Remember: We celebrate Ascension Thursday this Sunday, so that the feast is experienced by the maximum number of people — that is, on a Sunday.
Once again we get surprised and uplifted by Paul’s incredible resilience and love of the Gospel. He preached it everywhere and to everyone. But even Paul had his limits. He preached to Jews and Gentiles, but so many Jews opposed and rejected him — or as the word says today, “reviled him.” Yikes!
And the church among the Gentiles, indeed, continued to grow!
Jesus, too, had difficulty, even among his closest disciples and friends. They just did not always understand him. And he tried to share with them what was about to occur —
“A little while and you will not see me, and a little while later you will see me.”
Why did Jesus speak in these strange and confusing ways? Maybe because faith, believing, and growing in faith is a bit of a puzzle; it is sometimes confusing and demanding. Whatever!
But we are given an experience this weekend to say “goodbye” to Jesus, then to experience a little emptiness with his absence, and a waiting for the gift of the Spirit he promised to send. We do this each year. Really? Yes!
And, hopefully, in some way, we appreciate the growth and the gift that is the Spirit in Pentecost, and just what it might do to us if we really let it in!
The church wisely invites us to hear the story again, attempt to live the story with those disciples, and discover once again the wonders that God can do to us and in us!
