SUNDAY OF THE ASCENSION
(EASTER VII)
May 16, 2021
“Normal?? What Is It, Really??”
“I know not the way God leads me, but well do I know my guide.” Martin Luther
Are you making plans for the many things you want to do as our communities and country return to “normal”? Or do you have questions, doubts, and a sense of uncertainty about these hopeful (or unrealistic) thoughts? Over a year ago, as the pandemic began to spread at a stunningly rapid pace, when it felt as though the world was not only shut down but turned upside down, most of us had no way of knowing what the year to come would be like. And now, as we try to unsnarl the ever-changing guidelines of safe practices, reading and listening to the good news/bad news information, we’re still trying to find some stability, some solid ground on which to stand.
Descriptions of “normal” activities are highly individual — from attending a special event along with large numbers of people to simply hugging those loved ones you’ve been missing for so long. It’s a lot like talking about what you’d do if you came into a fortune, or what your dream vacation would be. But we can be assured that what we’ve thought of as normal probably doesn’t exist any more. We’re hoping for some personal freedom, the ability to go about our lives in ways that are familiar to us, but the losses we’ve experienced and the stresses of dealing with these challenging times will linger and, to some extent, change us.
As the season of Easter draws to a close, we hear the accounts of Jesus ascending into heaven and his message to the disciples as he left them to carry out the ministry they began with him.
In an effort to understand how the disciples took that big step and how they went from being Jesus’ followers and students to independently teaching and preaching, I read the closing verses of each Gospel. The most enlightening was in the Gospel of Luke, as Jesus speaks to them about the future, assuring them again that he was the fulfillment of the ancient prophecies of the Messiah. “Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sin is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:45-47)
We cannot earn or deserve God’s love and forgiveness; rather, through God’s grace, we are given the gift of faith. When Jesus opened the minds of the disciples to understand what they would be teaching others, he gave them a grace-filled gift.
As Martin Luther observes, wherever God leads us in this life, we are assured he walks beside us all the way. The abundant, never-ending love of our Lord is the anchor, the solid ground, the light in the darkness, and it is there throughout all our lives. Strengthened, therefore, we are able to bring hope and help to a world in need of this good news.
Trusting the promise,
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers