Ascension

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Ascension

Sabbath Journey

Obey   Command   Respect

Went to the Upper Room

Holy Spirit

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Acts 1:13

After the Ascension of Jesus from Mount Olivet, the followers of Jesus went a Sabbath's journey and returned to Jerusalem.

When they came into the city, they went to the upper room where they had been staying.

Reflection

Have you ever wondered how the followers of Jesus must have felt after His Ascension?

Putting myself in their sandals, I would have felt apprehensive. Jesus has promised them that the Holy Spirit would come to them. However, what exactly would happen?

Their first move was to take a Sabbath's journey back to the upper room in Jerusalem. An observant Jew was limited to 5/8ths of a mile walking on the Sabbath. If you walked more than that, it was considered to be work and that was forbidden.

The Sabbath is a time of rest and renewal. It is a special time to pause and remember all that God has done for us.

The followers of Jesus were obeying what Jesus had told them. Yes, they were probably upset, confused, and afraid. Those emotions did not stop them from obeying Jesus. They were witnesses to the resurrection and had sacrificed much to follow Jesus. They trusted His message to them.

Jesus had given them the command to love one another. He told them that He would not leave them as orphans. He would be with them until the end of the world.

The followers of Jesus respected what Jesus had done and what Jesus had told them. They would  go to the upper room where they had celebrated the Last Supper with Jesus and wait for the Holy Spirit as Jesus had told them.

We are in a similar situation as we try to follow Jesus today. We are on a journey of faith. We listen to the Word of God and take a step each day to embrace what Jesus is asking us to do---to love one another.

We also know that we are not alone on our Sabbath's journey. Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to be with us. We are temples of the Holy Spirit.

How do we get in touch with the Holy Spirit? We have to take time to go into our own upper room. We can pray and ask Jesus for the strength that we need to follow His command to love one another.

We can find the right time and the right place to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. It might be for a few minutes after our young children are finally asleep. We are exhausted and ready for sleep ourselves; but those few minutes reassure us and help us on our Sabbath's journey.

It might be a walk at the beach, an encounter with some flowers, a spiritual podcast, a few minutes with the Word of God, a good conversation with a close friend, a refreshing and renewing book.

There are Upper Rooms all around. Jesus is inviting us to take time to realize the GIFT He wants to share with us.

Come Holy Spirit!

1. How would you feel if you were one of the apostles and you had just experienced the Ascension?

2. Do you ever take a Sabbath's journey with Jesus?

3. Do your emotions of confusion and fear ever get in the way of your following Jesus?

4. How do you feel Jesus with you?

5. What do you see as you contemplate Kathy's photo?

(Scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John McNamara)