"Active Waiting" (Acts 1:1-11)

"Active Waiting" (Acts 1:1-11)

A Time of Waiting

Have you experienced a time of waiting on God anxiously? I still remember when I was around seven years old, I became very curious whether God is really alive or not. One day I typed out a short prayer with my father’s typewriter in this way: “God, if you are alive, please let this paper disappear immediately.” Then, I put the paper on the desk, and I waited and waited. But, the paper was not gone. And I was disappointed. I know it is childish, but at that time I was very serious about that.

In today's Scripture, after the disciples met the risen Christ, they expected that the Lord Jesus would restore the kingdom of God right away. They expected that the paradise would come right away. They said, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom of Israel?" But the Lord said to them, "Wait for the gift my Father promised." After he said this, he was taken up into heaven by himself. The disciples stood there, staring into the empty sky. They must have felt left all alone. Then they heard the voice from heaven, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." The disciples had to wait for 3 days for the resurrection of Jesus. They had to wait for another 10 days for the Holy Spirit. Then they had to wait for life for Jesus' second coming. Like the disciples, somehow our life seems a life of waiting in the wilderness. We are anxiously waiting for the day when our Lord will wipe every tear from our eyes. For me personally I can't wait the day when I will not need to be separate from my family but live together forever. Yes! The day will come when we will see our loved ones and worship our Lord with them forever. But in the meantime life must go on. In this regard, we can learn from the disciples' example how we may live a life of "active waiting" here and now. .  

“Vertical” Active Waiting

While the disciples were waiting for the Holy Spirit and Jesus' second coming, basically they did two things. First of all, they prayed all the time. Acts 1:14 says, “They all joined together constantly in prayer.” “Vertically” active waiting means present fully to the moment, in the conviction that we always stand in the presence of God. The disciples' whole life was a life of prayer, especially after they met the risen Christ. They prayed to receive the Holy Spirit. They prayed before making important decisions. They prayed to overcome persecution and suffering. They prayed all the time. All spiritual giants in church history have one thing in common: They spent so much time with God in prayer. For instance, John Wesley spent two hours daily in prayer. He began at four in the morning. One of his close friends wrote about Wesley as follows: “I have seen him come out of his closet with a serenity of face next to shining.” John Fletcher always said, “I would not rise from my seat, without lifting my heart to God.” Martin Luther said: “If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day. I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer.” Joseph Alleine arose at four o’clock for his business of praying till eight. If he heard other tradesmen working their business before he was up, he would exclaim: “O how this shames me! Does not my Master deserve more than theirs?” Active waiting means to be mindful of the presence of God by spending much time with Him through prayer.

But, not only did Jesus' disciples spend much time to pray but also they did pray “all the time.” How can we pray continually? Years ago the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, Bill Bright, suggested a good example of "praying without ceasing." He compared praying without ceasing to "breathing." When you breathe, you exhale impurities, and inhale pure air and oxygen. In "spiritual breathing,' you exhale sin by confession, and inhale the Holy Spirit's control by faith. It is called "Breath Prayer." Missionary Frank Laubach devoted his entire life to practicing this breath prayer. For life every minute he always asked the following two questions: (1) "What, Father, do you desire said?" and (2) "What, Father, do you desire done this minute?" Moment-by-moment he asked God these two questions and obeyed his guidance. You don't have to follow exactly the same process. You can develop your own questions to cultivate moment-by-moment sensitivity to the presence of God in your lives. You may ask the following questions to search your hearts: "Do I have God's peace at this moment?" "Do I have a clear conscience or ignore the warnings and promptings of the conscience this minute?" “What would Jesus do in this situation?” If we ask those questions seriously, not JUST once but on a moment-by-moment basis, the Holy Spirit will surely guide us into all truth (cf. John 16:13). I believe that prayer, especially constant prayer, is the greatest thing we can do while we live in this world. The disciples knew this and devoted their lives fully to prayer.

“Horizontal” Active Waiting

Secondly, the disciples did actively bear witness to Christ while they were anxiously waiting for their Master's return. "Horizontally," active waiting means present fully to the moment, in the conviction that we are the perfume of Christ. In Acts 1 while they were waiting for the Lord, the disciples devoted themselves to prayer all the time. And along with that constant prayer, they replaced Judas Iscariot and chose a new apostle. There was a clear purpose for that. Acts 1:22 says, “For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” Yes, we must pray always, but at the same time, we must not let our praying trap us into a state of paralysis. The disciples not only went into their closet to pray, but also they went out to the streets and market places to bear witness to Christ. Of course, they preached the Word. But at the same time, they preached Christ through their good works. They shared their possessions and resources with those in need. They shared bread with their neighbors. They served the community. So they had favor with all the people (2:47a). They were truly the perfume of Christ.

As a part of the UMC ordination process, I had to complete a hospital chaplain training at BayState hospital in Springfield, MA. It was a big challenge for me because it was an interfaith setting. At the hospital, I was not a pastor but an interfaith chaplain. I was not allowed to visit patients and take care of them the way I did at the church. I should follow their rules. There was a time when I had conflict with my supervisor. I could not accept her different point of view. We argued a lot, and the conflicts were getting worse and worse. One day I shared this problem with one of my mentors, he offered helpful advice. He said, “Don't argue any more. Instead, pray for your boss and colleagues with sincere heart. And be the perfume of Christ. Let them smell the scent of Christ, not by your word, but by your good works.” From that day I stopped passing judgment on the boss. Instead, I began to acknowledge her work. I also valued my colleagues' service. At the end of the program all the broken relationships were restored. And during final evaluation session the supervisor and the colleagues said, "Victor, we could smell the aroma of Christ." If we are the disciples of Christ, we must send forth a fragrance of Christ. More practically, we may ask the following questions to ourselves, "Am I truly blooming where I'm planted?" "Do I advance the kingdom values where I am?" "In my current job or place do I advance justice, or love, or compassion, or economic opportunity, or creation care?" Regardless of our status, wherever we are, we can do at least one thing that advances the kingdom of God. This is the pleasing aroma to God. This is active waiting. And remember, for particular individuals or groups, you are the only person who can reach out to them.

Are We There Yet?

So are we there yet? No, we are not there yet. We are still actively waiting for the Day. In the meantime we may still have life problems to solve, we may have disease, we may have to say goodbye to our loved ones. But we have good news. God gives us the mountaintop experience to overcome all these things. He gives us himself, the Holy Spirit, to be with us forever (John 14:16). And for now, that is enough. John Wesley, in his last moment, said, "The best of all is, God is with us." Yes, God is here with us always. We don't know the times or dates, but we do know where we are going. In the meantime let us wait actively for our Master's return by constant prayer and good works. Like Moses, we may die in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land. We may die before receiving all that God has promised (Heb 11:39). But, by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we have been to the mountaintop. From the mountaintop we have seen the glimpse of the glory of the Promised Land. That is enough for now. As we leave this room, this mountaintop, and return to our wandering in the desert below, let us remember the words of another great leader who did wait actively for the Day through constant prayer and good works. These are the final words of Martin Luther King’s last speech before he was assassinated on the following day: “Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people will get to the Promised Land.” Amen.