Let us Gather together for worship. 

  All shall be well! Rejoice sing out proclaim 

That Christ the son of righteousness shall reign 

Jesus Alive! Rejoice and sing again, 

All shall be well for evermore. Amen 

Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim 

Till all the world adore his sacred name 

Call to Worship 

One: Gather to experience the power of God to lift us up beyond the bonds of earth.           

All: Clap your hands, all peoples  Sing to God with Loud songs of joy 

One: Sing praises to God sing praises.  Receive the power to become God’s witness in this place and to the ends of the earth.

All: Jesus Christ is alive and forgives our sin.  Jesus Christ lives and appoints us to share good news. 

 In a sense all of these people are in chains and in prison.

We all have perhaps been in the same place as Paul and Cyrus. We all are fettered by that which imprisons us.  We have seen something we love fade away, or have a life change, lose someone we love dearly.  Dreams of a better day, a sense of purpose or direction that is now absent. 

In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the young hero Harry Potter and wan a be wizard while wandering around Hogwarts the big castle where wizards go to school. Discovers the mirror of Erised  Your classic magic mirror. In its reflection, he sees not only himself, but also his deceased parents. Standing next to him.  Needless to say the lad is somewhat confused. The principle of college Professor Dumbledore explains this strange mirror. It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live remember that.  

 What is our deepest desire? To be loved? To belong? Whose face do you see in the mirror? Who is missing?  

I look in the mirror, and I see those whom I have loved that have gone before me,  Sometimes I see a leaner me and wonder why I just can‘t get there with the knowledge I have. I most certainly see an older me.  I look harder, struggling to make out the contours of my future. The mirror clouds a bit but I strain forward, hopeful.  

What are you desperate for? What do you long to be free from . Do you long for God? Most people will settle for lesser things.   Money, power prestige material things. They all would provide a kind of freedom.   But we were not made for these and as Augustine put it “O lord, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you. . Until they find freedom in you.”

We want to preserve such memories, hold on to them .  Maybe a time which was special which now fades into the shadow of the past.  I think that it is good to remember, and to struggle to find direction. God is with us in our remembering,  

But the angels warn against standing still as though the work of God is over, the glory past with not much ahead.  

 The ascension marks the conclusion of a chapter, not the end of God’s story. 

In the Lesson the angels chided the disciples for lingering on the hillside after Jesus vanished. Beyond clinging to the past at the expense of the future there is a real and present danger in standing and gazing at the sky.  We fail to see what goes on around us. We fail to see those around us. And if we stay fixed on the mountain staring at the sky how can we move forward. How can we claim our place as disciples of Christ if we don’t look for him in others and in the world. 

We are commanded to go. Not stand still.  We are called to do something. We have and will be given the Holy Spirit again and again to empower us.

Consider what the safest course was for the Disciples.

The safest course for the disciples after the ascension would have been to continue meeting privately, repeating the good news that Christ was risen only among themselves, and no risk witnessing in public places to strangers whose languages they didn’t know. But they were obedient to divine command, and their work has changed the world. 

 Yes they stood for a while but they didn’t stand still for long. They where awakened from their sleep and moved forward. They dared to dream dreams, to see beyond the ending to the next beginning. 

Paul and Cyrus could have just at this point in the journey given up. In the dark, in chains, roughed up. But despite all the hardship, all the uncertainty they sang hymns of praise, and gave thanks and prayers to God.  

Was it easy for them. No

Will it be easy for us  No.

For Paul and Cyrus, for all of the early Christian saints and martyrs they cast of the chains. They forged ahead in faith.  The ground literally moved.

We move ahead as a church serving Jesus Christ in this community. 

What are the chains that we need to break for us to move forward to free us from the prison that we may be in. That which binds us.  The pressing needs of the material world our assists on paper at times overshadow the assists of our hearts. The concern for red or black ink overshadows the work of the Gospel.  Paul looks to God and says if this is it, I will go out praising God. But with all my soul I will give this present time over to God and God will provide. They are not just words. God will provide but a total acceptance and giving over of the worry to God so that God’s real work may happen

The vision for the ministry of this church does not lie with me, It lies with you and in how you receive the Spirit of God.  Hope needs a vision to journey.  Hope marks the beginning but not necessarily the completion of the journey.

You can stand on the mountain and stare up or worse, look backwards and pine for what was   Or journey in hope forward.  That is up to you.

We serve a risen Lord, who sits at the hand of the Father, who will in the fullness of time come again.  Jesus did not promise that all would be wonderful for us. Or his followers. He did not hand out holy medals or magic formulas to keep us safe and happy no matter what. No what Jesus gave those gathered on the Hill ,what Jesus gives us today, right here, right now, as we honour his ascension once more. What we find is an assurance, “ Lo I am with you always, to the close of the age. “  That is what we have. This is our assurance, this is our hope, this is what shall break the chains that bind us.  This is a promise, a promise that simply states we are not alone. Thanks be to God. . 

Prayers of the people 

Hear our prayer we humbly offer

Grant to us your peace O God

Hear our prayer we humbly offer

Grant to us your peace O God. 

God of the gentle presence in our lives, we hear the word’s of your Son, and in all that is happening in our world more than we could ever list we need to hear those words. “Peace I leave with you” Oh Lord what a comfort to our souls those words are.   When we head your words to live out the great commandment, to move in harmony and balance with you, your world, those that surround us and most of all ourselves we come to know that promised great peace.  May be so empowered in our lives to open ourselves and our doors so that all may know your peace.  A peace that welcomes all and whoever.

In this moment in the peace of this place quiet our souls that we may feel your energy flow through us restoring our soul.   In this moment in the peace of this place we offer you prayers for those that we know and those whom we will never know.

In this moment in the peace of this place we offer you prayers for the world in which we live.

In this moment in the peace of this place we offer you prayers for your guidance and direction in living out the ministry you have called us to

In this moment in the peace of this place we offer you prayers for ourselves, may we find peace with ourselves and those whom we encounter.  Lord hear these our prayers and the prayers of our hearts.  We speak with one voice the great prayer that you gave as we say our Father….

Offering

 One: We rejoice in remembering this day  God has given us the gift of eternal life. Let us bring our offering to God in Joy and thanks giving in gratitude for what we have received.

Offering received

Offering  (tune 122)

All glory , laud and honour

to you redeemer king.

To you we bring our gifts, 

our voices join and sing

The multitude of blessings

 you give us each new day

Our praise and prayer and offerings

before you we present.

Offering Prayer

Prayer Loving God, you have melted our harness of heart and penetrated our unbelief with your forgiveness and your commission. We believe you are sending us and our resources to do your work in the world. May the programs and outreach of this church be worthy of our support, and may each of us be faithful bearers of your good news. Amen