Luke 24:44-53
Up, Up, and Not Away
Today we observe the Ascension of Our Lord. 40 days after his resurrection, and after
many appearances to his people, our Lord Jesus Christ ascends into heaven and
claims his rightful throne on high.
Liturgically speaking, this day falls, of course, 40 days after Easter
Sunday, always on a Thursday.
Even though we mention it every time we confess one of the
Creeds, it seems the Ascension has been neglected or ignored by many churches
these days. Some observe it on the
nearest Sunday, and others seem to ignore it entirely. But here, tonight, let us consider the
meaning and significance of Christ’s ascension.
For like everything that Jesus says and does, he ascends into heaven for
you.
For starters, let us address the paradox of the
Ascension. Jesus disappears from the
sight of his disciples, and with few exceptions, he will not be seen again
until he comes again in glory. And yet
on the other hand, Jesus had recently promised his disciples, “lo, I am with
you always, even to the end of the age.”
But before some snide critic cries, “Bible contradiction!”
we are quick to note that Jesus has only removed his visible presence from us,
while he remains with us in other ways according to his promise. He is with us, by his Spirit, whenever two or
three are gathered in his name. He is
with us, in his word, especially when it is preached to us – for he himself is
the living word of God made flesh. And
perhaps most poignantly, he is with us in, with, and under the bread and wine
of the Sacrament. Gone, but not
gone. Ascended but still very much
present in his church, among his people.
Up, up, and not away… but ever with us, according to his promise.
Nor should we imagine that Jesus is now confined to some
penthouse in the clouds, as if the glorified Christ is bound by physical
location. He who created time and space,
who holds the universe in the palm of his hand, is not subject to his creation
but master of it. God has placed all
things under his feet. All authority in heaven and on earth is given to
him. And so for Jesus, heaven is not a
place, a location, as if you could find it on a map or even in a certain
direction. Rather, it is a spiritual status
of being over and above all things. That
he rose up into the clouds is really incidental to all of that.
Lutheran pastor Bo Giertz puts it this way:
“The scorner asks whether we really believe that God
dwells above us. That we do not
believe. We know that God dwells beyond
both time and space. Heaven and the
heaven of heavens cannot contain him.
But God has given us the heavens as a symbol of his majesty and
power. He has taught us to lift up our
eyes to the heavens in prayer. Jesus
himself speaks of our Father “who is in heaven” and notes that Pilate has his
power “from above.” Such figures of
speech are necessary and just as valid as when we say that the sun
“rises.” Therefore, our Lord was lifted
up in the presence of the disciples when he was taken from them and entered
through the heavens which separate our world from God’s kingdom.
The Ascension is one of the great milestones in the
history of the world. Its meaning is
first and foremost that Christ is raised above all and has received the name
which is above every name, God’s own name:
Lord. He has been “received into
glory” and is “seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” The time of his humiliation is now past. He possesses once more all the glory and
majesty of God.
And now he has begun his reign as king in the kingdom of
grace. God “exalted him at his right
hand as Leader and Savior.” Now “he must
reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.” He who previously walked in our world like
one of us and could speak only to a limited number of people at one time is now
everywhere and works throughout the world.
He is the Lord of the church who has sent his Spirit and is with us
always, even to the end of the world.
From "Preaching from the Whole Bible",
Augsburg, 1967. Thanks to Pastor Mark
Taylor, Faith, Plano.
Pastor Giertz then rightly goes on to say how the next great
milestone in the history of the world is the Second Coming of Christ. We Christians, you see, measure time and
history much more by the working of our Lord and God than of the rise and fall
of governments and the wars of nations.
And the truth is, Christ’s Ascension and his second coming
are related. The angels said as much,
“This Jesus will return in the same way you have seen him go” That is to say, visibly, coming in the clouds
with angels attending, just as he ascended and was obscured by the clouds with
angels attending. And yet, it will be
different, too. For not only the small
apostolic band will see him, but this time, all eyes will see him.
For the disciples, his Ascension was a cause for great
joy. Perhaps they couldn’t fully
comprehend it or explain it yet (and really, still, who can?) But that Jesus ascended caused them to
rejoice, as it does for us. When he
returns in glory, there will also be great rejoicing for all who believe in
him, and great weeping and sorrow for all who reject him.
But until that time – his Ascension still matters. It still brings us blessing. For Christ reigns. And his exercise of all authority in heaven
and on earth is, like everything Jesus does, for your good.
He reigns as the king, in this kingdom of grace called his
church. He guides and governs us by his
holy law and blessed gospel. He bestows
the gifts of his Spirit, and consoles us with his means of grace, the
Sacraments. He intercedes for us with
the Father, and prepares a place for us in the mansions of heaven. He opens the seals of God’s plan of salvation
for mankind, working through all things for the good of those who love
him.
Christ has ascended, bodily, into heaven. And this is good
news for you, dear Christian. By his
death he has destroyed death. By his
rising again he has brought life and immortality to light. And by his Ascension
he continues to receive and exercise his divine glory and power, for the good
of his people the church. And he will
come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead. And his kingdom will have no end.
Christ has not left you as orphans. He is with you by his Spirit. He is with you by his word. He is with you in the midst of your gathering
with other believers in his name, even if only 2 or 3. And he is with you in the real presence of
his body and blood in his supper. Truly,
he is with you always, even to the end of the age.
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