Who Takes Over When Jesus Leaves? (a message for May 24, 2020)

In-between times are times of waiting.

And boy have I been feeling that—and, to some small extent, suffering from that—lately!

But, I understand the risks of rushing things prematurely and trying either to return to what was or to get started on what will be before we’re ready.

Just this week Joe Haines shared with Nanette and me a new study done by the National Association of Teachers of Singing.

As teachers of singing, they wanted to know when and how it would be safe to gather people together as choirs, whether in churches or schools, and when group singing, such as in congregations like ours, could safely begin again.

Doctors and scientists assessed the risks, and the results are … not encouraging. Multiple studies agree that, right now, singing together—whether as a choir or a congregation—is one of the most dangerous activities that people can do! Singing spreads droplets from within us. And, if someone is carrying the virus—especially if they’re carrying it without realizing it—everyone in the same enclosed space could be affected. And infected!

So, as I say, right now, we live in weird and dangerous “in between” times, living between what used to be and the unclear future that awaits us. And, as I’ve been feeling more and more, that waiting is hard!

But that brings to mind another “in between” time—another time of waiting—one referred to directly in today’s reading from the Book of Acts, but which also stands behind Jesus’ prayer in today’s gospel reading.

According to the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts (a two-volume work written by the same author), Jesus ascended into heaven in the sight of his apostles forty days after his resurrection on Easter.

So, if that were this year, those forty days after Easter would have fallen three days ago, on Thursday.

Then, ten days later—not this Sunday but the next—Jesus returns to earth by way of pouring out his Spirit on all flesh on the Day of Pentecost.

In the meantime, however, right now, Jesus’ disciples are in a definite “in between” time! For forty days, according to the Gospel of Luke, the risen Lord Jesus had been with them, teaching them and demonstrating to them what resurrected life means. In ten days, he will be with them again, in a new way and form; as Spirit.

But, in the meantime—in this ten day period that we’re in right now—Jesus’ followers are neither here nor there!

And the question that this raises for Jesus’ disciples is this: Who takes over when Jesus leaves?

Let me explain. While he was with them for the past forty days as the risen Lord Jesus, the answer was in the title they rightly gave him! Jesus was their Lord, their master, and their ruler.

But who or what awaits them in the future? Who takes over now that Jesus has left? Especially since when Jesus returns, he will return as Spirit poured out and over all flesh, who takes over now that Jesus has ascended and left?

As I’m sure we’re all well aware, sometimes I let the answer to these questions linger until I meander my way back to them sometime later in my sermons. But not today! (Hurray!)

Today I’ll answer that question right now! Who takes over when Jesus leaves?

We do!

As we’ve been emphasizing over the last couple of weeks, “I am the church! You are the Church! We are the church together! All who follow Jesus, all around the world, yes, we’re the Church together!”

By God’s grace, we are the form that the living and resurrected body of Jesus takes (or takes on) when, after his ascension, Jesus leaves in one form to return ten days later in a new form!

So who takes over when Jesus leaves?

We do!

But, of course, that raises of !a whole bunch of new questions!

As we all know, in ancient days—as well as our own—there have been countless Christians (and countless Christian churches and organizations) who have let this thought go entirely—and tragically—to their heads!

They got the first part right! Who takes over when Jesus leaves? We do! But they entirely miss (or dismiss) the important follow up to that!

We really are the living, risen Body of Christ on earth! It’s his Spirit, poured out on us, that gives this Body—which, as a reminder, is what we call “the Church”—its life and direction.

To put it simply, we don’t rule in his place, letting our actions and decisions be called “his.” No! Our actions, decisions, and practices must be his, led and directed by Jesus!

I began this message by noting that we are all currently living in the “in between” times of what we used to call “normal” and whatever our eventual futures will look like.

In this “in between” time, beloved activities—like choir and congregational singing—are, as just one example, too dangerous not only for these “in between” times, but even in the near future!

Do you remember, a couple of years ago people began wearing bracelets or t-shirts with the slogan WWJD on them.

The letters, of course, stood for the question, “What would Jesus do?” And the bracelets or t-shirts were to serve as a reminder, primarily to the wearer, to use the question as a guide for their actions.

How would Jesus deal with this person? How would Jesus respond to this issue? Even better, how would Jesus react to this FaceBook post, tweet, or Instagram post that bothers me?

(Hey teens! I don’t use or know anything about Snapchat or TicTok but this questions also can apply here, too!)

The only change I’d make to that question, however, is this. Because now, by God’s grace, we—the Church—are the living Body of the Risen Lord on earth, it isn’t simply a question of what would Jesus do.

The reality is better phrased as What does Jesus do! Because, as we’ll celebrate in all its fullness next week on Pentecost, by God’s grace poured out on us in our baptisms, we—the Church—are the living Body of the risen Christ in this world! Jesus acts in and through us!

As I said at the opening, the waiting that we’re in right now in this in between time is weighing heavy on me. I’ll be patient, I promise! But it’s hard. I miss you!

But, while we wait, I ask you to remember and to be reminded, that our call and mission remains to be the presence of Jesus right now wherever we are. For Christ is risen. He is risen indeed! Alleluia and Amen.