Dear friends,
There are moments that reveal–sometimes after a whole lot of wrestling–what is really at the heart of everything for you. I had one of those moments this week…and I landed in the arms of this world’s Savior. I pray you, too, will experience today the fullness of God’s abiding love for you.
Today’s worship service, in its entirety, may be viewed here:
If you prefer to listen to the gospel reading and sermon, you may do so here:
The sermon is based on Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians 1:15-23; and Luke 24:44-53.
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.
Beloved of God, grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Today we celebrate the Ascension of Our Lord. But why? Why celebrate Jesus leaving this earth and being carried up into heaven? What joy is there in Jesus being gone from our sight? Where is the good in this goodbye?
Maybe that’s the best place to start. Jesus doesn’t say goodbye to his disciples when the time comes for him to go. He doesn’t wish them well and set off on his own new adventure without them. Instead, he blesses them. He lifts up his scarred-by-the-cross hands and he blesses them.
Luke doesn’t tell us exactly what Jesus said in those final moments, but just prior to his ascension, Jesus has named his disciples as witnesses of his life, his death, and his resurrection. He has assured them that they will be clothed with power from on high, that they will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
The blessing is that they will have what they need to keep on living into this incredible story of God’s mission to save and to bless the whole world. They will have what they need to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins in the name of Jesus. They will have what they need to dream God’s dream, to walk in compassion and courage, to look into an unknown future and trust that it is known by God, that they are known by God.
And it will be enough.
They won’t see Jesus as they did before, but they will see him. They won’t hear Jesus as they did before, but they will hear him. They won’t know Jesus as they did before, but they will know him. They will receive power not just to carry on his work in the world, but to become his risen body. Together, they will be his body.
Together, we are his body.
Jan Richardson writes about the ascension, Having called his disciples into relationship with him and one another, having lived and journeyed with them, Jesus frees them to live into their ongoing call. They, in turn, respond to Jesus’ blessing by offering blessings of their own, in the temple and beyond. They respond to his blessing by becoming his body.
Change so often brings grief and fear. And I think we see that in the disciples when they needed a minute to just stand there gazing up into heaven. But it didn’t take long for them to turn their gaze back down to earth and to see how this leaving on the part of Jesus promised not to diminish them, but to strengthen them. His leaving wasn’t really a leaving at all—it was a new way of being, a new way of filling all things.
The author of the letter to the Ephesians understands the joy of Jesus’ ascension, the good in that perceived goodbye. Having ascended into heaven, Jesus the Christ is now far above all rule and authority and power and dominion. God has put all things under the feet of Jesus and has made him head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
I just want to dwell in this word. Jesus fills all in all.
We are not empty and depleted. We are filled with the power of God.
We are not alone and unable. We are filled with the power of God.
This world is not ruled by the forces of evil. This world is not bound by hatred and violence. There is more to our lives than endless cycles of sorrow and suffering. We are filled with the power of God.
The one who stilled the storm fills us.
The one who fed the crowd fills us.
The one who cast out the demons fills us.
The one who respected the children fills us.
The one who taught us to pray fills us.
The one who called on the power of God fills us.
The one who brought good news to the poor fills us.
The one who demonstrated for justice fills us.
The one who forgave, even from the cross, fills us.
The one who wrestled the grave and conquered death fills us.
The one born among us, the one of whom the angels sang, the one of peace, the word through whom everything was created, the wisdom and will of God fills us.
And though the wrong seems oft so strong…though weeping may spend the night…though there are days when we stand gazing up into heaven and wonder where the good is in this goodbye…God is the ruler yet.
Jesus blesses us and we become his risen body—stilling the storms, feeding the crowds, demonstrating for justice, wrestling the grave, and calling on the power of a God whose love for this world is relentless. We weep with one another. We rejoice with one another. We love as we’ve been loved. Our tears are prayer. Our laughter is praise. We belong to one another and to the God who holds us together.
I am so grateful for your witness, for all the many ways you bless one another and this world God so loves.
I 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, so 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, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. Amen.
Read Jan’s entire piece here: https://paintedprayerbook.com/
Stacey, your sermons so often have a poetic flavor to them!
I love poetry, so I suppose that does come through!