Castaway Anxiety
Acts 1:6-14 / 1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11
Rev. Jay Rowland
The account of Jesus' ascension in Acts chapter 1 probably sounds outlandish to those who are unfamiliar--and maybe even to those who are. Perhaps this is why we don’t think or talk much about the ascension other than when we recite the Apostles Creed together. Perhaps many prefer to quietly ignore this passage and any consideration of the ascension.
Not me. I believe it’s essential.
Because until Jesus ascends it appears he can only be in one place at a time. After he ascends, Jesus can be anywhere and everywhere at once.
So, no. I’m not willing to skip over the ascension.
The disciples clearly did not see it coming. After it happens they’re clearly shaken. They were still trying to make sense of everything that was changing right in front of them. Above all, they were hoping Jesus’ Resurrection meant an end to living under the stress and anxiety and heavy hand of Roman occupation. That’s why they asked him what they did. They are understandably stunned, even discouraged by the ascension of Jesus. The world in front of them and all around them was still as dangerous and prone to evil as it was before. When Jesus is taken up and out of their sight, it hits them just how much they relied on him to keep their fear in check.
We do too whether or not we say it out loud.
Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will come upon them to liberate them from the prison of their fears and anxiety. Through them, God’s ways of love and life will reach all who are near and all who are far off.
Remember before the COVID19 menace arrived, there was a great deal of concern and preoccupation about why people aren’t coming to church anymore like they used to back in the “good old days.” Back in the day when church attendance was robust and church-influence upon culture and government was the norm. Sounds like the disciples asking Jesus if all this means that Israel will be restored to its former glory—the good old days.
Jesus replies, basically, that’s none of your business. It is not for us to know the whys and the wherefores. Instead of wondering why people are not coming to church or how to bring the church back from obscurity, Jill Duffield notes that Jesus suggests in Acts 1 that we “exercise the power of the Holy Spirit and be His witnesses: show the Lord’s grace, compassion, and mercy wherever we are.
Go to the places where others are afraid to go and feed His sheep.
Bear witness to the abundant and eternal life Jesus brings.
Be generous.
Be welcoming.
Work for reconciliation.
Be forgiving.
Do justice. Love kindness.
Use all our Spirit-powered intelligence to light up the ends of the earth with the love of Jesus Christ. God will take care of the rest.” (Jill Duffield)
Henri Nouwen, in Making All Things New, writes about preoccupation: " … (it) means to fill our time and place long before we are there. So much of our [anxiety] is connected with [such] preoccupations… Always preparing for eventualities, we seldom fully trust the moment."
Our negative preoccupations—about the “success” of our church or our kids or who/whatever— provokes anxiety. And in my experience, such anxiety displaces hope and depletes our spirit. This kind of anxiety turns us into castaways, isolating us on an island of discouragement. Such anxiety tries to convince us that the love and care of God for God’s people is non-existent.
The community to which Peter writes was longing to trust in God in spite of the persecution, suffering and anxiety they were experiencing. Their unanswered questions tormented them. Rather than furnish answers, Peter instead encourages them to endure and to persist, mindful that they are God’s beloved. Peter offers one of my favorite verses in all of scripture: “cast all your anxiety upon him, because he cares for you.”
The pandemic has rendered our previous preoccupation with church attendance irrelevant. People are suffering and struggling in a myriad of ways. The world is longing to trust in God despite what’s happening. We are all tormented by unanswered questions.
When will this pandemic end?
When will our life be restored?
When will it be safe to gather in person again?
How long, O Lord, will COVID-19 remain?
How will people ever recover from the economic catastrophe?
In the absence of answers and certainty, our mission becomes clear and simple: Seek and discern the Holy Spirit in the midst of the present chaos and change. The Holy Spirit will show us how to faithfully bear witness to the life and love of God embodied in Jesus Christ. As we learn and practice new ways of being church, the Holy Spirit is already helping us: We are now reaching people we may have previously overlooked or unintentionally excluded. We are learning there is more we can and will learn. The Holy Spirit is already working.
And so, praise God we shall continue to grow together spiritually as we continue to worship and gather together digitally. And so,
We shall call upon the power of the Holy Spirit.
We shall seek to love God and neighbor in all we do and strive to do.
We shall follow the well-trod path of the first disciples and apostles, who agreed they were in this for the duration, completely together in prayer, casting away anxiety everywhere they went by bearing witness to the love of God in Jesus Christ.
