It was a lovely setting with both
ministers dressed for the communion service, evoking a serious and deep
response to the said and sung words of the service and the floral decorations
enhancing the depth and warmth of the emotion felt by the congregation.
I want to focus on certain parts of
the service which I often have to skim over to allow other parts to have my
attention.
The call to
worship provided words we perhaps couldn’t find for ourselves:
Mystery of God, draw us near.
Fill our minds with awe!
Wisdom of God, surprise us.
Encourage us with hope!
Glory of God, shine through our
lives.
Reveal your power and your glory!
In the mystery, the wisdom, the glory
of God,
Let us worship!
And then
the opening prayer reflected the uncertainty many of us feel from time to time
and in its plea, reminded us that in our own times of doubt and apprehension we
should call on the only One who can possibly give us comfort.
Unknowable
God, on this most unsettling day, you drew Jesus to your side— promising his
companions Spirit, power, mission, and purpose; calling his disciples to trust
a future that they could not yet see. As we look to Jesus this day, give us the
same hope of Spirit, power, mission and purpose, and call to trust a future
that we too are yet unable to see. Guide us into your depths, that we may
glimpse the Spirit already at work in our lives— revealing your truth and
empowering us to bear witness to the risen Christ. We pray this in the name of
Jesus, your Mystery, your Wisdom and your Glory.
However
the thing that prevents our perfect communion with God is our ongoing inability
to be the people we should be and so there is the need to ask for forgiveness
for that:
A Prayer of Confession
The story of Ascension Day
challenges us to seek the presence of the risen Christ in the here and now; in
our lives, our community, and our world. Let us pray. When we “look up to
heaven” for our answers, and so fail to seek the Spirit at work in our midst.
Lord, have mercy.
When we forget to repent of our wrong
doings; when we fail to forgive others for mistakes of their own, and so fail
to give witness to the risen Christ.
Christ, have mercy.
When we doubt the power of your
Spirit, which is at work changing hearts and opening minds, and so fail to
embrace relationships of righteousness and peace. Lord have mercy.
Declaration of Forgiveness
Friends, the love of God revealed in
Jesus forgives us, heals us, and sets us free to witness to his love in the
world.
Thanks be to God!
Christine spoke of the difficulty of
believing the impossible things, referencing the conversation Between the White
Queen and Alice in “Alice through the Looking Glass”, where the Queen declares
that she has had the experience of believing “as many as six impossible things
before breakfast.”
Christine used that analogy to talk
about the ascension of Jesus, for which many people throughout history have
tried to provide an explanation, some less believable than the ascension
itself.
place that day,” and that it “was so overwhelming that they couldn’t put it not words” but “It changed them
forever.” Christine gave a very strong reason for Jesus
leaving and trusting the leadership to his followers.
As a single human person he could not take the “good
news of God’s love...to all the nations of the world.”
But by leaving the confines of this earth and being “freed
of time and space” and he was able to promise “to send
the power of the Holy Spirit”
Christine then explained the real
reason we are celebrating the Ascension...“that we (are) going to receive power
from God.” and, more importantly, to remind us that we have no power of our own
and must rely on the Spirit.
At this point I leave Christine’s
sermon and turn to Joan’s prayer which is possible because of what happened at
the Ascension. Joan’s plea “Be with us all, Lord: in all our daily struggles as
we seek to follow you” encapsulates the reason and result of Jesus’ leaving and
sending the Spirit of comfort and guidance.
That Spirit can give the comfort that
Joan prayed to be given to those suffering in any way. That guidance can be
given to us and others so that we can better understand the real plight of
others who are less fortunate in terms of resources, be they financial or
personal resources. That Spirit can lift us to a place of Joy in the midst of
all the distress we may suffer ourselves or which surrounds us.
However we experience God’s presence,
it is the “Amazing Grace” of John Newton’s hymn and written about by Ron in our
latest “Marsden Missive.” Ron tells us of Newton’s journey as a Christian
during which time he acted as Jesus would. An example for us all to
follow...with God’s ‘Amazing Grace” mediated to us by the Spirit.
Benediction
The disciples looked up to heaven,
and then looked around at each other. Slowly, understanding dawned upon them as
they began to recognize the presence of their beloved Jesus in their midst.
With their minds enlightened, and their hearts set free, they went forth
rejoicing, singing and praying, and waiting for the Spirit’s coming. Let us,
too, go forth confident in God. Let us rejoice in one another, as we wait in
prayer for the surprise of the Spirit.
Amen.
