The Horror of Endings!

When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. Luke 23:50-53

By Rev. William Dohle

I hate endings, I am discovering. As things come to a close, I have the hardest time letting go. Confirmation. Graduation. You name it. I love when its happening, but when it gets down to celebrating the end, I get a little depressed. I hate endings.

Here's an example. For the last year I’ve been on a “Journey of Wellness” set up by our Board of Pensions. It began at a retreat last May and has included such things as cool mailings, great DVD’s, coaching calls with a real Life Coach, encouraging emails, and visits with my Spiritual friend. It has been AWESOME and a life changing experience for me.

But just this last week, at what they called our “last retreat” one of the presenters told us something really quite depressing. She said: “Don’t ask us what we will do. Ask yourself what YOU will do.” Suddenly it occurred to me that the Journey of Wellness that I had undertaken was almost at an end. And as I received my certificate of completion, I wanted to cry. “It’s over! What am I going to do now to stay well?”

I think the disciples must have felt the same way as they watched Jesus ascend into heaven. In the Gospel of Luke, ascension takes place THE SAME DAY as Jesus is raised from the dead. Jesus is raised that morning, has dinner with his disciples, and then ascends up to heaven that evening! Talk about a short trip! That’s a shorter time than even my parents spend out with us when they come to visit! One day? Are you kidding??

And, even though Luke ends with the disciples worshiping in the temple and praising God, that elation doesn’t last. For a month or so later, the disciples are back in the upper room, afraid of what is going to happen. I wonder if they ever asked themselves: “Why did he leave so fast?” Or “I really wish Jesus was here. Remember how great THAT was?” I wonder if they looked fondly back at the days when they were walking and talking with Jesus, when they could see and sense His presence.

Little did they know, though, that the ending only led to a greater beginning. For on Pentecost Day the disciples eyes are opened, the Holy Spirit is poured out upon them, and they realize that Jesus ascension wasn’t the end, but merely a new beginning. God was making all things new and they were a part of that new creation! And though their physical journey with Jesus might end, the journey they had together as apostles and witnesses of the resurrection was just beginning.

Perhaps we should look at endings that way too. All endings. The endings we will celebrate as friends and family graduate from college or high school. The endings we experience when a job ends. Or even the endings we encounter when faced with divorce, disease, and death. What is God doing new here? What is dying so that something new can be born? Where is the sunrise in this sunset?

That revelation doesn’t come on our own, we need help. We need the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to the new possibilities that are in store for us. We need Pentecost to awaken us from the slumber and depression of endings and send us out to share the good news of our experience. We need help if we are to accomplish anything and continue any journey of renewal or otherwise.

I haven’t experienced that Holy Spirit in my Journey of Renewal yet. I’m still mourning over the ending. But I’m sure the Holy Spirit will come. For even now the Holy Spirit has inspired new action and new possibilities and new directions in my own Journey of Renewal and Wellness.

In your endings, may the Holy Spirit open your eyes to the new beginnings on the horizon and may he strengthen and empower you to face that new dawn, confident in God’s power and grace. Amen.