Trinity Metropolitan Community Church of Gainesville (Trinity MCC)

Hurry Up and Wait

Rev. Vickie Miller

May 24, 2009

Acts 1:1-11 and Luke 24:44-53

Growth…Vision….Mission begins with revelation, waiting and preparation and finally realization.

Each week when we prepare the bulletin, I look for an appropriate image or artwork for the front page to reflect our week’s theme. As I reviewed the various options for this week, I found that the ascension images fall in two different categories. There were ones that focused on Jesus – showing Jesus’ entire body in the clouds, looking very heavenly-like surrounded by light and clouds and angels.

The other type of images were ones that showed just the feet of Jesus or the hem of his garment, barely visible, leaving the earth, with footprints left on the ground. At first I thought these were a bit odd, but then I realized that with these I was more attentive to those who were left behind. These men and women – some of them looking up, others turning to each other for answers - had expressions of wonder and worship, shock and surprise, some fearful, some joyful.

So, this ascension day, I thought that we should focus on those left behind and see what we can learn from them.

First, what does the ascension mean to these people? It is an end to a story, the story of Jesus on earth. We can relate to these rag-tag fisher folk, tax collectors, men and women who loved Jesus. We understand their confusion. We understand their need to make sense of it all.

But often our comparisons stop there. What we often fail to realize is that just as they have received an amazing vision and revelations so we, too, have received visions and revelations with a message to share.

As we explore their story in this moment of scripture, I believe that there are three things we can gain from their experiences.

1. We all carry a message.

Maybe our experiences and revelations are not as obvious as a resurrection or an ascension, but we carry so much in our memories

Often, I believe that we discount our own personal revelations. We can accept the fact that no one person has the same finger prints as ours. But just as important, no one has had the same experiences that we have had either. No one person carries in their hearts and minds the divine revelations that God has given to you and only you.

When I took my first preaching class, I was so intimidated. There were others in my class who had already been preaching for years, ones more charismatic than I, those more intelligent than I am. And as I would study for my next class sermon, I would think, what on earth can I say that has not been said before? One day God enlightened me and said, yes, but no one has the same experiences as you either.

Confucius said there are three methods by which we learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.

True, our experiences may not always be the noblest, but God’s revelation comes to us through them just as God’s revelation came through those early disciples.

Those who have studied Divine Revelation say that our revelations are no less miraculous than physical ones. Priest and philosopher, Rev. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin says that these revelations occur as ‘acts of God within the human psyche.’ How exciting to think of it that way! That God is working within our own human psyche to reveal God’s very self to us.

So just like those early disciples, we too have been given a vision, a mission and a message.

The second thing we can learn from these early disciples in this story is that

2. Our life mission often requires waiting and preparation.

The disciples had seen and experienced so much. Jesus now opens their minds to the scripture to understand. Jesus told them they were going to tell this story to the whole the world.

But, says Jesus, “Don’t leave Jerusalem yet. Wait here. Stay in the city.”

It’s like hurry up and wait.

We’ve all experienced that. Have you ever rushed to the emergency room in a panic only to be told to sit and wait? Or maybe you finally decided what you are to do with your life and then it requires more schooling? Or, the perfect item for your remodeling project has been found only to find that it is on back order.

Some have been called quickly to the bedside of a loved one who was dying. Elaine, like you did, going to Minnesota to be at the side of your mother only to get there to wait.

Why is that? Why is it when we seem so ready that God has us wait?

And, what happens in that waiting time?

There is a story about

A successful business woman who wanted to retire. She gathered all of her young executives together and said, "A year from now I am going to step down, and I will be selecting one of you for the next CEO.”

"Here is how I am going to decide. I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown. I will then judge the plants and decide from that who will be the next CEO."

One man, named Jim went home and excitedly told his partner the story. Together they got a pot, soil and compost and they planted the seed. Everyday, Jim would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began talking about the small shoots that were beginning to grow.

Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants. Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Of course, Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues at this. He just kept watering and fertilizing hoping a miracle would happen.

A year finally passed and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his partner that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But his partner encouraged him to just be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach thinking it was going to be so embarrassing. But he knew his partner was right so Jim took his empty pot to the board room anyway. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants. They were beautiful -- in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor, and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived she surveyed the room admiring all the plants while Jim just tried to hide in the back. All of a sudden, she spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot and told Jim to come to the front. Dreading the moment, when Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed.

Jim told her the story of how he had tried and watered and fertilized but to no avail. The CEO asked everyone to sit down and then announced, "Meet Jim your next Chief Executive Officer! One year ago she continued, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it.”

Sometimes, in the waiting it feels that nothing is happening. However, maybe in the waiting time, our character is being developed. Maybe in the waiting time our faith is being tested and strengthened.

From HRC’s Out in Scripture article this week, it says that “Luke’s gospel makes it very clear that the disciples needed time to adjust to this business of resurrection.” So, maybe in the waiting time we are just learning to adjust to the new revelations God has given to us.

Personally, you may be experiencing something and you are tired of waiting.

Do not despair.

Likewise, in this church, I am sure that many of you are tired of waiting.

After a long time of transition many of you are ready to move on. And, now you are being asked to consider another interim or provisional pastor. You may feel that it is a waste of time.

But, I believe God is still in the business of revelation. In this waiting time, maybe God is still working things out to do what is best for you. In the waiting, I believe God is still working in the psyche of our denominational leaders. In the waiting, maybe God is working in the psyche of your future permanent pastor so that he/she will be prepared. Maybe in the waiting, God is still working in you to make you ready. Whatever the reason, I believe that God knows what God is doing.

Because so much can happen in the waiting. Look how much has happened already. Relationships have been healed. Attendance has grown. You and I have had this time together, which has been a blessing to me.

The question is, what will you continue to do with the rest of the waiting time? Luke tells us that the disciples, in their waiting, spent time worshipping Jesus. They went to Jerusalem like Jesus told them and they waited. They were joyful and continually in the temple blessing God.

3. The third thing we can learn from this ascension story is that our waiting and our revelations eventually blossom into realization.

Iyanla Van Zandt says that a revelation does not exist until we announce it. Those early disciples did eventually tell the story and fulfill the mission. When our waiting period is over, we too must do something with the experiences and the revelations God has given us.

There is a saying that says,

Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry because of this, since it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody understood that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended with Everybody blaming Somebody as Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

Maybe you’re still in the waiting phase because God is still waiting on you. Maybe God is waiting on you to turn this whole process over to God in faith. Maybe waiting on you to give enough so that you can meet a budget to pay a full-time pastor. What a gift that would be to your Board of Director’s who are being called to step out on faith with my time ending in just weeks.

The disciples were asked by two angels, “Why are you gazing upward into heaven? This same Jesus will come again.”

We are asked the same question. Why do we gaze up? Like those early disciples, learned. Jesus is here, amongst us all. We all have been given a vision, a mission and a message. That message of Jesus is a message of power.

May we make use of Christ’s presence and balance in our lives the watching and waiting with the working. May we rely upon God to teach us when and how to hurry up and wait and when to act.

Like we said in the gathering words:

So, as we wait, let us continue to build the dominion,

While we watch, let us look for the signs of God’s love.

Let us share the good news while we watch and wait.

Let us ride high on the cloud of worship.

Let the dominion of God show up in this place.

For, Jesus is already here!

Amen.

Benedection:

Go now. Christ sends you into the world
just as Jesus was sent into the world.
Delight in God’s teaching,
testify to Christ’s resurrection life,
and share in the ministry of Christ’s people.

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