Tag Archives: Wayne Forte

⁶ So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”

⁷ He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

⁹ After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. ¹⁰ As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. ¹¹ “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”

¹² Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile. ¹³ When they arrived, they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying.

Here are the names of those who were present: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (the zealot), and Judas (son of James). ¹⁴ They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.

Acts 1:6-14

Dear God, as with most of the other pictures I look at from this book, I’ve read the passage (there’s a typo in the book, by the way. The title on the page says it goes through verse 18, but it is really 14), and I have some thoughts. But first I want to take my recent reading of the passage and look to see what the artist, Wayne Forte, put in his image for me to see:

• Jesus with his arms open wide
• The dove/Holy Spirit above him (I think that’s what it is)
• The two angels who speak to the disciples in the story are pictured with trumpets as Jesus ascends.
• The unraveling scroll is a bridge. Or is Jesus floating and the scroll is representing Jesus being “The Word?”
• Is the scroll transparent and the white marks are clouds?
• The white marks below the scroll look like hills (like the hill Jesus ascended from)

Okay, I just read Bustard’s description of the image, and it mentions something I thought about but didn’t say: “This print about the departure of Christ alludes to his return: the dove descending from heaven (as he did at the baptism of Christ), the angels blowing trumpets of judgment, and the ‘clouds be rolled back as a scroll,’ as it says in the old hymn (referencing Revelation 6:14).”

So now back to what I noticed when I read the story for myself.

• They were still linking all of this to Israel’s liberation and return to power/glory. That’s really something. That was a concept that was really baked into their psyches. They seemingly couldn’t break free from it. They really, really wanted to overcome being trod upon. Because this was such a big deal to even these close followers of you who knew you intimately, I guess it makes sense that it should be so baked into our collective consciences as well. In our country, we have those who have the power who will do absolutely everything they can to keep it. We also have those who want that power and will do what they can to take it. And it’s nearly all of us. It’s the Christian church, the atheists, the socialists, the right-wing conservatives–everyone. Everyone is going for that power. We want to make sure our country has the most power in the world (economically, militarily, and politically), and we want to make sure our “group” is the one wielding that power, both within the country and outside of it.
• Jesus doesn’t admonish them for thinking about the restoration of Israel, but simply says that they’ll never know when.
• Jesus goes a different direction and tells them about the Holy Spirit coming. I have to say, there are times when I wonder, given the Trinity, if the three of you aren’t so intertwined that “praying in Jesus’s name” isn’t also “praying in the name of the Holy Spirit and the Father” as well. Hence some denominations start and end their prayers with, “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” When Jesus comes into my heart (as a Baptist would say), is that more accurately represented as the Holy Spirit coming into my heart? Is there a difference?
• Jesus sends them to Jerusalem, all of Judea, Samaria (did I hear that right–the Samaritans?), and the ends of the earth (hold it, what?!?).
• The angels (I’m assuming they are angels) told them Jesus would return the same way he left (hence Forte’s depiction of a scene that could represent either Jesus’s ascension or return).
• The place where they were was only about half a mile (a Sabbath’s day journey) from where they were staying.
• The remaining 11 were with other disciples plus Mary, Jesus’s mother, and Jesus’s brothers. The other disciples included women.
• They spent a lot of their time in prayer. I wonder what kinds of things they prayed for. Were they following the “Lord’s Prayer” template Jesus taught them? Were they praying for clarity of mission, protection from persecution, and daily provision?

Father, as I think about this, I think the lessons I’m leaving with are that I need to not worry about power/influence (they are idols), not worry about trying to understand you or your plan (ignorance is my ally), and simply worship you, spending time in prayer. Help me to do all of these things. And going back to what I prayed about earlier this week, help me to embrace the tools you have given me to impact the world: prayer, service, persuasion, and suffering.

I pray all of this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

Amen