Between Loss and Promise

Readings: Acts 1:6-14; 1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11; John 17:1-11

A part of the reading from Acts says: "The disciples returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day's journey away. Whey they had entered the city they went to the room upstairs where they were staying. Let us read between the lines. It isn't difficult to do. We see a community in chaos. They have lost their leader. Not only have they lost him; he has died a criminal's death.

They don't know what to do. They go back to a familiar place – the room where they ate Passover together – and they try to figure things out. They have been looking for a detached God to suddenly transform history and society. They begin to understand that it is they, those few chosen ones who have witnessed the miracle of the resurrection, who are to proclaim the Gospel of salvation.

They remember some of his words, a promise of power from on high. "It is not for you to know when," he tells them. "But you will have power." It is a promise they may take with them. It will comfort them. It will sustain them. On the strength of that promise they are able to boldly begin to act, because it assures them of having the power when they need it. And so they enter a time of waiting, of being on hold, a time of transition, a time between loss and promise.

Peter's message to the church in Jerusalem echoes that same sense of waiting. They too are experiencing that time between loss and promise. Peter gives them advice on how to behave when times are tough. They need to be spiritually alert, awake. Otherwise they will respond in the same way as those who have no faith. "You may suffer for your faith," he warns them, "but the final result will be worth waiting for."

In the Gospel, the time of waiting is almost at an end. There is a sense of 'other worldliness' about the passage – a sense of suspended time. Jesus has crossed the threshold from time to eternity and is on the way to entering God's presence. He offers himself to God, praying that God's purpose for him may be fulfilled. His earthly mission is to be fulfilled.

His thoughts turn to his disciples. They must continue to live in the real world. But they will not be alone. God will be present to them in a real and tangible way. They will change from being passive recipients to being witnesses to God's redemptive work in the world. It is a church living in the in-between times, between loss and promise, a church waiting in expectancy, waiting in faith.

We all know what it is like to live between loss and promise, for we have all experienced loss in our lives – sickness, job loss, the loss of a loved one. Our feelings about waiting may vary on the circumstances – fear, anticipation, excitement. Whatever feelings overtake us, we need time, a pause, to really grasp what God wants of us. Sometimes the only thing we can do is wait.

One summer I stayed for a few weeks in the Midlands in England. One of the special people I got to know was Eric. A couple of years earlier he had suffered a severe heart attack and had been unable to go back to the heavy construction work he had done all of his life. The pension that he received from his years of work was pitifully small. He and his wife had no idea how they would survive. While he recuperating, the physiotherapist got him painting. It was something he hadn't done since grade school. He discovered a wonderful talent that had never been exercised in his adult life. Using watercolours he began to paint the beauty which he saw around him. Scenery came to life on the canvas. I was fascinated by the depth I saw in his paintings. Trees took on texture. Sunlight danced in the leaves. He began to study in earnest, not with the idea of earning a living, just as a way of renewing himself. He framed a few pictures; people bought them. His is a success story. He painted up until his death a few years ago. His paintings hang in galleries all over England. The time between loss and promise helped him to become everything he was intended to be.

What do we do with such periods in our lives? Do we question God about God's purpose for our lives? Or do we, like the disciples, retire and wait for God's promise to be fulfilled? The disciples accepted Jesus' promise that the whole world would be theirs. "You will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth," they were told. And they accepted that promise. They retreated to the Upper Room and devoted themselves to prayer. That is not a bad model of what needs to happen in a church today if a congregation is to be truly alive.

Comedian David Brenner tells the story of his graduation from hight school. Other classmates received expensive gifts from their parents – cars, trips, new clothes. David's father reached into his pocket and took out a nickel. "Buy yourself a newspaper. Read every word. Then turn to the classified section. Get yourself a job. Get into the world. It's all yours," he said to him. And he was right. He gave his son the opportunity to see what life had in store.

There are times when we need to withdraw as a church; times when we need to seek spiritual renewal, times to pause and reflect on our purpose as a worshipping community, times to wait and pray. That can be difficult for us to fathom in a society that is geared to results. Like David's classmates we judge the gift by its value right now. We are not ready to wait and allow God's gift to come to us in God's time.

It is not always easy for us to see how God is at work in the world. We do not see that although the Spirit came to be with the church forever, we nevertheless have constantly to pray, "Come Holy Spirit". The gift of the Spirit is a promise, not as an assured possession, but one to be asked for constantly in prayer. "Come Holy Spirit, and renew the face of the earth." Amen.