There are moments in life when we want to know why, but perhaps our Ascension passage indicates that answers are not our deepest human need. Our worst sermons try to explain away suffering and loss. Peace amid the storm, Love amid the hate, Compassion amid the callousness, Grace amid the harshness may matter more. Indeed, maybe it is not some careful crafted creed crossing our lips but “the love of God that surpasses knowledge” radiating from our hearts that makes us Christians? The early Methodists talked about conversation by asking each other: has the love of God been spread abroad in your hearts? Maybe it is the power to grasp love’s width and length, height and depth that unites us together with all believers more than a church charter? Creeds and church charters are good at defining and dividing, guiding and excluding, but not so great at growing love of God and neighbor. So I wonder, if Jesus did not authorize an official edition because Christ is still with us, radiating in us peace, courage, hope and love? The disciples asked “Lord, when are you going to do it” and Jesus said you have the power, wait for it, come together, unite in prayer, worship, and service. Listen, meditate, worship, serve: wait for it, and you can hear Jesus still whispering, “you will receive power, when the Holy Spirit comes upon you”. Amen (fb)

Back in the days before cell phones leashed us to work, commerce, and distraction, it was easier to vacate. Connie and I used to vacation along the Outer Banks of North Carolina: Ocracoke, Salter Path and Cape Hatteras. Below the dunes, cell coverage was spotty. So after the kids drifted off to sleep, I walked up the wooden steps up to the pagoda overlooking the mysterious black ocean.... (fb)