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SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

Tying Up Loose Ends

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26; John 17:6-19

Two weeks from today I’ll be in the Boundary Waters.  I’m leaving on Saturday, June 6, and spending a week canoeing.  I’m going with four friends with whom I’ve been doing this for the last 15 years and also my son, Peter.

Originally, all of us lived in or near Appleton .  But now only one lives in the Appleton area.  One lives in Fond du Lac .  Three of us live in Madison .  Of course, Peter is coming up from Chicago . 

That makes it more complicated, especially when the two from Appleton/Fond du Lac have to leave later because of their synod assembly and the four of us have to leave earlier to get our BWCAW permit and get to our camp site by late afternoon Saturday.  Not only that, we have to juggle our gear based on the size of our vehicles.

Which is all more than you need to know.  Except that it is in part an explanation why, three weeks ago, I got an e-mail from Byron asking me if I could have my gear bag ready for transport to Appleton .  It was a Wednesday night and he wanted my stuff on Friday.  We had company coming the next day, so I wasn’t sure what kind of time I would have.  But I really hadn’t started thinking about it yet.  It was, after all, five weeks away.  Normally, I don’t get serious until the week before.  So, I told him, no, I couldn’t have my gear bag ready on Friday.

It’s not that it would have been that hard.  I have a packing list.  I have been on enough trips over the last 15 years to know what I am taking even without consulting it.  But I needed to check if things hadn’t gotten lost in our last move.  I needed to make sure my clothing was in good enough shape, that the holes in the t-shirts hadn’t gotten too big.  And I needed to make sure I didn’t forget any of the little things that I like to have with me that may not be on the list.  Because once we’re out on the water, there is no running to the store or calling home for what you need.

But mostly, I just wasn’t in the spirit yet.  Byron already had his gear bag packed, but that was nearly inconceivable to me.  I knew the trip was coming, but I couldn’t get myself motivated.  I couldn’t do it.

The disciples aren’t in the spirit yet either.  Jesus has left them.  The kingdom is coming at a time that is unknown to them and to Jesus.  But there is work for them to do before that time comes.  They are to be witnesses to all the things they have heard and seen.  They are to be witnesses to Jesus, not just in Jerusalem and in Judea and in Samaria , but all the way to the ends of the earth.

Even this time has not yet come.  Jesus tells them they are first to receive the Spirit.  So, what do they do?  They return to Jerusalem .  They gather regularly.  And they devote themselves to prayer.

There are well over 120 that gather.  This is remarkable to us because we tend to imagine the 12 men we call “disciples,” and maybe a few women.  It is significant, however, for another reason.  According to Jewish law, 120 males are necessary to establish a synagogue with a ruling council.  This means that they have a legitimate community.  The earliest followers of Jesus do not do things according to their own design or whim.  They do them in faithfulness to the tradition.

In addition to gathering together and devoting themselves to prayer, there is one other thing – one other loose end they need to tie up.  Jesus originally appointed 12 apostles, witnesses to Jesus.  One of them, Judas, is no longer with them.  What happened to him, Peter reminds them, happened in order to fulfill the scripture.  This is not a way of excusing what Judas did, but rather of taking away the scandal of his betrayal. 

There are now 11 apostles.  So, if they are to have 12 apostles to match the 12 tribes of Israel , they need to add one more.  They come up with two qualified candidates – Joseph, called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias.  Both of these men have been with Jesus and witnessed all that he said and did and all that happened to him.  Even more, they have been witnesses to his resurrection.

Both men are qualified.  How do they decide between the two?  First, they pray, asking the Lord to choose. Then, they cast lots.  In effect, they draw straws.  And Matthias is the one chosen.

Their leader and teacher has left them.  The ultimate consummation of his work is some time off.  The followers of Jesus have work to do prior to that time, but they have not yet received the Spirit for that work.

What do they do?  They wait.  They pray.  They tie up loose ends so that they will be ready when the time come