In the name of the Risen and Ascended Lord. Amen.
The Church does a
very good job of marking the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry at Christmas,
but not so much when it comes to the ending at the Ascension. Yes, I know that
Jesus is always with us through the gift of the Holy Spirit – so it’s not as if
this is the end of the story of Jesus. But we also cannot deny that there is a
difference between Christ’s physical presence on earth in the body of Jesus of
Nazareth and his eternal presence in the body of his Church as he now reigns in
glory on high.
The way this
ending, or departure might be a better way of putting it, is recorded in both
Acts and Luke is not with a bang, not with a whimper, not with a stern lecture,
or a final judgment. Rather, as Jesus ascends, we heard in the Luke text that “While
he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up.” And in the
Acts rendition of this, Jesus tells them to wait in Jerusalem for the fullness
of that blessing to come – and we’ll celebrate that more fully on Pentecost.
This evening, I want to focus us on the idea of Jesus blessing us as he ascends.
If it is true that endings matter, the fact that Jesus ascends as he blesses us
matters.
On Good Friday, as
I preached about the Crucifixion of Jesus, I said that the Cross was endured
for us and for our salvation. We also see this idea in the Creed in which we
proclaim that “For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven.” Indeed,
all of Jesus’ ministry is done for us and for our salvation, the Ascension
included. This departing blessing is a part of this for us-ness of the
Ascension. After all, if the Ascension wasn’t something that God intended to
bolster our faith, we probably wouldn’t have it recorded in Scripture and witnessed
to in the Creeds. But God has seen to it that the Church gathers on the Feast
of the Ascension to know and receive this blessing from on high.
As we heard in
Ephesians, “God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the
dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all
rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named,
not only in this age but also in the age to come.” Now, theologians talk about
how at the Ascension, we see the Son of God, as a part of the Holy Trinity,
enthroned at the right hand of the Father to rule, judge, and be worshiped. And,
yes, that sort of Creedal and orthodox faith is important because it helps us
to recognize that God is God and we are not, and so giving our allegiance to
God alone is vitally important.
But more than just
knowing this about our faith, for St. Paul, this is something we are to participate
in. Participation in Christ is one of the major themes of the letter to the
Ephesians. As we heard in the portion read this evening, “With the eyes of your
heart enlightened, you may know what are the riches of his glorious inheritance
among the saints.” Our faith is an inheritance for us – something given to us to
bless us, to comfort us, to transform us. The Collect for the Ascension that we
prayed also has this sense of participation – “as we do believe thy
only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to have ascended into the heavens, so
we may also in heart and mind thither ascend.” Yes, Christ ascended in glory
and the “for us and for our salvation” aspect of the Ascension is that, as
members of his Body, we go where he does.
In John, Jesus
tells his disciples, “In my Father’s house there are many abiding places. If it
were not so, would I Have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if
I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so
that where I am, there you may be also.” Have you ever had a friend that can
get you into high places? When Tyler and I went to Jerusalem last February right
before the pandemic began, we had an absolutely fantastic tour guide for a few
days. No matter where we went – it seemed that he knew people and had
relationships to call upon to get us to the front of the line or into places
that weren’t open to the public. Maybe you have a friend that got you a table
at an exclusive restaurant when you were on vacation or introduced you to a
celebrity or athlete that you’ve always wanted to meet. Well, in a much bigger
way, this is what Jesus does for us. He says, “You wait right here, I’m going
to go and make sure things are all set, and then I’ll come get you and take you
in with me.”
Because of the
Ascension, we have an inside man, a friend in high places, a connection to hook
us up. A seat has been prepared and reserved for us at the banquet of God. In
the Incarnation, God has come to us in Jesus as a manifestation of God’s love
for us. In the Passion, the Lamb of God goes and does for us that we cannot do
for ourselves – overcoming Sin and Death. In the Resurrection, Jesus is raised
so that we might be raised with him in newness of life. And in the Ascension, Jesus
brings us to that place where he is: “seated at God’s right hand in the
heavenly places.”
Yes, in our
deaths, this is great comfort in knowing that just as Jesus promised to the thief
on the cross next to his that he would be with Jesus in paradise, so, too, shall
we find our rest in Jesus when our lives have ended. But even right now, at this
very moment, we are united to Jesus where he is above all rule, authority,
power, and dominion. This connection with Jesus who sits in glory at God’s
right hand is what allows us to do such audacious things as to proclaim our
faith in the coliseum while lions roar, or to forgive those who have wronged
us, or to love our enemies, or to commit ourselves to the work of becoming
beloved community and healing the racial divide in our society, or to be
generous instead of fearfully hoarding our money, or to find unity without uniformity
through common prayer, or to have hope in the face of struggles, or to have a
sense of peace even when we are surrounded by chaos. And this only makes sense
because Jesus has ascended far above all rule, authority, power, and dominion and
has the name that is above every name, not only in this age but in the age to
come. In the Ascension, Jesus is enthroned as the Lord of all Creation, and from
his power, glory, and might we are connected to the inexhaustible supply of his
grace, mercy, and love. By Jesus’ Ascension, we have a place made for us near
the very heart of God for all eternity.
As we heard in Psalm
47, “God has gone up with a shout… Sing praises to God, sing praises, for God
is King of all the earth; God reigns over the nations; God sits upon his holy
throne.” Indeed, there is something about the Feast of the Ascension that
beckons us to sing praises to God for the majesty and the glory of the Risen
Jesus who has ascended to the throne of God. And there is also the receiving of
the grace of the Ascension as something done for us and for our salvation in
which we participate in that power of God. Jesus has gone on ahead of us to
prepare a place for us. Jesus has reserved a seat for each of us at the table at
the banquet of the Lamb. And by the gracious abundance of God, this very night,
as the bread is broken and the wine is poured, we will be given a taste of that
feast that Jesus has prepared for us with his very own body and blood.
Therefore, let us keep the feast. Alleluia!
