05-29-2022 Outward, Upward and Onward

Thomas J Parlette
”Outward, Upward and Onward”
Acts 1:1-11
5/29/22, Ascension

       Pastor and writer James Moore tells a wonderful story from the days of the old west, when the major means of transportation across the country was the stagecoach. What you might not know, says Moore, is that the stagecoach had three different kinds of tickets – first class, second class and third class. If you had a first class ticket, that meant you could remain seated during the entire trip, no matter what happened. If the stagecoach got stuck in the mud, or had trouble making it up a steep hill, or broke a wheel, you could remain seated and let other people deal with the situation. You had a first class ticket.
       If you had a second class ticket, you could also remain seated – until there was a problem. If something came up, the second class ticket holders would have to get off the stagecoach until the problem was fixed. You could stand off to the side and watch, but you weren’t expected to do anything or get your hands dirty. You just had to get out of the coach until things were ready to go.
       Now, if you had a third class ticket, you would not only have to get off the stagecoach, but you were expected to help fix the problem. You might have to get out and push the coach out of the mud or up a hill or help fix a broken wheel. As a third class ticket holder, you were expected to chip in and help if a problem arose.(1)
       Sometimes we see this issue become a problem in the church – not because we use stagecoaches anymore, but people sometimes come to think of themselves as ticketholders in the church. Sometimes it seems we have too many people who think they are first class ticket holders. They expect to be catered to, waited on, and pampered. If a problem comes up, they stay seated and watch while other people deal with the problem.
       Some people might act like second-class ticket holders. These folks ride along until something comes up, and then they became detached spectators. They’ll attend church regularly – but don’t expect them to get involved.
       But thank goodness we have some people in the church who are willing to travel like third-class ticket holders. Every church has that small group of members who are ready to get out and push when they have to. They are the ones who are not afraid to get their hands dirty.
       There was once a pastor who was talking with a man who was about to join the church he served. The man said, “I want to join the church because I want to be fed.” And the pastor replied, “Well, that’s fine – but we’d all be better off if you would take off your bib and put on an apron. We’ll still feed you.”(2)
       The disciples were certainly the kind of people who took off their bibs and put on their aprons – you could say the disciples were third class ticket holders in the Kingdom of God. They were the ones who were charged with the responsibility of telling others the good news of Christ – to go out into the world and get their hands dirty. This Ascension story tells us a couple of things about this mission that we are called to.
       First, the Christian faith always looks outward. In some religions the emphasis is on looking inward. “Navel-gazing” is what it is sometimes called. And there is a time and place for some introspection, to be sure. But the primary focus of Christianity is to look outward at the world around us.
       Jesus challenged his disciples to “be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” He was calling them to a great adventure. They were to leave their homes and familiar surroundings and travel to the far corners of the world proclaiming the Gospel. They were to look outward.
       Dr. Harry Ironside used to tell a story about a group of dissidents who left a church to begin what they hoped would be the “perfect church.” The new congregation considered themselves to be such a spiritual blessing to God that they put a sign outside their church: “JESUS ONLY!” The church didn’t reach out to their community, however, they only ministered to themselves. One day when Dr. Ironside went by the church, he noticed that the first three letters had fallen off their sign to reveal a new message: “US ONLY!” How fitting – the new sign revealed a lot about that church’s ministry(3) The Christian community is called to look outward, not just inward.
       The church is also called to look upward. Christ told his disciples to wait and pray. If we’re honest about it, there is something about waiting and praying that goes against our nature. We don’t like to wait for anything or anyone. We want immediate results, with our satisfaction guaranteed or our money back. We want instant happiness – instant success. We don’t want to wait for the good life – we want it now immediately. And if we don’t get what we want, we’ll look someplace else for it. Who wants to sit around and wait? Who wants to sit around and pray? That feels a lot like doing nothing. Maybe –  or maybe not.
       In his book, The New Art of Living, Norman Vincent Peale gave us an interesting picture of our modern situation. He tells about a man in London years ago who had regained his sight after having been blind since he was two years old. He could not remember his perceptions from his infant years, of course, but he had certain images in his mind about how people looked. For example, he imagined most people to be tall and slender. But the most startling image he kept in his mind was that all human faces looked peaceful.(4)
       Tomorrow morning as you make your way to work, look around and see if most of the people you encounter have a peaceful expression on their face. You might find a few – but I would guess not too many.
       I once heard about a lady who was riding a considerable distance on the Pennsylvania Turnpike for the first time. This meant she had to go through some long tunnels. Her son asked her how she enjoyed it. She replied that one of them was a 2 ½.
       “What do you mean… 2 ½ miles long, 2 ½ minutes to get thru/”
       She replied that it was 2 ½ times through the 23rd Psalm, “The Lord is my shepherd…”(5)
       I know just the tunnels she was talking about.
       There is a peacefulness that only waiting and praying can give us. There is also a power that only waiting and praying can provide. That’s what the disciples discovered. Prayer and waiting are necessary preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Followers of Jesus are to look outward. They are to look upward. And finally, they are to look onward.
       The apostles watched as Jesus was taken up to heaven in a cloud. They stood there looking up, amazed at what had taken place. Suddenly two men in bright white robes stood before them. They asked the apostles, “Why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, will return in the same way…”
       And then the Apostles looked onward. They returned to Jerusalem with great joy. They met daily for prayer. They began to prepare themselves for what lay ahead.
       Billy Graham once told of visiting an elderly man who had spent most of his life in China as a missionary. This former missionary had always enjoyed good health and was an unusually strong man. His deep dedication to Christ and his love for his wife made people love and admire him. He was indeed a faithful witness.
       Unfortunately, this former missionary contracted cancer which spread to many parts of his body. Graham went to minister to him and share some words of comfort. But instead, the sick man ended up ministering to Dr. Graham. “There was a joy and radiance about him that I have rarely seen,” recalled Graham. “He got up out of his bed and walked me to the car when I left. I’ll never forget my last glimpse of him. With a great smile and a cheery wave, he said, “Keep on preaching the Gospel, Billy. The older I get, the better Christ is to me.”(6)
       The good news for today is that can be true for all of us. The best is yet to come.
       Jesus had not gone away, not completely. He had gone…up. His disciples received a promise that one day he would return. That’s an important promise. It says that this world is headed somewhere. It says that third-class ticket holders will one day see the fruits of their labors. It says that one day Christ will reign over all the Kingdoms of this world.
       Several years ago, a group of Christian musicians traveled to Russia to proclaim the Gospel in word and music. They had the privilege of taking their talents to Moscow during the Russian Orthodox Easter. They met in the Palace of Congress where the Supreme Soviet had met for years. It was a massive room, with the enormous oversize picture of Lenin hung in front for all to see. Except that day, Lenin’s portrait was covered. In that massive hall the gospel of Jesus Christ was preached to a huge gathering of Christians and non-Christians alike. The hall was filled with glorious music, and Christ’s message of forgiveness and grace was broadcast by television to millions of viewers throughout Russia. For the American Christians who made the trip, it was an experience they would never forget.
       On one Sunday afternoon, the group went into Red Square and distributed more than a hundred thousand pamphlets about the Gospel, including small Bibles in Russian. They were warned against doing that too aggressively – but not for the reasons you might expect. Turns out the authorities were not opposed to it, they were concerned that the group might be mobbed by people hungry for more information about Jesus and Christianity.(7)
       That is but a foreshadowing of the way the whole world will look someday. There will come a time when Christ will rule over all, and people will hunger for God’s Word.
       In the meantime, let us look outward, let us look upward and let us look onward – anticipating the day of Christ’s return.
       May God be praised. Amen.

1.              Dynamic Preaching, Vol.XXXVIII, No.2, p22.
2.              Ibid… p22.
3.              Ibid… p23.
4.              Ibid… p23.
5.              Ibid… p23.
6.              Ibid… p24.
7.              Ibid… p24.