Redirecting Us – Acts 1:6-14

A text – Acts 1:6-14

⁶ So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ⁹ When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. ¹⁰ While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. ¹¹ They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

¹² Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. ¹³ When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying: Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son ofJames. ¹⁴ All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.

A reflection:

The story of the ascension of Jesus happens while the disciples are asking Jesus yet again if now will be the time when the Kingdom of Israel will be restored. Jesus knows they cannot get past this old Messiah expectation, and maybe Jesus just shakes his head, telling them the timing is up to God the Father. Then he redirects them to pay attention to what is up to them: what to do with the power Jesus will make sure they get in about 10 days’ time – the gift of the Holy Spirit, to be used to witness to the truth about Jesus as far as the ends of the earth. Then Jesus is lifted away and veiled from their sight. They are struck silent, staring after him, oblivious to everything else. Suddenly two men in white robes are standing with them on the mountainside. They also redirect the disciples away from sky-gazing – “He will return to you in the same way someday,” they insist, but they seem to encourage the eleven to return to their work.

We humans are in need of redirecting much of the time. Don’t you find that kind of interesting? I have several friends who have attention deficit disorder as a part of their lives. They don’t just find it interesting that the disciples need reminding all the time. They find it easy to relate to. We all start off with good intentions, and before long need to get back on track because something has captured us and is keeping us from finishing our intended mission. But as Acts goes along with their story, we see that, even before Pentecost comes with the gift of the Holy Spirit of Jesus, they manage to devote themselves to prayer, and they include Jesus’s mother and brothers as well as the women in their group. And shortly afterward they vote in, without opposition, Matthias to replace Judas Iscariot. They managed to get on with their early days as witnesses to Jesus.

If you find yourself falling off track, getting distracted, even when you are praying or singing a hymn or listening to a sermon, don’t beat yourself up. You are in good company. It happens to us all. And the Lord will redirect us. We need it, and when it comes, it is a blessing.

A prayer:

Lord God, thank you for loving us. Thank you for redirecting us when we lose our way. Help us to be patient with others when they have trouble completing their tasks. Keep us compassionate with ourselves and others. Amen.