrase I heard back then was – “No plan survives first contact with the enemy”.  You have an idea of what you’d like to have happen… but… things don’t go as you planned.   

This idea often shows up in movies – you know, it’s the wedding movie where all the guests are assembled outside, the bride is very beautiful, the cake is huge and waiting to be eaten.   And the dog ends up chasing some animal like a squirrel, they run past a group of people, a lady gets knocked over, she bumps into one of the servers trying to transport a tray full of champagne glasses from point A to point B, and ends up tipping over right into the wedding cake… and so on. 

Then there are some moments… that end up being more than you expected… more than what you’d planned, more than what you thought could have been otherwise.  Maybe it turns out to be something very significant, something very important, happens.  That first trip to Ghana back in 2000, about 2 or three days from leaving, my wife wasn’t feeling well, with her Crohn’s disease and all, we’d been on the go for a week and a half, I was tired and ready to rest a little. 

But we’d been invited to go to a town about an hour and a half away, and from there we’d be going to a village out in the sticks, further beyond the town.  I was not ready to go… I wanted to relax a bit.  But my wife said it wouldn’t be nice to excuse ourselves, so we did go.  After a long trip, we did finally made it to this village, literally in the middle of the forest.    And it was on that trip that I first saw my daughter.

Or maybe it’s just a simple moment loaded with meaning:   About 6 years ago, in early summer, I’d needed to take my car to the shop to get worked on for some reason.  They said it wouldn’t take more than 45 minutes or so – in and out – so I waited.  It was a nice day so I took my baby boy outside with me.  We found a shaded grassy area, we sat and explored the world together.   I showed him grass and plants, and some bugs… and he looked, and touched… and tried to eat.    I remember that peaceful quiet time with my son.  We had nothing else to do… I had his attention, and he had mine.

Have you ever had moments like that?   Meaningful moments, special moments?   Normal moments fill of meaning.    Sissy Spacek has a new memoire out, an autobiography titled, “An Extraordinary Ordinary Life”.   I think it must be about ordinary moments full of extraordinary meaning.

“Yes, but, Pastor… not for nuthin’, but today’s the celebration of Assumption or Jesus.  What you’re talking about, what does it have to do with the Assumption?”   

The Christian year, the liturgical cycle, is full of celebrations and commemorations, usually having to do with the life of Jesus and his disciples.  I’ve said before, sometimes it can feel like these “moments”… spaces…. times in the life of Jesus… can seem like exhibits in a museum –

“Here’s the next piece – ‘The Birth of Jesus’ – notice the guiding star in the upper right corner.   See how it has guided the three Magi, and see how the shepherds have been told by the angel.   There’s the angel, see?  And in the foreground you can see the manger, with Mary and the baby Jesus.”   All explained well and thoroughly, in it’s cultural and biblical  contexts… moving forward through time, encountering other elements of Jesus’ life, – “Here we see Jesus getting baptized.    You can see John the Baptist here, as Jesus comes out of the water… but look at the sky here, how it is torn open – alluding to the tearing of the temple veil separating the Holy-of-Holies at the moment Jesus dies – three decades in the future.  And here’s the dove purposefully directed at Jesus – representing of course the Holy Spirit – a reference to the dove in Genesis, Noah’s Ark story.”      

We can go through more of these pieces, showcases, windows, representing portions of the life of Jesus and/or his apostles.   It sounds like we could be speaking of some stuffy museum somewhere – a boring and tired place, things with no real point, and things that have no real relevance to our lives! 

But not all museums are bad!   Not all are this boring!   Some are very moving!  Some have some pretty interesting pieces, some very lively elements to them!  The best exhibits perhaps are the ones that open us to something new, that speak to us in words of real power!  

Decades ago, a Dutch priest named Henri was once so struck by Rembrandt’s painting, “The return of the Prodigal Son”, that he wrote a book by the same name.   Henri Nouwen became well  known for his spiritual wirings, and in his final years went on to work with people who were physically and mentally challenged.

 

Some exhibits can really lift up… or move us deeply.    Sometimes stories of Jesus can move us; sometimes stories of Jesus can help us remember what life can be like.   Sometimes stories of Jesus can help us live well. 

Today’s exhibit – Jesus ascending up, into the heavens, being lifted up, away from them, as he blesses them.   We could ask the question – as in a boring museum, with dusty showcases, dimly lit exhibits, we could ask the question- so what?!   What does this have to do with me?

Today we commemorate the day Jesus is lifted up – assumed into heaven while the rest of us are here… on Earth.   

This story made me think of what it means to be human.   We can take our moments, ordinary ones… be open to the Spirit… we can take our simple every-day moments… and lift them up, lift them to heaven:

Are you going to eat?    Sit down, relax – enjoy the company, the food, the moment!  Let it be a meal… not a speed bump on the way to someplace else.    This is a challenge for me – I’m moving a lot! 

Does someone need to talk with you?  Stop.   Listen.   Try and not see them as an interruption from some more pressing issue.

When you’re feeling rushed and harried – often for me, so a challenge for me too – when you recognize your moving from thing to thing with mo Spirit… try and take a moment even if briefly, to lift something up;

your eyes – look up and see the clouds and sky.  Say a prayer. 

Your mind – take a few deep breaths.  Stop moving – stop your body.  Slow your racing mind down. 

Just for a second… elevate that moment…. Imbue it with meaning… by slowing down and being there fully.   Be present – looking up, as Jesus is being lifted up into the heavens in front of you.