Mission to the World

Acts 1:1-11

Sunday after Ascension, June 1, 2025

Holy Trinity Cathedral

“Mission to the World”

There are two accounts of Jesus’ ascension into heaven after he rises from the dead.  Same writer, same story, but slightly different perspectives.  Luke chapter 24 affirms the glory of Christ.  Acts chapter 1 begins the narrative of how Christ’s glory works through the body we come to know as the Church.  Both are related for the benefit of one Theophilus, the “God lover”.  That could be the name of a first century Christian convert.  But it is also for you today.  The resurrected Jesus who went up now comes among us with a mission: tell the world of the love of God. 

The books of Luke and Acts were written by the same person.  He might even have been the physician apostle named in the New Testament, a companion to some of the twelve disciples.  Originally, the two manuscripts probably circulated together.  The life and death and resurrection of Jesus is the story of salvation.  But for the good news to have meaning, we are invited to witness how individuals’ encounters with Christ shaped extraordinary changes to their whole lives.  The writer is someone who uses the experiences of those who were close to Jesus and the first generation of Christians to drive home the message.  Christ is risen! Christ is among us!

In the final words of the gospel of Luke, we hear the finale of the proclamation that Jesus is the Messiah.  In ascending to heaven, the promise of God will be fulfilled.  Power from on high will come to fill them, so that those who believe will preach repentance and forgiveness of sins to the nations.  After blessing his disciples, he is carried to heaven.  The gospel concludes, “they worshipped and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple blessing God” (Luke 24:52-53). 

It is the book of the Acts of the Apostles that then recaps this event for the “God-lover” and adds some new details.  The “many convincing proofs” of the gospel are a starting point, but the disciples still have questions for their Master.  “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6).  That’s like kids asking from the backseat of the car, “Are we there yet?”  That is in God’s hands, Jesus tells them.  Instead, they need to prepare by being witnesses to the good news happening now.  When Jesus ascends into heaven, the Christian story really takes off.  In an endearing Lukan detail, two men appear to remind the disciples not to stand staring up into space, but to get back to Jerusalem and on with the work.  Like the two strangers at Jesus’ tomb, their purpose seems to be both proof and reminder that divine happenings are unfolding. 

On the positive side, the disciples are not terrified this time by the bodily disappearance of the Lord.  They are obedient to the command to return to the city and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit.  They don’t go into hiding, like after the crucifixion.  Now they have the courage to openly pray and praise Jesus as Lord.  They gather to worship and learn and share the stories.  They also choose a successor to Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus and left their company of believers.  A full twelve apostles, symbolic of the whole people of Israel, are ready to go to the world at the signal of the Holy Spirit. 

There is a third account I want to share: the account of this Ascensiontide.  For as the Church celebrated the festival this year, a gathering of Jesus’ disciples bore witness again to the good news of salvation.  There are parallels in the Diocesan Synod held this weekend.  Delegates from the parish communities and ministries across the Lower Mainland, and from Powell River to Yale, came together to pray, praise, learn, and discern ministry under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Rev. Carole Neilson, Shawn Shenfield, Tope Adewale, Susan Kiconco, Greg Kennelly, and I were the delegates from Holy Trinity Cathedral who became members of Synod together with over 200 other Anglicans.  We heard stories of lives changed through our Lord Jesus Christ as the Church lives out God’s mission to the world. 

Four take-aways from our two days together.

First, the tone of our time of meeting.  I want to convey to you how humble, joyful, and respectful it was.  I have been to a lot of church events, and this was the Church at its best.  There was an acknowledgement of the suffering and change in the world around us and in our Church.  But there was also greatly hopeful action.  There were the reflections of our recently appointed indigenous elder Rikki Koey,  and our guest Archbishop Andy John, Primate of Wales.  There was the variety of music that opened our hearts as well as our voices.  Even the setting of our space as sacred, with the open bible and a reconciliation pole at the centre, kept our focus on God’s work exercised in community. 

Second, the stories of good news.  We heard what God is doing through our collective giving and service.  Synod was an opportunity to hear how our parish apportionments and the talents and time of many result in more abundant living beyond our small churches.  Grants made possible an outdoor gathering space at St. Clement’s Creekside Commons in North Vancouver, and build community through the food ministries at St. Augustine’s in Marpole.  Spiritual formation grows through courses at the Vancouver School of Theology, the online diocesan Learning Centre, the Centre for Spiritual Renewal shared out of St. Dunstan’s Aldergrove.  In table groups, parishes swapped both the challenges and joys of starting projects, finding partners, and adjusting to the winds of the Spirit in the process. 

Third, the reshaping of the Church.  Archbishop John Stephens spoke of “quiet revival” in his opening address.  We heard anew how necessary is the courage to look at the ways we have done things in the past and question what needs to be laid down in order to grasp what God is handing us now.  The people engaged in difficult and thoughtful discussions about land use, allocation of resources, liturgical language around gender, and responses to the climate emergency, conflict, and human rights.  My heart is so grateful for the deep compassion and wisdom of the members of Synod as they listened to different voices and tried to comprehend the wisdom of the Holy Spirit coming among us.

And fourth, the plan forward.  Not that we understand fully, but that we are willing and obedient to work the next steps.  Yesterday afternoon, each parish worked on an exercise in response to some leading questions.  We explored how our strengths, weaknesses, community needs, and anxieties are connected to each other.  And we learned that the consideration of the connections can help us to move forward: with mission, transformation, partnerships, and resilience.  Our parish group found it so helpful we would like to bring it to our whole parish council and a wider conversation. 

Each of us has much to share about our ascension experiences.   I think we can agree that the body of Christ we call the Church is very much alive and active.  We have work to do: to put hope into action.  With the assistance of the Holy Spirit, our community of faith, both at the parish and the wider level, has much to share.  The question that was asked us at the beginning of Synod is the continuation of the story of Ascension.  Those first disciples had a mission to share good news with the world.  What does the Church have to say to the world today?  What do we at Holy Trinity Cathedral have to say to the world today?  What’s our good news?  Amen.