Tuesday 5 December 2017

Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” – Acts 1:10


Today’s Scripture Reading (December 5, 2017): Acts 1

David Cassidy died last month (November 2017). For a generation of women, he was the heartthrob. His pictures adorned the walls of countless little girl’s rooms as they grew up (including my sisters). He was Keith Partridge of “The Partridge Family.” The guys, of course, were in love with David’s on-screen sister, Laurie (Susan Dey), although I admit that I always wanted David’s feathered hair and did my best to approximate it. I don’t think that I missed an episode of “The Partridge Family” growing up, and many of the plotlines from the show are still a part of my memory. “The Partridge Family” was initially designed as a vehicle for Shirley Jones, Mom Partridge, but her real-life step-son, David, quickly rose to take the lead with her. When David assumed the role of Keith, the producers were still blissfully unaware that he could even sing. But once they learned of his talent, David, backed by Shirley, began to worm his way into the pre-teen heart.

Cassidy died of organ failure after a short battle with dementia. But what is probably most tragic about the story of David Cassidy are his last words, spoken to his daughter, Katie (who stars as Black Siren in “Arrow”). According to Katie, David’s last words were “So much wasted time.”

I have no idea exactly what David was referring to, but I can make an educated guess. Considering that the one who got to hear Cassidy’s last words was his daughter, I can’t help but wonder if the message was very personal and directed at Katie. Cassidy had previously said “I wasn’t her father, I was her biological father, but I didn’t raise her. She has a completely different life.” There is nothing quite like knowing that the end has arrived to focus your priorities, and I wonder if that might not be the context of those final words. I wish I had spent more time with my daughter; I wish I had been there for her, and that I had been part of the raising of her.

As Jesus prepares to leave his disciples for the second time, once again life seemed to focus down for the apostles. And I wonder if Jesus’s heart didn’t break just a little as they asked him if this was the time when he would restore the Kingdom? Had they missed the point that badly that they were still thinking of a military kingdom? Had they ultimately lost the idea of being a force in the world through love? The world had suffered under many military coups and still failed to live up to its potential. One more coup, even one led by the Messiah, was unlikely to lead to success. The world needed a different way.

And so, as the Christian Church prepares to launch, once more Jesus asks his followers to lay aside their dreams of domination to love a lost and broken world. It is not a task that we have often done well with, but in every generation, the dream is lifted anew. Over the past 2000 years, there has been so much wasted time, but maybe in this age, we can learn to love like Jesus, and through that love, shape a broken world. After all, haven’t we wasted enough time?

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Acts 2

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