Foot Print Luke 24:44=53, Acts 1:1-11

On the side of the Mount of Olives just across the Kidron valley
from the old city of Jerusalem
where many believe the ancient village of Bethany was located
stands a small shrine marking what some say
is the very spot where Jesus’ ascended into heaven.
Christians call this shrine a chapel, Muslims call it a mosque
and the way they know it’s the very spot Jesus rose into the sky
is because they have preserved there his right footprint.
As early as the late fourth century this site was venerated
and in the early seventh century a pilgrim wrote in his journal
that Jesus’ print was clearly visible, impressed into the dust,
and pilgrims were allowed to take a little of the dust with them.
If you saw the photograph of the preserved footprint outside the sanctuary
you might have had trouble making it out.
I’ve stared at it all week and I’ve not yet seen a recognizable outline.
But, faithful pilgrims for centuries have seen it
and who am I to say they’re wrong?

One of the impulses we human beings have is to preserve our footprints.
We like the idea of leaving an indelible mark on the earth,
some tangible sign of our passing.
Of course, I don’t mean LITERAL footprints like Jesus,
but l think we’d all like to know that there will be some kind of shrine
when we’re gone to indicate that we were here.
Architects dream of leaving a footprint in a building design
executed in concrete and steel
lasting, if not forever, at least for generations.
Athletes dream of decisively setting a record of achievement for their sport
that will stand for years to come against all who might try to break it.
Authors dream of publishing in hardback,
and even if their novel or biography or exposé eventually ends up on a yard sale table
at least their names are on the master list of published authors for all eternity.
We look out these windows and see the figurative footprints
of our Rockfish family who are buried in our cemetery
and whose plaques and stones commend them to our memory.

It’s in our nature to do what we can to leave our own footprints on this earth
so who can blame those who wanted to hold onto and preserve a tangible reminder
of the days when Jesus himself walked on this earth
and, with each step, pressed his feet into Palestine’s dust?

It was the disciples themselves who first exhibited this impulse to hold onto Jesus;
to figuratively, if not literally, preserve his footprints.
It’s interesting the way Luke, who wrote both the gospel bearing his name
AND the book detailing the Acts of the Apostles,
gives two different accounts of Jesus’ ascension.
In his gospel, Luke only gives a two sentence account.
In this description Luke says that Jesus
“blessed them, withdrew from them, and was carried up into heaven.”
In response, the disciples “worshipped, returned to Jerusalem (with great joy)
and were continually in the temple blessing God.”
This gospel account is sort of the executive summary of the event;
a bare-bones outline.
But when he sits down to write the Acts of the Apostles,
Luke decides to begin where he ended
and so he takes his original spare account and expands it,
fleshing it out into a more theatrical production.

I mean that literally.
If you look at Luke’s account of Jesus’ ascension in the book of Acts
we have all the elements of a stage play.
You’ve got a protagonist – Jesus.
You’ve got antagonists – the disciples.
You’ve got one FABULOUS special effect.
And you’ve got a traditional Greek chorus featuring the same two angels
who also were present when the women discovered the empty tomb.

In the very structure of the way he tells this story
Luke is hinting that we shouldn’t get too bogged down in the question of
whether Jesus really does shoot up into the sky like a Roman Candle;
whether the laws of gravity actually qre suspended just for him
while the disciples look on, slack jawed.
Though the action is dramatic,
much more important is the dialogue –
how the antagonists challenge the protagonist
and how the protagonist responds.

From the very beginning of the scene we are alerted
to the disciples’ primary motivation.
They’re looking desperately for a way to preserve on this earth Jesus’ footprints
and, by association, their own.

Though they’ve asked this question before and Jesus has answered in the negative
they can’t help but ask it again,
hoping, perhaps, that resurrection has somehow mellowed him
or caused him to change his mind.
“Lord, is THIS the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”

It’s tempting….
It’s tempting to focus my emotional and physical energy
on leaving the biggest footprint possible -
Start a successful company, find a cure for cancer, star in a Broadway show,
and why not? There’s nothing inherently wrong and much that’s right
about each of those accomplishments.
You might choose a more modest path – have a child, perhaps,
raise money for a new wing for the library,
get elected to the school board.
All fine things worth doing.
And every fine thing worth doing can be done as the means to a noble end.
Or it can be done as an end in itself,
just one more notch in my quiver
as I seek my own glory.
Just one more weight in my shoe
as I try to leave the biggest impression possible.

“Lord, is THIS the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”
The disciples had waited so long.
Jesus had been killed and for a couple of days ALL hope had faded,
but then they became aware that all was NOT lost,
that somehow Jesus had thwarted his enemies’ efforts
to turn back the clock, to roll back the advance of God’s kingdom.
But still the disciples didn’t understand the concept of “Kingdom” as Jesus meant it.
They were thinking political power.
They were thinking name recognition.
They were thinking “A PLACE IN HISTORY.”
But just as they were thinking of a trip to Brooks Brothers for new suits
Jesus answered their question about the kingdom saying
“That’s for God to know and for you to…well…NOT know.”
He then told them to just lie low and wait where they were for God’s Spirit,
and once they received that Spirit, not to worry about Israel’s kingdom.
Israel’s kingdom was obsolete.
They should start thinking more in terms of God’s kingdom
that would take them to places they’d never even heard of before.

One of the critiques of the church as an institution
is that we spend too much time and effort securing our own footprint
rather than placing ourselves in God’s hands
as instruments of God’s kingdom.
We seek membership growth or build buildings or create a cushy endowment
as an END in itself
rather than as a way of advancing the gospel.
We have the same tendency those first disciples had –
looking for God to work in ways that will most benefit OUR agenda;
enlarge OUR mark;
instead of placing ourselves at God’s disposal
and praying that God will use us as God would choose.

Would it be possible…do you think it would be possible…
for us NOT to have to go down in history,
NOT to have to have a shrine erected in our honor?
Instead of focusing our energy on building a kingdom
that fits our own image of what God SHOULD be doing,
would it be possible for us to entrust ourselves to God’s Spirit,
knowing that as we are faithful to God’s calling
we WILL catch glimpses of God’s kingdom along the way?
Would it be possible for us to let go of our preconceived notions
of God’s nature, God’s purposes, God’s desires
and return to God’s Word in the scriptures with new eyes
listeni for God’s call to ministry with new ears,
and let the Spirit of God sweep over us like a mighty wind
leading us in new ways of thinking and being and doing?

You don’t have to answer now. You’ve got a week to think about it.
Next Sunday is Pentecost Sunday.
Do you KNOW about Pentecost Sunday?
That’s when God’s Spirit is set to blow.
If all you can think about is the size of your footprint, you might want to sleep in.
If all you can think about is the design of the shrine
your children and colleagues and fellow citizens are going to build for you
when you’re gone,
then you might want to go to brunch at Basic Necessities.
You certainly don’t want to be anywhere near THIS place.

But if you’re ready to travel light and don’t really care for statues;
If you’re willing to venture outside your comfort zone
and see glimpses of God’s kingdom
rather than be bored and restless in a kingdom of your own making;
you should make it a point to be here.
I’ll be here. I wouldn’t miss it. There’s no telling what might happen.