Men In White

Acts 1:1-14

Do you ever read one verse or a passage of scripture and find yourself thinking about another? That happened to me with our reading from Acts for this morning where the writer shares with us the events surrounding Jesus’ ascension. “While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:10-11). Keeping in mind that the author of Acts also wrote the gospel of Luke, I found myself reflecting on verses from that gospel’s account of the resurrection. “While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen’” (Luke 24:4-5). In each case two men dressed in bright robes suddenly appear to offer insight into the events that have just taken place and to draw the attention of Jesus’ followers back to present moment.

“Why do you look for the living among the dead?”

“Why do you stand looking up toward heaven?”

Yes (the men are saying) you have witnessed something transcendent, but now it is time to get back to living as God’s people and sharing the good news. Don’t remain focused on what has happened here, but take what you have learned and carry it with you so that others may come to understand.

We, too, may be tempted to remain focused on the mountaintop experiences, the emotionally charged events of our lives, but at some point we must move along. At times like these the men in white remind us to redirect our gaze toward the world around us, a world in need of good news.

Prayer: Lord, keep us always moving forward in the faith focused on serving you by serving others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.