Acts 1: 1-11
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
May 5, 2019
The Gospel according to Luke, the beloved physician, took us on this past Lenten journey (February, March, and April) to see God moving in our lives with regards to Jesus’ teachings. It was Luke who took us inside the empty tomb of Easter to proclaim Christ’s message that brokenness, destruction, and death are not the end of our human story. Because he lives, we can face tomorrow – Amen?
And here we are on the third Sunday of Easter. I don’t know about you, but my soul has been stirring and asking, “What is next?” Where does our faith go from here?
Luke says that the disciples, the men and women who had been with Jesus those three years, were asking themselves the very same question. They were chosen by Jesus to proclaim the kingdom of God and to do mighty works in his name. And yet these followers were still trying to get their mind around Jesus death and resurrection.
After Easter they had been with the risen Lord for forty days. And Jesus was preparing to leave them again to ascend to heaven and sit at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, as we say in the Apostles’ Creed. The disciples were now being prepared to be “the sent ones” – that is what the word ‘apostle’ means. The apostles would be sent from Jerusalem to the ends of the world to continue Jesus’ work and making him known.
Listen to Luke’s words in the Acts of the Apostles – the first chapter, verses 1-11.
In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over the course of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. ‘This’, he said, ‘is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’
So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 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.’ When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards 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.’
In the book of Acts, Luke tells the story of the very beginning of the Christian movement. In the same way Luke began his Gospel, so here he addresses the story to Theophilus, whose name means “Lover of God” (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1). Some scholars say that this name addresses people like you and me who are curious about who this Jesus is and are searching for God’s direction [1].
The apostles are all standing with Jesus and just beyond the crest of the present is a very uncertain future – at least to the human eye. I think Jesus knew the apostles were curious, anxious, and questioning. He meets them where they are and gives them their marching orders, their next steps.
The apostles are to trust God’s timing for the big picture of God’s will and NOT get stuck on the details of how God would accomplish his purposes, especially in regards to God honoring his covenant with Israel (Acts 1:7).
The apostles will be empowered by the Holy Spirit to continue Jesus’ work by joining God in changing the world (Acts 1:8).
And the apostles are to make Jesus known by starting in their immediate community of Jerusalem and then reaching out to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).
But before the apostles could do any of this, Jesus said something very important. Jesus commanded the apostles to wait (Acts 1: 4). What did Jesus mean? Does waiting mean to sit on the dock of the bay wasting time?
What happens when you wait and do nothing? It seems like nothing happens.
Jesus is not talking about a passive waiting without effort. The word he uses in the Greek means to remain all around regardless of the obstacles. That kind of waiting takes the efforts of expectation, hope, and not giving up.
In fact, Jesus told the apostles to wait in this way for the blessing of the Holy Spirit because without the power of God’s Spirit they could do nothing through their human strength.
In the Gospel of John Jesus told his followers that after his death and resurrection they would be waiting for the Advocate, the Helper, the Spirit of Truth to come. “The Holy Spirit, whom God will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you” (John 14: 17, 26-29).
The apostles are waiting for the future to unfold by the power of the Holy Spirit and there is one thing that makes it possible for them to do that. My commentary says, “Waiting for the dynamic future to unfold involves a measure of uncertainty and urgency. What makes waiting possible for the apostles to hope for tomorrow’s best is remembering God’s past faithfulness” [2].
The secret of waiting according to the lens of faith is holy memory; remembering God’s past faithfulness. Scripture not only tells us the incredible life changing story of God’s radical love for creation and humanity, but the Good Book is the keeper of God’s faithfulness among our spiritual ancestors; their story is our story.
Scripture is the living Word of God because it is still at work to rewrite your stories and mine. The beauty of gathering in Christian community is that we not only study, learn and remember the story of God’s faithfulness but we share our personal and communal encounters of God’s amazing grace in our lives.
To have that kind of holy memory reminds us that no matter what we are waiting for, we have hope that God is still at work to mend the brokenness in the world and in our hearts and raise us to new life – not just when we die but now.
Charles Spurgeon was a well-known preacher in the 19th century. He once preached, “The waiting itself is beneficial to us: it tries faith, exercise patience, trains submission, and endears the blessing when it comes.”
What are you waiting for? Are you waiting for courage to face that challenge? Are you waiting for that relationship to heal and be restored? Are you still waiting for those chains to break? Are you waiting to discover where you belong? Are you waiting for the Lord to show up and show you the way? Are you waiting for the church to become more relevant in a quickly changing world?
Whatever you are waiting for, I want you to know that you are not alone. So don’t just wait and passively let your life go by. Faith gives us the framework to wait with expectation, hope, and perseverance. Waiting is the first step of being an apostle of Jesus Christ.
Do you know why? Because without the power of the Holy Spirit we can do nothing. You and I cannot solely generate a sufficient version of hope apart from God.
And so in the meantime we question what this thing called faith is. We tap into that holy memory to remain confident in God’s ability; holy memory is the anchor of the soul (Hebrews 6:19). We keep learning to trust God’s timing without getting stuck in the little details of exactly when and where God is going to work things out. And we endear the blessing of the Holy Spirit when she shows up in all her power and might. The Spirit of Truth will teach us everything.
My hope for our journey together through Acts is this: that we might be empowered by the marks of the first century Christian community; that you and I may be compelled to claim our identity as followers of Jesus Christ (because sometimes we get lacks in that); and that we may discern where God is leading us communally and individually.
May it be so…
In the name of God our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.
Sources Referenced:
[1] New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary “Acts, Volume IX” (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015), p. 26.
[2] New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary “Acts, Volume IX” (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015), p. 33.
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