The Ascension of Our Lord - May 13, 2010

The Church Season of Easter,
The Ascension of Our Lord, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (May 13, 2010)

“The Light of Christ”

Readings:   
        Psalm 110
        2 Kings 2:5-15
        Acts 1:1-11
        Luke 24:44-53

Sermon Form:    Deductive

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Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen

The text for today’s message will be from the Gospel lesson as recorded in the 24th chapter of St. Luke, especially the following verses:

Luke 24:44-53 (ESV)

44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” 50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 3 and were continually in the temple blessing God.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ is risen! 
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!  Amen.

The paschal candle is lit for services through the Easter season, but today we extinguished it for the rest of the year to remind us that our Lord has ascended into heaven to bless us from there. Today we celebrate Jesus Christ’s ascension into heaven.  On that ascension day Christ led His apostles to Bethany, He blessed them and then He ascended into heaven.  We can only imagine what the apostles were thinking.  We know that good byes are always hard when the person you love is going away.  We have all shed tears when we say farewell to someone we won't be seeing for a while. 

I’m sure we can all recall the loss of a loved one, a mother, father, or other close relative who has passed away.  We can recall the pain of the loss.  We are overcome with tears for the loss of that person, at the same time we rejoice for what God has done for our loved one.  So in those times we are sometimes sad and afraid.

It was surprising for the disciples when Jesus' last days on earth came.  Yes, he had told them ahead of time that was going to be delivered into the hands of rulers, crucified, die, and rise on the third day.  But when it happened they were still surprised and afraid.  Emotions got the best of them, and even the brave ones, like Peter, ran away and denied knowing the Lord. 

Yet, when those same apostles saw Jesus alive, their faith was restored.  Scripture tells us that Jesus, "showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive.  He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God."  (Acts 1:3) During all these appearances the apostles put their trust in Jesus again and He forgave all their doubts and unbelief. 

Even on the day Jesus ascended to heaven, He was still teaching his followers.  Our text says "He opened their minds so they could understand the Holy Scriptures" (Luke 24:45).  Jesus gave them the ability to understand the Bible, and that He had fulfilled all that was written about the Messiah.  Nothing more needed to be accomplished.  Salvation for the world was complete.  From then on, any person who asked God for forgiveness in the Name of Jesus would get it.  Nothing more can be added to what Jesus had done.

And while Jesus' work was finished, the disciples work was just about to begin.  They were to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came to them.  Then they were called upon to preach the message of repentance and forgiveness in his Name to all nations.

And Christ's commission to his disciples continues today.  We must continue to repent of our sin and believe the good news that Jesus forgives and restores us to God the Father.  There is no area of our life that we can allow to be off limits to God's Word.  God's Word cannot be altered, we much preach it just as we receive it from the printed page.

Jesus has ascended to heaven, but He is not distant from us.  He sends us the Holy Spirit through the church's preaching and administering His sacraments.  We ask Jesus to open our minds to understand the Holy Scriptures as He did for the first disciples.  In them we find the meaning we need to guide our lives as servants of God.

At the ascension of Jesus, the church said goodbye to the face to face contact with Jesus. Now, through the preaching and sacraments which He instituted, the Holy Spirit brings Christ to us in means that are hidden, yet powerful.  We are to use this time God has given us to prepare for Jesus' return.  There are so many souls to be reached, and there is so little time.  While we may weep that Jesus has ascended, His incarnation has won for us joy beyond all understanding.  While we are here we bask in the joy of salvation won, yet that does not mean we should rest and do nothing.  Christ has won salvation for all and graciously we are called to proclaim that salvation to the ends of the earth.  There are no sad goodbyes today.  Yet we still may ask, ‘what of those tears we shed for those family and friends who have gone before us in the faith?’  The answer is that when we join Jesus Christ in His heavenly home He, “will wipe away every tear from [your] eyes.”(Rev 21:4)  No pain of loss or separation will remain.  In fact, there is no separation, for even in Christ’s ascension, He has told us that He will still be “with us even to the end of the ages.”(Mt. 28:20)

So when you see the unlit Christ candle here at the altar, remember that Jesus has indeed ascended to heaven, and there Jesus is our heavenly high priest who brings our prayers to the Father, and He rules over His church with grace and forgiveness.  And for us that grace and forgiveness is the knowledge that Christ’s victory over death is won and He gives to us the promise of eternal life. Amen.

Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ is risen! 
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!  Amen.

The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

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