A sermon by Associate Minister Elsa A. Peters, May 4, 2008
Acts 1:1-14
Lover of God, that’s how this narrative is addressed. It’s addressed to a guy named Theophilus, which literally means “lover of God.” No matter who this guy was (and no one knows), this second book is written to each of us. We are all lovers of God.
This second volume of Luke’s story begins by remembering what was already written. “In the first book, Lover of God,” Luke writes, “I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.” This is what was already written in the first book, but “Luke is never afraid of [repeating himself again and again] in rather different ways.” But, Lover of God, why? What in the world does that mean?
This is a question any one of our Confirmands would ask. In fact, they did. In preparation for this day of their Confirmation, they mouths gaped open. Their brows furrowed. Lover of God, they glared at me, what is this all about?
It’s the first question we should ask about Scripture: what in the world does this mean? We often jump ahead of this question. We want application. The question becomes essentially: what does this have to do with me? Why do we tell these strange stories that don’t make any sense?
Our Confirmands are honest with this question. They roll their eyes and insist it’s an old book that doesn’t make any sense. Matt Russell had to read these 14 verses three times to try to understand this story where Jesus is taken up to heaven. Jen Harle cleverly turned it back to me. “You tell me,” she said.
And isn’t this what we all want – whether we mark today with our Confirmation or remember the day we started our own journey of faith? We all want many convincing proofs.
We want the text to be clear, logical and to have an automatic implication for our day-to-day interaction with the world. Ah! That’s what this is all about. Now I get it! But, that rarely happens. Even for the disciples who gathered around Jesus 40 days after he “suffered” (that’s in verse 3), they were still looking for many convincing proofs. They saw the evidence. They heard Jesus speak about the Kingdom of God. They even stayed in Jerusalem just as Jesus had instructed. They were there in Jerusalem waiting for the promise of God (that’s verse 4).
They waited with the same hope we have. The disciples wanted many convincing proofs. So, they asked the question that any young, intelligent person would ask: “Lord, is there a time when you will restore the kingdom of Israel?” In other words, they want to know when it will all finally make sense. They want to know when everything would finally be complete. They wanted their purpose to be clear. They wanted their direction to be mapped out. They wanted it all to be resolved.
But, Jesus isn’t having that. “It is not for you to know,” he tells the disciples. “It is not for you to know the times or periods that God has set by divine authority.”
If Jesus were Hindu (and some argue that he studied with Eastern philosophers during those mysterious teenage years that Luke doesn’t write about), he could have told a story that started our Confirmation experience. It’s a story about some Hindus that bring an elephant into a dark room. There are crowds of people that want to see – but elephants are big and the room is small. So, these crowds of people are forced to feel the animal with their hands.
One of these hands in the crowd fell on the trunk. He remarks that the animal is like a water-spout. Another hand feels the ear and insists that the elephant is obviously like a fan. Another feels the elephant’s leg and witnesses that the animal’s shape is like a pillar. Another hand feels the back of the animal and says, ‘Certainly this elephant is like a throne.’
No one touched the whole animal. No one’s palm is big enough to touch the whole animal. Ah, the Hindu Jesus could have said, it is not for you to know everything. Lovers of God, you must listen to each other’s truth instead of relying on your own touch.
But of course, Jesus doesn’t offer this story. He doesn’t talk about groping in the dark for answers. He doesn’t even talk about many convincing proofs. Instead, Jesus talks about the Holy Spirit. (You with me? I’m in verse 8). Angels can ask about why the disciples are staring up at Heaven (that’s verse 11). The disciples can focus their energy in constant devotion to prayer (which they do in verse 14). But, Jesus talks about the Holy Spirit.
Lovers of God, Jesus says, you don’t need to have all of the answers. Not on the day of your baptism. Not on the day of your Confirmation. Not on your deathbed. Not even when you get your drivers license. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes to you,” Jesus says in verse 8.
That’s right, you will receive power. But, this isn’t some Harry Potter kind of magic. No sorting hat will hover over your head and determine which house you shall live in and which family you will call your own. Not that kind of power. The many convincing proofs won’t be found in wands, Nimbus 2000s, sorcerer’s stones, remembralls or even howlers (as much as our parents might enjoy one). We are just muggles trying to figure this all out. We are just groping in the dark trying to understand what our hands are touching.
This is why Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit. This second volume of Luke’s version of the Jesus story starts to tell the story of what happens after Jesus goes to Heaven. This is what happens in verse 9 – even though it already happened in the last chapter of Luke’s first volume. That’s why the disciples are all staring up at Heaven. They’re watching Jesus go up. But, before he goes, Jesus offers the reminder of Holy Spirit because it’s not for us to know the answers. It’s the Holy Spirit that ties our stories together. It’s by the Holy Spirit that we listen to each other and understand our connection to each other.
Lovers of God, this is the kind of power that comes with the Holy Spirit. It’s the same kind of power that makes both Evan Indorf and Katie Zema nervous. When I asked them what Confirmation meant to them, they said the same thing. I don’t think that they spoke to each other beforehand. But, their answers were the same. They said that they were nervous that the church was suddenly going to expect something from them.
After all, you’re just a muggle. Seriously, I know this sounds silly. But, Harry Potter first appeared when you were 6. In a way, you’ve grown up with him whether or not you ever camped out for the next book. But, remember how the story began? Remember how a flurry of letters stormed through Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia’s home? Remember how outraged Uncle Vernon was so that he brought the whole family to the worst vacation spot imaginable? And then, remember what happened next?
In the middle of the night, there is a pounding at the door. And in the darkness of night, a “giant of a man” appears “whose face is almost hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard.” And remember what this giant of a man told Harry?
They are the same words you might confess when you are nervous that others might expect too much of you. Like Harry, you might say:
I think you must have made a mistake. I don’t think I can be a wizard.
Of course, your words wouldn’t be the same. With all of the questions that you have asked about the many convincing proofs we might believe, each of you – Jen, Evan, Matt and Katie – have in some way said:
I think you must have made a mistake. I don’t think I can be a Christian.
Lover of God, that’s right. That’s some awesome power that we should all probably be a little nervous about. Being Christian isn’t any easier than being a wizard. It’s full of tough choices and strange journeys. And we don’t know how your story will continue or where you’ll go. We know what happens to Harry. We know what happens to the disciples. But, your story isn’t yet written.
None of us has that answer. Well, let’s be honest. None of us really has any answers. We’re all hoping for many convincing proofs. The only thing that we know for certain is that the Holy Spirit bonds us together. The only thing that we can hope is that you will find that same power.
It won’t happen in the middle of the night after your uncle has taken you on a horrible vacation. It will happen some other way. Maybe not even today. But, the story that we hope for is the same for the disciples and Harry. We hope that you will go out into this wide world. We hope that you will see and talk to as many people as possible. We hope that you recognize that power within you that connects you to each of those people – even though none of them has all of the answers. This is your journey and your story to tell. There will be many convincing proofs. You’ll find them. You’ll recognize their power. And we hope that you’ll share them with us so that we can learn from you. This is what we expect of you. Lovers of God, this is all we can expect of you.