Happy Easter! Now what? If the two angels from Acts 1 had any say in the matter, they’d say, “Quit gawking.” The implied undertone: We’re glad you had a happy Easter, now get busy, there is work to be done, a Resurrection to be lived.
In fact, to quote the two angels from Acts 1:10-11, words uttered just moments after Jesus had been taken up into the clouds, admittedly a gawk-worthy scene:
“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
In the next verse we’re told, in a very utilitarian manner, that the apostles returned to Jerusalem from their spot on Mt. Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk. It’s a quietly, almost understated, response by the apostles that speaks loudly into our day-to-day lives. Here are a few observations:
- The apostles knew what to do:
Jesus had just told the apostles to go to Jerusalem and wait for “the gift” of the Holy Spirit. The angels were the ones to say, “Okay, that would be now. Quit gawking and go.” Admittedly, we’d be staring too if we just saw Jesus get whisked up into the clouds. That’s an impressive act. But, in a very matter-of-fact way, the apostles took the hint from the angels and did what Jesus had told them to do, they went to Jerusalem and waited. In Acts 2, we see how the wait paid off.
- Gawking is fine in its place:
To be fair to the apostles in Acts 1, their gawking was a form of worship. They were undoubtedly having their own personal epiphanies about all that Jesus had said and done. They were seeing His words, “…I am going to the Father” play out, literally, before their very eyes. That’s worth taking a moment to ponder. All that Jesus had said and done was coming to life for them in ways they had not imagined. Worship would be a natural response. But…
- There is work to do:
We’ve all had those spiritual experiences that we don’t want to leave, those retreats we wish could last forever, those mountaintop moments that cause us to want to stay on the mountaintop, those high-energy Easter Sunday services we wish would never end. But, retreats end, mountaintop hikes descend back to ground level, Easter Sunday is followed by a tired Monday. And that’s the way it should be because it’s what we’re called to do with the Resurrection: to live it in the day-to-day, even the mundaneness, of our lives.
On a personal note, sometimes I wonder how much of my spiritual journey is spent “staring into the empty sky” (The Message’s take on Acts 1:11). Maybe I’m looking for a sign that God never intended to give. Maybe I’m lingering in worship to the point of awkwardly overstaying my welcome, effectively delaying the more difficult task of living the Resurrected life in my day-to-day life. Maybe I have sanctified a spiritual tool that God has long since quit using (a song, a method, a doctrine).
The angels didn’t tell the apostles what to do, but simply informed them that Jesus will come back in the same way they just saw Him leave. The implication: live your lives knowing this to be true. There is work to do. Quit gawking, and get to it.