It Ain't Over Till It's Over

May 4, 2008     Easter 7A

Acts 1:6-14            Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35

1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11         St. John 17:1-11

There is always a danger in assuming too much. For those who work with words as I do, this assumption can make us unnecessarily cautious. Many of you, no doubt, (and immediately I make an assumption!) know of the Reader's Digest condensed books. In these volumes, a popular work is taken and condensed to shorten it. There are many works that are available, including the Bible, that have suffered at the hands of the Reader's Digest scalpel.

I think the Reader's Digest condensed books illustrate what I am assuming about this sermon. Authors may deliberate and agonize for days over a particular word in their work, only to have the editors of Reader's Digest eliminate that word all together in their invasive attempts at shortening books. What posed an enormous weight on the author, never sees the eyes of the readers or enters their thoughts. So with my sermon, at least the title.

The title, of course, is a bit of abuse against English grammar. While more and more people have adopted "ain't" into their everyday speech, "ain't" ain't a word. If you don't believe me, just look at the spell checker in Mocrosoft's Word. It will highlight "ain't" every time! This being the case, why would I use ain't? I ain't, I mean. I'm not. Yogi Bera did.

In fact Yogi Bear was also a wordsmith. He created words and their usage that no one before or since has been able to duplicate. Yet, for the imperfection expressed in a grammatical sense, Yogi's expression is perfect in a theological sense for today's readings.

In today's readings, the mission of the earthy Jesus is over. St John in chapter 17, part of what is known as Jesus' high priestly prayer, expresses it this way, "I have glorified thee on earth, having accomplished the work which thou gavest me to do." What Jesus is referring to here is the physical life that he lived as the obedient Incarnate Word. Expressed in another way, Jesus is talking about everything from Christmas to this week.

Jesus, the Son of God, becomes human, and in the words of the same St. John, dwells among us. God is not some how distant and removed from us. God is right here, in human form in the person known as Jesus of Nazareth. That same Jesus grew up as a faithful Jew, one might say the ONLY faithful Jew. He remained obedient to God and was offered as a sacrifice for the sin of the world. But unlike every other sacrifice, he did not stay dead. He rose from the dead and lived among his followers. After 40 days he was removed from the earth and taken back into heaven.

This final step is recorded for us in today's first lesson. St, Luke tells us, "And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight." For the earthly, human Jesus, it is over. He has fulfilled everything his Father sent him to do and his work is done.

As the disciples reconvene in the upper room, the same upper room, we assume that Jesus gathered the same disciples for the Last Supper, we are told who is present. Notable in her presence is Mary, the mother of Jesus. I say this is notable because this is the last time that Mary is mentioned in the New Testament. We do not know what happens to her. The pages of the New Testament are silent after this upper room gathering. There are many traditions that seek to "fill us in" with the fate of Mary, but from the view point of Scripture, for Mary, like her earthly son, it is also over.

Mary was there before the beginning. She was visitied by the angel and told of God's plan for her life. How God had chosen her to bear a son, the Son of God. Mary accepted this fate and followed Jesus in his earthly life. She is there when the angels sing their joy to the shepherds. She is there when the Magi come from the East to bring their gifts to the child. She is there when Jesus is taken to the Temple for his confirmation, and amazes the scholars with his knowledge of the scriptures. She is there when Jesus is nailed to a cross and dies. She is there when the disciples gather to learn what God will have them do when Jesus is no longer with them. When Jesus is gone, so is Mary. For Mary, it is over. For the disciples, it is a different story.

Our first lesson begins with the words, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" The Jews had been waiting for the Messiah who would, among other things, restore the Throne of David. The disciples are in effect asking, "If you are the Messiah, is our time of waiting over?" Jesus' reply, which sounds a bit harsh, is a detailed way of saying, "It ain't over." Although Jesus' earthly work is over, the disciples' work isn't. In fact, it has only begun.

Jesus tells them that they will receive power as they are filled with the Holy Spirit. Now the idea of being filled with the Spirit of God was nothing new. The Old Testament recounts for us numerous times when God's Spirit filled the prophets and caused them to speak. What is new is the idea that the Holy Spirit would come and fill everyone, and not just special people. Well, it isn't really new, but it is something that was not a high priority in first century Jewish belief.

Mary's work is over. She has borne the Son of God and seen him through his earthly life. The earthly Jesus' work is done. He has lived his life in perfect obedience to God, finished that life and now returned to his place at the right hand of God the Father. For the disciples, and by extension, for us, it ain't over.

Nest Sunday is the Festival of Pentecost. Pentecost is a Jewish festival that was given new meaning as the believers in Jesus were gathered together and filled with the Holy Spirit. For some the work is over, for others it ain't over until it's over, and it has only begun!