There is just the slightest possibility that I read too many murder mysteries. When I was pondering what purpose the Ascension of Jesus served, one of the first things I thought of was, "You've gotta do something with the body." My armchair detective got busy, and I knew the district attorney would need motive and opportunity to convict our suspect. The lack of a body would be a problem if we wanted to prove "murder." I understand there are now legal theories that mean the state doesn't need a "body," but the book of Acts is not a murder mystery and there is no body. The way some scholars write, you'd think the ascension of Jesus is the very opposite of a murder-that the ascension proves the Incarnation. Today, since we are reading Acts with John, this seems less like detective work and more like business planning-the part of visioning corporate America that asks the strategic question, "What is our business?"

It turns out that finding the church's answer to that question is relatively easy. Jesus tells us what our business is. In John, Jesus prays God's business plan and passes it on to the disciples as a sort of "holy ditto." In Acts, we join the disciples still stuck on the old business plan. Until Jesus disappears, they still think their business is restoring Israel's kingdom. God's plan, it turns out, is "salvation" for the world. When Jesus hits the market with "salvation," it's not about politics. It is about revealing God. Like that's understandable.

The church is still hung up on the 21st century equivalent of staring up at the sky. We camouflage it by resorting to "strategic questions." Sometimes the answers make it look as if our business is to provide the rites of passage: naming ceremonies (baptisms) and transition into adulthood (confirmation), joining life partners (weddings), completion of life rituals (funerals). Market polls reveal the church provides other services. Perhaps our business is to provide counsel for the troubled. Dear Abby always says, "consult your clergyperson." Or maybe the business of the church is charitable. Politicians honor this by labeling it, "faith-based initiatives." Or maybe the business of the church is social-fellowship times, sponsorship of ball teams, modeling appropriate behavior as audience members for children (don't disturb your neighbors, remain seated during the performance). Perhaps the business of the church is teaching family values-offering parenting classes, marriage enrichment retreats, support groups. But there's this Sunday morning thing. What is that all about? Stimulating class discussions, musical entertainment, decent lectures (or time for a short nap).

What is our business? It seems as if the Ascension-this guy disappearing into the clouds-has some kind of message for us. While we stare upwards with our mouths open, the angels tap us on the shoulder and say, "He's coming back."

That's a little open-ended, wouldn't you say? Maybe Jesus' prayer in John can give us some help. Jesus does the very thing in his prayer that I hate. It sets my teeth on edge to be praying in a group, only to have one person take it upon him/herself to tell God (more likely the human listeners), what scripture says. "God we know that you say . . ." And it deteriorates into some pointed interpretation I end up feeling guilty about. Teaching moments in prayer. I find them so annoying. Jesus' prayer is called a "pastoral prayer," and he prays it as much for the sake of his disciples as for the sake of God whom he really is addressing. We do that on Sunday mornings, during what Springwater calls, "the prayers of the people." We share joys and concerns, and then the pastor prays. You overhear me and participate in a conversation with God. Partly I'm reminding God of our needs, partly I'm reminding us of our need for God. That's what Jesus is doing here. When Jesus tells God about completing his mission, part of his purpose is to let the disciples know that what is about to happen to him isn't a mistake. Events are in his control and part of God's plan. It's partly comfort, partly ordaining their role in the continuing business of salvation. Jesus is concerned about his disciples, because he knows they are going to be in charge of executing God's plan after he's gone. By inviting them to overhear his conversation with the One who sent and commissioned him, Jesus is helping the disciples see the line of continuity from God to him to them. Even as Jesus says, "Do what I've been doing," he is making clear to his disciples that "what" he has been doing was revealing God to the world. We-the church-are supposed to take the revelation of that Truth (with a capitol T), and preserve it in order to pass it on. God's plan of salvation is fulfilled in Jesus and then the daily operation of the business is turned over to the stockholders-the church. The church continues revealing God. How are we supposed to do that?

Look at what Jesus prays for. He prays for our unity. Protect these followers of mine, he says, "so that they may be one as we are one." Our unity is the one witness most effective in revealing the Truth of God, the God of Truth. Unfortunately, unity is the one thing we're not very good at. We don't need to get into heresies and the Spanish Inquisition or the Great Schism. We even have a hard time with unity between the congregations in Estacada. Even little Estacada has two ministerial groups. The suspicion between the evangelicals and the mainline pastors is so deep that the prospect of eating lunch together feels dangerous. We might catch what they've got! Whatever "it" is.

No, the disciples in Acts watch their friend and leader disappear into the clouds, the angels tell them to snap out of it and get to work. And what do the disciples do? They get to work, all right. They roll up their sleeves, pull themselves together and devote themselves to prayer. Devote themselves. Together. "It's gonna be a little bit of time before you'll have the wherewithal to do the witnessing," Jesus says, "so in the meantime, wait." The most fruitful waiting in the whole world is to gather as a group and pray. In the act of gathering, the disciples fall in love with each other, listen together for God's truth, become united in their mission. The action required of them-as it is of us-is more than busyness. Accomplishing the mission of the church takes more than activity, more than the skillful writing of objectives, more than sheer effort of human will. It takes prayer. Prayer for the empowerment to live lives of obedience, prayer for the courage to love each other. Yes, it takes holding each other accountable. Yes, it takes critical thinking. But more than anything-and we get this directly from the New Testament-the mission of the church takes devotion to prayer together and unity in the purpose of the church.

When my home church went to Juarez on a work camp, our hosts told us that "we know you love Jesus because you love each other." After five years of hearing that, we were feeling a little self-satisfied. We'd figured it out. But the year our lily-white middle class church joined mission with an inner-city black church was the year the rubber hit the road on the loving unity routine. It was a communication and lifestyle challenge. It was a faith challenge. It was living out Jesus' prayer for his disciples.

But a work camp to Juarez is not the only way to witness through unity. Session here works for Christian unity when it encourages my participation in both ministerial groups in Estacada. Our folks who work with the ecumenical ministries are witnessing through unity-the Resource Center, Clothescloset, HINT, Community Centers, Friday Taize services. Our kids will learn about the witness of Christian unity when they participate in Vacation Church School this summer. We'll be using the Heifer Project curriculum. When adults attend Sunday School and come together to pray on Tuesday afternoons and evenings, they are living into Jesus' prayer for the unity of his followers.

"People of Springwater, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up into heaven, will come in the same way." And your response in the meantime, should be to roll up our sleeves and get to work: devoting ourselves to unity and to prayer together.