Sermon on John 17:1-11

Pastor Jennifer Garcia

Today is the Sunday when we remember Jesus’ ascension, and our focus seems to be oriented upward:

Our first reading from Acts tells the story of the ascension: Jesus is carried up into the clouds to the shock and dismay of his disciples.

And then our Gospel reading from John takes us back to the night before Jesus died. He looks up to heaven and prays for his disciples.

Both readings seem to be pointing up.

It gives us the classic impression that God is sitting up on a cloud somewhere in the sky looking down on us, maybe with a big white beard and an impressive throne.

That can make God seem distant, disconnected, and unconcerned.

The story of the ascension can make it seem like Jesus is abandoning the disciples, leaving them to fend for themselves in a world devoid of God’s presence, where a detached God looks down from above.

It must have felt so scary to have Jesus rise from the dead only to leave them again less than two months later.

The heavenly messengers who remained behind simply asked, “Why do you stand looking up toward heaven?” As if they should know what to do next. As if their world hadn’t just crumbled…again.

What were they supposed to do now?

As usual, Jesus’ words were cryptic at best. They had tried to ask if Jesus was going to fulfill their understanding of the messiah: a warrior king like David who would kick out the occupying Roman Empire.But Jesus deflects the question and starts talking about a Holy Spirit and being Jesus’ witnesses and the ends of the earth. And then, before they have a chance to ask any clarifying questions, he floats away into the sky. What gives, Jesus?

Their rabbi and friend had left them again. They were on their own. What were they supposed to do on this planet that Jesus didn’t seem to want anything to do with anymore?

His disciples are left to pick up the pieces and figure out how to spend their remaining time on earth.

If our focus is upward, as our stories today seem to suggest, how are we supposed to approach our lives here on earth?

It’s been 2,000 years, and Jesus has not yet “come in the way [they] saw him go into heaven,” as the heavenly messengers put it.

It’s tempting to keep our gaze upward—to focus on Jesus’ promised return and the hope of eternal life with God when we die.

But, have you ever tried to walk whilelooking up? Have you hiked and been so captivated by the treesstretching their branches to the clouds that you didn’t look where your feet were going?

It’s a good way to twist your ankle or end up flat on your face. (Not that I would know about that.)

When we focus too much on heaven, we lose our footing in the world we’re in.

On the other hand, I’ve also been guilty of looking at my feet too much. Last year at our women’s retreat at Luther Glen Farm, a few of us walked the labyrinth after dark. We were focused on our feet and the little pools of light our flashlights made. We didn’t see too much else until we reached the center of the labyrinth, turned our flashlights off, and looked up. We couldn’t see the magnificence of the stars until we stopped looking at our feet.

When we focus too much on being cautious in the here and now, sometimes we miss the glories God surrounds us with.

And sometimes, whether I’m looking up or down or straight ahead, when I approach the world with a critical eye, all I notice are the flaws, the annoyances, the irritating way the person at the table next to me is chewing, or the unbelievable thing that other person posted on the internet.

And then, I miss the sweetness of someone’s smile, the sound of a toddler’s laughter, the pretty leaf on the sidewalk.

It’s easy to get fixated on things like the future, our comfort and caution, or whatever we find wrong with the world and miss out on what’s going on right now, getting out of our comfort zones, or appreciating the world around us.

It’s interesting to notice that when Jesus prayed for his disciples the night before his death, he prayed for their eternal life, which he defines as knowing God and himself, he prayed for their protection, and he prayed for their unity.

Jesus doesn’t define eternal life as something that starts after we die, but instead says, “this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” That knowing is now—that relationship with God is now. It’s not keeping our gaze at the heavens but being in relationship with the God who created the universe and called it “good.” When we’re in relationship with someone, what’s important to them becomes important to us, if only on their behalf.

And the world is important to God—from calling creation “good” to becoming human in Jesus to repair the relationship between the world and God to sending the disciples out to the ends of the earth in our story from Acts today, our God is not disconnected or unconcerned with our world.

Our reward for following Jesus is not eternal life after we die, but relationship with God in this world now.

Jesus sends his disciples to tell his story to the whole world. And the heavenly messengers asked the bewildered disciples, “Why do you stand looking up toward heaven?” The disciples weren’t supposed to stand around waiting for Jesus to come back; they had work to do—a world to engage with!

So, despite the seeming upward focus of our stories today, we shouldn’t fix our gaze on the hereafter.

We also have work to do: nurturing this world our God made for us, caring for some animals or plants, sharing the ways we see God working in the world, loving our neighbors (human and otherwise), and making earth a little more as it is in heaven.

But that’s not to say we should never look up. One of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is “begin with the end in mind.” If we remember that God’s love will win in the end, the hardships and heaviness of this world become a little more manageable.Picturing the abundance of the Reign of God gives us hope and helps us move in the right direction in the here and now.

And that helps us approach the world with compassion instead of criticism. It helps us love our neighbors, whether we like them or not.

When Jesus prayed for his disciples the night before he died, these are the things he asked for:eternal life, protection, and unity.

Again, he defines eternal life as a relationship with God and himself, which isn’t about waiting until we die. We can gaze at the world around us, which God loves.

And with God’s protection, we can boldly move our eyes off the pool of light by our feet and look up at the stars. We can begin our work in this world with the end in mind: that evil and death do not have the last word and that God’s love will never fail.

And by God’s grace, we can approach the world with love that flows from God. We Christians throughout the centuries have bickered with each other and divided, instead of being united as Jesus prayed for. But being dedicated to the love of this world while remembering that God’s love wins can help us love even our most difficult neighbor.

So, with our eyes fixed neither on the heavens above nor locked on our feet, but with love for God, the world, and our neighbor in our hearts, let us follow in Jesus’ example and pray. God be with you; [And also with you]

Gracious God,

You are not distant from us on a cloud far away but present everywhere in this world that you created and love. Help us love this world as you do. Help us work for its welfare and the welfare of each and every one of our neighbors, human and otherwise. Please give us the eternal life that is knowing you right now. Protect us so that we may live boldly on behalf of our neighbors. Help us approach the world with unity, compassion, and love.

In your name we pray, Amen.