Rev.
Dr. Rebecca L. Kiser
Asking
Wrong Questions - So What Are the Right
Questions?
Easter 7A 5/24/2020
Sermon
The latest author whose murder
mysteries I’ve been reading to relax is Dick Frances and his son Felix Frances,
who between them have enough novels to keep me going for quite a while. All of
their books involve English horse racing in some way and from some perspective,
and rarely is the main character the same - lots of variety. The story I read
last week, the main character kept telling himself, ask the right questions! It
was his way of thinking about the central mystery and not to be led astray in
digressions by asking the wrong questions.
So when I read this passage from The
Acts of the Apostles (the history of the very earliest believers in church
gatherings and apostles) it immediately hit me that Jesus disciples were asking
the wrong questions! It’s pretty obvious that they ask the wrong question,
because Jesus response is, “that’s not for you to know!”
So is it now? Huh? Is it? Is it?
Dudes, let it go already!
Misconceptions are HARD to let go
of...
The disciples are talking with the
Jesus who is already raised from the dead, and is right before that confusing
passage about him ascending to heaven. Just like us, those people who had
actually walked and talked with Jesus haven’t been able to let go of their
expectation that when the Messiah came all of their tribes people will become
victors over all their enemies, and have a huge earthly kingdom that is their’s
to rule.So of course they continue to stay in this misconception. Jesus’
resurrection just seems to be another way that God‘s kingdom could be set up on
earth with their Jewish nation nation in charge. “Is this the time when you’re
going to establish your kingdom?!?!“
Jesus speaks kind of sharply, for
Jesus… “That’s not your business, that’s God’s business.”.Then he adds, “what I can tell you is that you’re
going to receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and then you will be
my witnesses starting from here and spreading out all over the world.”
Jesus tells them what they should be
doing and caring about and thinking about. Luke that game show Jeopardy - we
get the answer, so what question is it answering? I guess the right question
would have been something like, “How can we continue in your ministry &
tell your message, Jesus?” How are we to
continue without your physical presence? Jill Duffield says in her commentary
that “....Ours are questions of where & how.” Where? Here & going
outward; how? With the Spirit's power? When? Now. What? Spread the message
& make disciples. With the Holy Spirit, we have the power. And from God we also
have the mission.
So let’s ponder about what are some
other wrong questions, some other misconceptions, & what are the right
questions?
I think that being all worked up
about when we can regather in person in our buildings is a wrong question. The
Church has developed a misconception that the building is the church…. and our
language about it has become hard to break. I find myself saying about these
pinwheels that we’ll spread them out at the church; or let’s meet at the
church. This has gone on for decades, so it’s hard to change. We feel unsettled
right now & we say that we want to get back to church. When can we get back
to church? Friends, we are still the church & we are still gathering. For
one thing, we know our building is not the church. For another, it’s not like
we have to wait to be back in the building before we can carry out Jesus’
mission. In fact,a building is not essential, in today’s terminology. In fact,
being outside the building is where we’ve needed to be to do mission. Jesus never
had a building. Let’s try & frame a right question - how can we continue in
your mission right now, O Christ? Where & how can we follow your footsteps
right now?
Jesus’ answer to us now is probably
the same as the answer then - with the power of my indwelling Spirit, you will
be my witnesses from near to far; to our community & beyond! I mean, we can
meet online & organize our outreach; we can hear the word of God & be
inspired & challenged; we can take a class online & dig deeper into
Scripture. We can care for our community
in many ways, checking on those who may need assistance, doing good, giving to
larger causes, & much more. In our
saving of gas and therefore emitting less pollution, we are caring for God’s
creation, our planet garden. The right question can keep our priorities
straight.
Another wrong question is, How do we
get more young people to join our church? Implied in that question is, and make
them learn our ways? When will you make our pews overflow & our Sunday
School classes fill up like they used to? I know we are anxious that our
congregation continue. However, once again Jesus’ answer to us remains the same
- My Spirit is in you to be my witnesses now & here. WE are Christ’s body
now - God’s Spirit is in US, even if we are an older group. There is ministry
& mission for US to be taking on here & now. There are ways to witness
to our faith here & now, and from who WE are. WE can be showing Christ in our words &
deeds, because THAT is what God uses to call people who need to hear the
gospel. They don’t just come to us - we go to them with Christ. Go to those who
are suffering in the community; go to where people are afraid and speak the
gracious peace of God. Go to those places where this pandemic is revealing the
cracks in our society, where those are who lack healthcare are struggling to
pay bills or feed their children; carry Christ’s good news to those for whom
our social policies & decisions don’t work - & lift up their needs to
sight. We can work to show how our consumer mentality has brought us to the
brink of irreversible climate changes on this planet God created and called
good, & appointed us stewards. We can work for the honor & respect of
all people, here in our nation & around the world. We can advocate for more
equity between rich & poor; we can advocate for the good treatment of
refugees; we can enroll those who are disenfranchised to vote; we can model how
to listen to those with whom we disagree; we can help call for more equity in
our healthcare; we could learn to articulate our experience of God in our lives
do we are ready to share when the moment presents itself. I could go on…. & we don’t need to do
them all - just to take on a couple things would move us more into Christ’s
work.
Bruce Epperly writes about this
passage that “God's Spirit is with us, & God has given us power to be
agents of healing & transformation in our time.” We can prepare ourselves with prayer,
deepening our own connections to God and asking for that Spirit to guide us /
& be willing to follow whet God leads. Being out of our ‘old normal’ is a
great time to remember what “church” actually is, re-envision how we are
carrying out Christ’s call, & looking for a new way forward. We’ve been
shaken out of our old ways - God can use that. I myself hope we DON’T go back
to the way things were. Our God is a God of new life, resurrection &
recreation. Let’s move into God’s new future. AMEN.
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