This sermon was preached at Glenwood and Canoe Ridge Lutheran Churches, Decorah, Iowa on June 2, 2019. It’s based on Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians 1:15-23; and Luke 24:44-53. If you’d prefer to listen to it, find it at https://soundcloud.com/stacey-nalean-carlson.
Acts 1:1-11
[Luke writes:] 1In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning 2until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 4While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me; 5for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
6So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. 11They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Ephesians 1:15-23
15I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason 16I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. 20God 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, 21far 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. 22And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Luke 24:44-53
44[Jesus said to the eleven and those with 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, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.”45Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
50Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. 51While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. 52And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; 53and they were continually in the temple blessing God.
Birth doulas provide emotional, physical, and educational support to mothers who are expecting, are experiencing labor, or who have recently given birth.1 But did you know that there are also death doulas who offer that same kind of support for those who are dying?
I recently caught a bit of an interview on Minnesota Public Radio with two end-of-life doulas, and this quote stood out to me: We think about [death] as another birth, and we just don’t happen to know where that birth is into specifically, because there are so many different views on that. But I think that that is such an important part of the work and of the process…the view.2
What is our view? Do we view death as an end? Or as a beginning, as another birth?
Today we celebrate the ascension of Jesus into heaven. He has died. He has risen. He has spent 40 days appearing to his disciples and speaking to them about the kingdom of God. And now the time has come for him to depart. Michael Rinehart writes, Jesus goes to be where God is. Therefore, the ascension is a foreshadowing of our own resurrection, our own entrance into heaven.3
The ascension of Jesus, then, gives us a view to embrace when it comes to our own death. It will not be an ultimate end, but another birth. Like Jesus before us, we will go to be where God is.
But what of the days between now and that new birth? How does Jesus’ ascension into heaven inform our days on earth?
Luke offers us two accounts of the ascension, one at the end of his gospel and one at the beginning of the book of Acts. I prefer the Acts telling, because it’s just that much messier, with a question asked by the apostles that seems particularly telling.
They’ve been with Jesus throughout his entire ministry, they’ve had 40 additional days of instruction in the kingdom of God after Jesus’ resurrection, but still they feel compelled to ask: Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?
They’re still looking to Jesus for an earthly show of power and strength. They’re still looking for restoration of what was instead of expecting a new creation altogether, embracing God’s vision for what will be. They still don’t understand—at least not fully—that they have a job to do. This is no longer just about what Jesus will do. This is now about what they will do.
Jesus replies, You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. What’s coming next is not restoration of your nation. That’s far too small. What’s coming next is the Holy Spirit. What’s coming next is you graduating from students to witnesses, empowered by that Holy Spirit. What’s coming next is forgiveness and freedom for all nations, the whole world transformed by your witness.
In his gospel account, Luke mentions that Jesus is blessing the disciples as he withdraws from them and is carried up into heaven. But here, in Acts, if there’s any blessing as Jesus departs, this is it: you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses…to the ends of the earth. It’s not a command. It’s a promise.
Next week we’ll celebrate Pentecost, the outpouring of that promised Holy Spirit. But it’s not too early to start celebrating. The Spirit promised to the apostles has been given to us as well. We have received power; we are witnesses.
At the end of life as we know it, we witness to another birth. We trust that when death comes, we go to be where God is.
In the midst of shame, we witness to repentance and forgiveness. We trust that all creation is beloved, that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God, that there is hope and healing in turning from selfish thoughts and deeds to follow Jesus in the way of self-giving love.
In a culture that worships wealth and power, we witness to servant leadership, to a Jesus who kneels and washes the feet of the ones he calls not servants, but friends. We witness to the abundant life Jesus came to bring, a life in which there is more than enough for all when we stop hoarding and start sharing; a life made full and rich not by possessions, but by relationships.
The ascension of Jesus, then, gives us a view to embrace when it comes to our life here on earth. We are witnesses, clothed with power from on high. As assuring as it is to know that Jesus’ ascension foreshadows our own resurrection to heaven, we don’t get to spend our days gazing upward. We are witnesses. Here. Now.
Finally, Jesus’ ascension gives us a new view of the world around us. The writer of the letter to the Ephesians describes the ascended Jesus, the Christ seated at God’s right hand in the heavenly places, as now above all rule and authority and power and dominion, as the one who fills all in all.
The world is under new governance by way of Jesus’ ascension. Listen to how Walter Brueggemann describes it:
Imagine the governance of Father-Son sending out edicts, directives, and policies concerning the earth: Here is a press release that says, “the newly ascended power has decreed that there is more than enough, and greed is inappropriate in this world of God’s generosity.” Here is a new act of legislation from the government of God that says, “Perfect love casts out hate, that we are not free for vengeance but must leave such matters to the wise Father.” Here is an edict from the government that says, “Do not fear for I am with you and the world will hold.”
You can decide day by day—as your lifelong vocation—to bring your life and our common life more fully in response to this regime. The claim that [Jesus] ascended into heaven is not an abstract theological formula. It is, rather, an act of praise that asserts that the gospel is true. The world is under new management. Think of us under new management: “Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy (1 Peter 2:10).” Be glad, be obedient, be joyous. Pray and sing and give thanks!4
Amen.
1 https://americanpregnancy.org/labor-and-birth/having-a-doula/
2 https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/05/30/davis-death-doulas