Next month, I will be participating in my 7th pastoral transition as I will be retiring from pastoral ministry and welcoming your new pastor. This is one of the most important things that we do as itinerate United Methodist clergy. We do our best to make a smooth hand-off to those who will be following us.
As I’ve been reflecting on my pastoral transitions, they haven’t always been as text book as I would have liked them to have been. For example, in my very first appointment, I followed a pastor who had abruptly left that church to go back to his home state without telling anybody, including the District Superintendent.
In another church that I was appointed to serve, the pastor who I followed was going through some health challenges and that prevented the two of us from having an opportunity to meet to help me get to know that church better.
In another new church appointment, I was asked to become the new pastor of a church that had just been hit by a tornado and they needed to rebuild most of the church building. And then there was another church where not too long after I arrived there, we discovered that the financial director had embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars over a ten-year period.
Fortunately when I came to become your new pastor it was less dramatic than some of these examples! And quite frankly, I don’t know if there is really such a thing as a perfect pastoral transition. Change is never easy. There are some things that you can control but there are other things that just take you by surprise, like a tornado hitting the church you are going to serve before you even preach your first sermon.
I think that Jesus worked really hard at preparing his disciples for when he would be leaving them. For the past several Sundays, our appointed Gospel readings have been from what we refer to as “Jesus’ Farewell Discourse” with his disciples.
Jesus spends four whole chapters in this part of John’s Gospel, chapters 14-17, helping to prepare the disciples for when he would be leaving them. Of course, at that time, they didn’t understand why he would be leaving them. They didn’t know that he would be dying on a cross, rising to new life, and then ascending into heaven.
Maybe this is why Jesus concludes his last discourse with the disciples in our Gospel reading for today by offering a prayer on their behalf. In this prayer, Jesus prays for his disciples to know that he had been sent to glorify God while he was on earth. And then Jesus prays for them to be protected and that they would be one just as God and Jesus are one.
Think of this is Jesus’ pastoral prayer for his disciples. And this prayer is asking God to be with his disciples as he will soon be leaving them. Prayer is an important part of any smooth hand-off from one person to another.
And then in our Acts scripture reading, just minutes before Jesus ascends to be with his Heavenly Father, the disciples are still trying to figure out what Jesus’ departure will mean for them. Their questions are expected because in their minds they are still wondering when God’s kingdom will finally be established on earth.
And Jesus’ response is for them to not worry about these things but to simply remember to continue his ministry by being his witnesses. These are the things that Jesus wants the disciples to remember as he hands-off his ministry to them.
Whenever we face times of transition in our lives, we have many questions. We want to know what we need to do now, so that we are ready for that time of transition. We have a million questions.
When I arrived here eight years ago, I remember asking the staff a lot of questions about Athens First because I wanted to keep the things that appeared to be working and try some new things as well. At one point, one of the staff members finally said to me, “Honestly, just do what you think God is calling you to do. We trust you.”
That was probably the best word of advice I could have heard in that moment. It almost sounds like what Jesus was telling the disciples before he ascended to heaven. “Honestly, just do what you think God is calling you to do. I trust you.”
Jesus was telling the disciples to simply be his witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea, and to the ends of the earth. Jesus was reassuring them that they had everything they needed to continue his ministry. What they needed to hear was that Jesus trusted them.
What a powerful thought for us to think about on this Ascension Sunday. That Jesus trusts us, like he trusted the disciples to be his witnesses and to continue his ministry. Jesus trusts us!
Maybe the bigger question for us on this Ascension Sunday and for whenever we face a time of transition in our lives is, “Do we trust ourselves?”
This past December, I received a Christmas letter from a couple in our church. It was a family Christmas letter and I love that it began with a quote from the book, “The Return of the King” by JRR Tolkien.
It’s a quote from Bilbo Baggins when he said this to his nephew Frodo: “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
That quote reminds me of what the disciples must have been feeling when Jesus was about to leave them and ascend into heaven. They knew that they were about to walk out the door and they weren’t sure if they would be able to keep their feet.
And this couple’s Christmas letter went on to share both the many challenges they faced during 2022, but they also recognized that they also had been blessed in many ways. Yes, we all need to step out our doors not knowing what we might experience or encounter, but isn’t this what Jesus was teaching his disciples? To not be afraid to step out in faith because when we do, we will be surprised at all the blessings that we will encounter along the way.
I share this with you because I know of people who literally are afraid to leave their own homes because they are afraid of what they might encounter. We live during a very fearful time because the world often feels very intimidating and polarizing.
But the answer isn’t to stay in our houses. The answer is to find our footing as we step out in faith trusting in God and remembering that Jesus trusts us to be his witnesses.
My favorite part of the ascension story isn’t the miracle of Jesus leaving the disciples in thin air, although that is a very impressive departure, I must say! No, my favorite part of this story is what the disciples did right after Jesus left them.
We are told that they returned to Jerusalem, (get this!) they returned to Jerusalem, and together they devoted themselves to prayer! Jesus’ prayer for the disciples to be unified gets answered right here when the first thing that they did was to devote themselves to prayer.
The best way that we can step out in faith when facing a time of transition in our lives is by joining together in prayer. That’s where we can then lean on Jesus and and receive the assurance that God will be with us as we continue his ministry through any transition we may face.
Are you facing a time of uncertainty in your life and it has you concerned and worried? Go to God in prayer! Are you worried about stepping out of your house because of how crazy this world seems to be? Go to God in prayer! Are you feeling anxious and ill-equipped for what the future holds for you? Go to God in prayer! Are you wondering how on earth you are going to lead that youth Sunday School class? Go to God in prayer! Are you having second thoughts about trying that new ministry that you feel that God is calling you to begin? Go to God in prayer!
That’s the take-away for me on this Ascension Sunday. Do you still have questions that you want to ask Jesus before he leaves even though you have already asked him a million other questions? Go to God in prayer!
Go to God in prayer and invite others to pray with you. This is how we find our feet when we walk out the door. We remember that Jesus trusts us to carry on his mission and ministry in our community and world.
Ron Bartlow is a United Methodist pastor at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Arizona. He shares the story of his first job which was assisting the janitor at his church. One day, the janitor set up a tall ladder and handed him a couple of those old style, long fluorescent bulbs and asked him to climb up that ladder and change them.
And so, reluctantly, he went up a few rungs on that ladder and then he said that he just froze. He just couldn’t keep climbing because of a fear of heights and so back down he came. The janitor assured him that he would be fine. Just then, the pastor came out of his office and saw that he was afraid to go up the ladder. The pastor took those lights, climbed up the ladder and replaced them.
And his pastor said to him, “If you ever think of going into the ministry, remember this: sometimes you have to do what others aren’t ready or think they’re ready to do.”
Ron says he still thinks of that time when he was scared to climb that ladder. He was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to find his footing. And he says that story from years ago still reminds him that when he is not feeling capable, to listen to the encouragement of others, watch their example, and to step out in faith. The lesson he learned was that you’ll be surprised at what God can do through you thanks to the prayers and support of the people around you…
…and not to mention the power of the Holy Spirit at work in your life. But let’s save that thought for next Sunday when we celebrate Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. For now, let’s find our footing by going to God in prayer. Trust and obey for there’s no other way.
The Hand-Off
God of power and might, you are worthy of our worship and praise! You created this beautiful world and called it good. You sent us Jesus who lived, died, rose again, and who is now seated at your right hand on your heavenly throne. Soon, you will send us your Holy Spirit to empower us to be Jesus’ disciples. Thank you for all you have done for us! Forgive us for whenever we forget that you are a God of power and might who has given us everything we need to be the church you have called us to be. You are worthy of our worship and praise! Praise the Lord! Amen.
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