| Acts 1:1-11 |
1) all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning . . . (vs. 1) - Luke alludes to his gospel: the birth narrative (the beginning), the doing and teaching (the middle), and the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus (the ending).
2) after giving instructions . . . (vs. 2) - What instructions? One view: "Things they already knew, had heard, were reminded of, but which were now also being interpreted or explained anew by the risen Lord himself."[1]
3) Exegetical problem: the Q / A exchange: . . . Lord, is this the time . . . It is not for you to know the times . . . (vs. 6-7) - Jewish particularism? Restoration of the Davidic kingdom? Or does the Q have more to do with a timeline? As in, "How soon is the kingdom going to come?"
4) Jesus’ answer encompasses the entire world-breaks beyond the local precincts and city limits to the world’s horizon point and beyond (vs. 8).
1) Acts 1:1-11 is not a farewell scene in a sitcom but a commercial proclaiming a new task in a new era.
2) Time on our hands. The departing Christ is also the returning Christ. How do we conduct ourselves in the times of in-between? Jesus’ says eyes off the clock! It’s not about time but about progress that the Spirit will initiate through us. That is our new mission. So we don’t look backward or upward -but forward.
Quote
With Christ gone, how does the church function? It listens to the apostolic witness, assured that in and through it Christ is speaking . . . But it does so with a new realization that the focus of the kingdom of God is not on liberating Israel from Roman rule but on witnessing to the presence of the Spirit in the world.[2]
Block #1: Describe the omnipotence of
"Time" -it is inevitable, inescapable, and it will have an final impact on all
of us be we healthy, wealthy, or wise. We may feel powerless in the face of events, new
situations in personal or public life, crises, threats to our lives and happiness;
Block #2: Jesus’ response to disciples suggest a change of view toward time: "it’s not for you to know the time . . . but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you." Christ is Lord of time. Our mission is to live life in the Spirit’s power, bearing witness to God’s faithfulness and Kingdom. God will unlock opportunities for faith, hope, and love within these seemingly difficult changes.
Whatever changes may occur in history, whatever new situations may arise in the congregation or personal lives, we are called to be faithful to what remains-the gospel that points to renewal and preparation for God’s new heaven and earth.
______________________________________
2 Carl R. Holladay in Preaching and the New Common Lectionary (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1986), page 220.