Sermon on the Eve of the Ascension of Our Lord

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Jesu Juva

“Christ Isn’t Gone! Christ Is Ascended!”

Text: Acts 1:1-11; Luke 24:44-53; Ephesians 1:15-23

 

Alleluia! Christ is ascended! [He is ascended indeed! Alleluia!] Alleluia.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

When one thing ends, something else begins.

High School ends, and either College, Trade School, or a job begins.

Singleness ends and married life begins.

When working ends, retirement begins.

Childhood ends and adulting begins.

Renting ends and home ownership begins.

At such times there is usually a mixture of fear and anticipation. Fear of an unknown and uncertain future, and anticipation of beginning a new phase of life. These are critical times, times of transition, sociologists tell us. Times which brings challenges, but also joys. Times it is especially important that Jesus go with us; that we not go it alone.

And so it is today, with the Ascension of Our Lord. Jesus’ bodily ministry on earth is ending. What began with His conception, when the Son of God came down from heaven and was made man, is now ending as that body - born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, that was crucified, died, and was buried, descended into hell, and on the third day rose again from the dead - as that same body is now taken up to the right hand of God the Father Almighty. 

So now a new time, a new facet of Jesus’ ministry begins. He is not done. In His Gospel, Luke tells us that he dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach. Now, in the book of Acts, he will deal with all that Jesus continues to do - and still bodily - just in a new way. There will be a new bodily ministry of Jesus, through the Apostles, that is, through the Church, which is the body of Christ. So Jesus is not leaving in His ascension - just continuing His work in a new way.

And so for the Eleven (soon to be twelve again, with the appointment of Matthias), their time of discipleship, their time of learning, is coming to an end, and their time of apostleship, their time of witnessing, is now beginning. And they go not alone. Jesus is going to send the Holy Spirit to be with them, to teach them, remind them, strengthen them, and lead and guide them. And through the Spirit, Jesus will continue His saving work in the world, that what began with His incarnation continue and not cease, until Jesus comes again in glory. Or as the angels told the eleven as they stood gazing into heaven as Jesus ascended: until Jesus comes back in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.

Now, the apostles will have their share of challenges and fears with this transition, as they begin their God-given work of being the eye- and ear- witnesses of all that Jesus said and did. But on this day, they are filled with joy, as we often are when we graduate, or retire, or get married. They returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God. 

And they were - not because things were going to be easy for them. Quite the contrary! The level of opposition and persecution was going to ramp up and get intense. Most of them would be martyred. But when Jesus ascended, they knew that those hands now raised in blessing, those hands once nailed to the cross and laid lifeless in the tomb, those hands that still had holes in them, are now controlling the universe. As we sang, man with God is on the throne (LSB #494 v. 5) at the right hand of the Father. That’s not just the Son of God there - that’s Jesus there. God and man, your brother, your Saviour, ruling all things for your good. Continuing His work in the Church, through the Church, for the Church, and for the life of the world.

So Jesus isn’t gone. Jesus isn’t up there somewhere. He didn’t ascend to leave us, but to be with us in a new and greater way. To fill all things and every font, pulpit, and altar with His presence. To start this new and final chapter of His work for us and for our salvation.

And these eleven were an important part of that. Jesus had told them before, He who hears you, hears me (Luke 10:16). So now, as Jesus continues His bodily work through His Body, the Church, they will be His voice and His hands. When they preach, He is preaching. When the baptize, He is baptizing. When they absolve, He is absolving. When they celebrate His Supper, He is the one providing His Body and Blood to us to eat and to drink. 

This is why the Church can never be a virtual Church, an online Church. Jesus’ work is bodily. He isn’t gone. He isn’t just here spiritually. Jesus is here in body and in Spirit, in body and blood, for our bodies and spirit, for our body and blood. That our times of transition and change also be times of joy. That when we are baptized, one life ends and a new life begins. And when we die, when one life, our bodily life on earth, ends, a new and eternal - and bodily! - life will begin. Which we know and can be sure of, not just because of Jesus’ resurrection, but also because of His ascension. Because He rose bodily, we will rise bodily; and because He ascended bodily, we will ascend bodily. 

And, by the way, that time of change and transition, through death to life, is usually a time of both anticipation and fear. Death is fearful. It isn’t natural. We were never meant to die. It is unknown and uncertain for us. But at the same time, knowing that Jesus has passed through death to life again, and that He has promised to bring with Him all who are joined to Him in faith, makes it a time of joy and anticipation as well. For when a Christian dies, he or she dies not alone. Jesus goes with us.

As He does tonight when we leave this place, when I lift up my hands in blessing, just as Jesus did that day. My hands, Jesus’ blessing, as God’s Name is put on you, and where God’s Name is, there is He. Strong to bless and to save. 

But what that looks like in your life, what you need to bless and to save, what challenges you will face and what joy you will have, well, I would say not two of you will be the same. For no two of you are the same. But each and every one of you, your Saviour knows. And loves. No sparrow falls to the ground without Him knowing it. And the hairs of your head are all numbered. So whatever you will face or are now facing, Jesus is with you.

And yes, restoring the kingdom to Israel! The disciples asked Jesus about that, right before He ascended. And Jesus didn’t deny it - He said that it was not for them to know the times or seasons - or I might add, the ways and means, the challenges and joys, by which Jesus would do that. They were to go by faith. As do we.

But to go by faith doesn’t mean we go with a weak and uncertain hope! It means we go with confidence and a sure and certain hope. That what Jesus has said, He will do. And what He will do, will be for our good. And so we can face the changes and chances of life in good courage, knowing that we are not alone, and that Jesus is on the throne. From womb to tomb, from death to life, from cross to the right hand of the Father - Jesus is for you. And what He has begun, He will bring to its fulfillment. His ascension is the proof. 

So we do not stand here, gazing up into heaven for our Lord to return. We know that He will. So we go out to where He has put us, to the people He has given us, as Jesus continues His bodily work through our bodily work for others. And when He comes again, bodily, our joy will be complete, as we transition one last and final time, from this life to the next, to that life that has no end.

So until that day, we’ll do as the disciples did . . . as His Body, the Church. They worshiped him, meaning they received His gifts and blessing. They returned to Jerusalem with great joy, so we return to our homes with great joy. And they were continually in the temple blessing God, thanking Him and proclaiming all that He has done, and is still doing. For Christ isn’t gone! Christ is ascended! [He is ascended indeed! Alleluia!] And as Paul said, He is now 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 one to come. [With] all things under his feet . . . 

To rule for you, for us, and for all. Triumphant forever. Therefore to Him be all glory, honor, and worship, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. AMEN

Sermon for the Sixth Sunday of Easter

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Jesu Juva

“What if? No! What IS!”

Text: John 16:23-33; Revelation 21:9-14, 21-27; Acts 16:9-15

 

Alleluia! Christ is risen! [He is risen indeed! Alleluia!] Alleluia.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

I just finished reading a book titled President Hamilton. Now, if you know your history and your presidents, you know there was no President Hamilton! Alexander Hamilton was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr just short of his 50th birthday. But the premise of the book was what if he wasn’t? What if he had survived and instead Burr had been killed? How might history and the story of America turned out differently? 

It was an interesting read. And very optimistic. Probably a bit too optimistic. But that’s how it usually turns out, I think, when we ask that question, what if? And unless you’re a very unique individual, you’ve asked that question, maybe a lot. What if I had done things differently? Better. What if I hadn’t acted that way? What if I had married a different person, taken a different job, made better decisions, was a better father, had taken better care of myself . . . and you can fill in your own what ifs. And usually - again, unless you’re a very unique individual - the answers you imagine are very optimistic. If I had done things differently, I would be happier. My life would have been better. Things would have turned out better. Maybe a LOT better.

But maybe NOT. Truth is, there are a lot of moving parts in this world. So many that answering the what ifs might make for a good read, but is really an impossible task. And it usually doesn’t help. Asking what if, and coming up with an optimistic answer in my mind about how things would be better, only leaves me discontented now, and maybe despairing, and maybe hopeless. Replaying the past ruins and hurts the NOW. It robs us of joy. It robs us of peace. It prevents us from seeing the good we have and the good God is working now. Despite us. And even using our sins and bad decisions to work good for us. Because God can do that. And is doing that. And has promised to do that.

And so Jesus has given us a better way to live. We heard it today. Because, I think, Jesus knew His disciples would do this - play the what if game. After Jesus is arrested, convicted, crucified, and buried . . . Friday night and Saturday . . . those questions would come. What if we had fought? What if I hadn’t denied? What if we hadn’t run away? What if we had prayed and not fallen asleep? What if we had been better disciples? What if . . . ? And there were probably hundreds of those thoughts and questions plaguing their minds and consuming them.

So before all that happens, Jesus tells them: I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

Now, granted, it didn’t look that way! When Joseph and Nicodemus took Jesus’ dead body down from the cross and the Roman authorities sealed His tomb, it looked as if the world had overcome Him. But it really was true. God brought the greatest good out of the rebellion and sin of the world. Rising from the dead, Jesus overcame sin, death, and hell, and brought us life and hope and peace. So that we not dwell on the past and despair in the what ifs, but look to the future with confidence and peace.

So let’s think about what this means, that Jesus has overcome the world - even when it seems as if the world is winning! - and how that can bring you joy and peace.

And the first thing to realize, I think, is that when Jesus says that He has overcome the world, it’s not just the world out there, it’s also - and maybe especially - the world in here [pointing to my heart]. The ways and thinking and beliefs of the world that have settled into my - and your - heart and life. 

Because the world out there is going to do what the world out there is going to do. It’s going to continue to sin and self-destruct. The Bible is clear: the world isn’t progressing and getting better and better. Yes, technology and inventions are advancing and producing marvels and things we cannot imagine. But sin and death, unbelief and misbelief are advancing, too. So in the world, in that world, you will have tribulation, Jesus said. Troubles, when our beliefs and the world’s beliefs clash.

But then what about the world in here [my heart]? The sin in me, the unbelief in me, the doubts and fears in me? This junk in my heart that causes me to wonder: what if? And then my answers that lead me to discontent and despair. 

Well there is a better way. That instead of dwelling on the past and missing the good God is giving and doing NOW . . . instead of asking what if, hear instead how Jesus has overcome the world in here. How He has overcome your past and your sins and mistakes and regrets. And you hear it here every week: I forgive you all your sins. Instead of dwelling on your sins, know that Jesus has taken them to the cross and overcome them. You may hold them against yourself, but why, when Jesus doesn’t! And if Jesus doesn’t, then you don’t have to. And you can have peace, knowing that Jesus has forgiven your past and - just like with the cross - is able to use the things of your past for good now and in the future. That He has overcome the world means that He has overcome the world out there, but also in here. What began with your baptism, when Jesus took you and joined you to Himself in His death and resurrection to a new life, wasn’t just a one time thing, but continues every day. A death and resurrection, a new life for you, every day.

So what are your what ifs? What if . . . I forgive you. But what if . . . I forgive you! But what if . . . I forgive you, my child! You are precious to me. So I died for you. I died for your sin. I died to give you release from your past, and hope and peace and a future. You’re not going to be able to make things better. But I can. And do. And promise to. So take heart; I have overcome the world.

And that confidence, that promise, then leads us entrust all things to Him. In prayer. So, Jesus said, Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. That’s a truly, truly promise! Double certainty. Double confidence. That prayers in Jesus’ name - which doesn’t mean prayers to which we tack on at the end “in Jesus’ name” like some magic words, or prayers that come from our own thoughts and selfishness - but that prayers that arise from the words and promises of God, are done. We can entrust the future to the God who has atoned for, overcome, and forgiven our past, and is working good and blessing us in the present. 

Which is a matter of faith, because what you may see now is a cross and sealed tomb! Tribulation and defeat, with no way out. That might be what you see, what you think. But that - the cross and the tomb - didn’t last, and neither will yours. Jesus rose to give you hope and peace and a future. So take heart, Jesus says. Take heart; I have overcome the world.

So if Jesus has overcome your past and has promised you a future - and what a future we heard today in the reading from Revelation! - then I think He just might be able to take care of your present as well. And along with hope and peace, you might even have joy as well, as you look to Jesus to see how He will bring good out of the mess we’ve made. How He will overcome. How He will rescue. It might not be easy - the cross wasn’t easy! But it will be good. And it will be for you. To give you life.

And it may be in a quite unexpected way, like what we heard in the First Reading, when Paul’s plans were suddenly changed. That was unexpected! And not easy! They had a trek. They had to sail from Troas, stop at the island of Samothrace, go from there to Neapolis, and from there trek overland to Philippi - and why? For Lydia? Who was Lydia? Why should God care about Lydia? For the same reason He cares about you. God opened her heart by His Word and Spirit, just as He did you. She was baptized, just as you are baptized. And Paul and the others stayed with her, just as our Lord stays here with you. And here, feeding you with His Body and Blood, that you may depart in peace. Depart this altar in the peace, depart this church in peace, and ultimately, depart this world in peace. The peace of forgiveness. That no matter what else is happening in the world and in your life, you know that Jesus has overcome the world, and in Him have hope and joy and peace.

So instead of asking what if and dreamily and optimistically looking to how the future might have turned better if only we had been and done things differently, we have a better way. To look to see how the hand of God is working. To look to Jesus and know that because of what He did, we have a grand and glorious future - and not just in the far distant future, but even now. For even now, our Saviour is working His good. And He is! For you. Even now, He is forgiving your past. Even now, He is feeding you and blessing you - in ways you know and in ways you don’t and really, can’t even imagine. But He has. And He is. And He has promised to do so. 

And of this you can be sure. For the empty tomb proclaims that Jesus has overcome the world. That Christ is risen! [He is risen indeed! Alleluia!] And that’s no what if! That’s the truth.

In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sermon for the Fifth Sunday of Easter

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Jesu Juva

“Old Truth, New Life”

Text: John 16:12-22; Acts 11:1-18; Revelation 21:1-7

 

Alleluia! Christ is risen! [He is risen indeed! Alleluia!] Alleluia.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

[Jesus said:] “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.”

Jesus had just spoken so much to them. Their minds must have been drowning with everything He had said. Things like: the world was going to hate them and persecute them. That they would not only be put out of the synagogues, but people would kill them and think that by so doing they were offering service to God. That He was going away. That one of them would betray Him and another would deny Him. He wanted to prepare them for the hours and days and months ahead. But we can only take in so much, so fast. We need time to process, time to think. 

But Jesus had so much more to tell them! Good stuff, too! He wants to tell them everything before the soldiers come, bind Him, and take Him to His death. But He knows they cannot bear it now. It’s too much. 

So, Jesus says, when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

So even though Jesus still has many things to tell His disciples - more things than He has time to speak and they have the capacity to understand - the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit that Jesus is going to send, will continue this teaching work. And, I would say, we heard two examples of this teaching today. But before I get to them, a disclaimer first . . .

And that is to disclaim what these words do NOT mean. Which I must do because sadly, these words of Jesus have been used to cause a lot of mischief, by pastors, churches, and even entire denominations, and not just now, but throughout the centuries, by people who have claimed that the Holy Spirit is giving them new teachings, new doctrines that are not in the Scriptures, and that even contradict the Scriptures. And since they claim a revelation of the Spirit and the authority of the Spirit, you cannot deny it. You must accept what they say.

Except . . . what Jesus said here is that the Spirit isn’t going to contradict the Scriptures, for He’s not going to speak on His own authority, different than what Jesus has said before. What He hears He will speak. What the Father has said, what the Son has said, is what they Spirit will say. And if anyone claims differently, then what was revealed to them may indeed have come from a spirit, but not the Holy one! The Holy Spirit’s job is not a new truth, but to guide them into all the truth - the truth that the one who IS the Truth has spoken. He will take from that and declare it to them. So if you hear someone claim a new revelation, and especially one that contradicts the Scriptures, run very quickly in the other direction!

So that’s what these words do NOT mean. But what do they mean? What are good, right, and salutary examples of this?

Well, as I said, I think we heard two examples of this today. The first was in the First Reading, from the book of Acts, with Peter’s vision. He needed to be taught, to be reminded, that Jesus had come for all people, Jews and Gentiles alike. This was not a new teaching. If you look, for example, in Romans chapter 15, you’ll find there how Paul strings together a bunch of citations from the Old Testament about this very thing. But there was a lot of pressure on the early church, about how to have a church made up of a mix of Jews and Gentiles, and Peter needed the Spirit to teach, remind, and assure him of this truth. Not a new truth, but an old one that was coming to pass.

And then we heard in the Second Reading, the book of the Spirit’s revelation to St. John (Revelation 1:10), of a new heavens and a new earth. And again, this is not a new teaching - we hear of this also in the prophet Isaiah. But a Church that is now going out into all the world, that is going to face the great opposition of the dragon and the beast, that is going to be tempted to compromise with the world for its own safety and promotion, needs to be taught and reminded that what we have here and now is not all there is. That this is all passing away. For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). And just as sin brought death to men and women, so sin has brought death to the world. Our world IS dying, and we can stop it as little as we can stop our own deaths. And as the story unfolds in the book of Revelation, things may look petty bleak. 

Except . . . in this battle of a Lamb against a Dragon and a Beast, an unexpected thing happens: the Lamb wins. For this Lamb is not just A Lamb, but THE Lamb - the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). And in taking away the sin of the world, takes away the death of the world, shown in His own resurrection from the dead and victory over the grave which we continue to celebrate this Easter season. Therefore, there is a resurrection - not just for Him, the Lamb, but for you and me, and for all of creation. A resurrection begun in Baptism, when we receive a new life, and completed on the Last Day with a new heavens and a new earth for new you, when, as we heard Jesus say today, He makes ALL things new.

This is a teaching not just the Church in John’s day, but we in our day, need the Spirit to teach us and remind us and assure us of. Because now, as then, things don’t look so good for the Church, with heresy, compromise, worldliness, and sadly, for many, irrelevance. But what we need is not new teachings, to spice things up or in a vain attempt to become relevant, but a return to old teachings, to the truth once taught, never changing, and always relevant. To the hope we have in Jesus. That the Lamb wins! That Christ is risen! [He is risen indeed! Alleluia!]

And so as we heard Jesus say today, He is going away, He is going to the Father. The disciples (and I would say, the Church) will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. There will be sorrow, but our sorrow will turn into joy! And the example John uses there is of a woman giving birth, which ever since the fall into sin has been difficult. Her labor can be long and painful. But when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.

The sorrow and anguish and difficulty is what we are now in. Churches face persecution from terroristic acts or lawsuits. Christians face persecution to shut-up, compromise, and go along, or face losing your job and livelihood. The Church is mocked for what she holds dear and hated for what she teaches by a world that loves its sin and thinks it knows best. And while, at times, things may improve and the hatred and persecution lessen, do not be deceived. It will return. And maybe even worse than before. 

But after the sorrow is joy! The joy of Easter. The joy of resurrection. A new heavens and a new earth. No more tears. No more death. No more mourning or crying or pain. Only new. And always new. Maybe that’s the most amazing thing of all. For new we know. A new phone, or a new car - they’re so nice! But they don’t stay new, and these days get old pretty quickly. But how ‘bout a new heavens and a new earth that are always new and never old? That’s what John is trying to describe. But how do you describe the indescribable? That’s one of the things Dr. Beckwith was teaching us a couple weeks ago. You have to start with what we know, namely, this world of sin and death, and then say: not that! All new. Only new. And always new. That’s what waiting for us in Jesus and His resurrection.

And, Johns says, this new city, new Jerusalem, is so beautiful, like a bride adorned for her husband. So the lengths a woman goes to to look perfect on her wedding day - which these days includes just the right hair and make-up and nails and dress and shoes and probably a hundred more things that I, as a guy, don’t even think of! - even more than that is what Jesus has done to make His Church His beautiful bride. 

And not only is this possible . . . did you hear the good news today? Write this down, John is told, for these things are trustworthy and true. And then, He said, It is done! Completed. Finished. There is nothing in doubt here. As surely as the beginning, when God spoke and it was so, so is the end, when our Lord returns. And He will speak, and it will be so. He will speak resurrection and life, and it will be so. Forever.

That is our future, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, and it is not in any way in doubt. But it is not yet. There is sorrow now, hardship now, pain now, for there is sin now. But looking to the future, this sure and certain future, enables us to live new even now. Which means when the sorrow, hardship, and pain is caused by us and our sin, we repent. When the sorrow, hardship, and pain is caused by another’s sin, we forgive. And when it all seems too much for us to endure and go on (which it often does! right?), we come here, to be fed and nourished by our Lord and His Body and Blood. And for the Spirit to continue to teach and remind and assure us of the truth - the one and only truth - and all the promises of God fulfilled for us in Jesus. They are trustworthy and true, for His tomb is empty. 

So we prayed today, in the Collect of the Day, that among the many changes of this world our hearts may be fixed where true joys are found. That’s the work of the Spirit among us today. Fixing us in the Truth. Fixing us where true joys are found, which is in Jesus. Even in the midst of an ever-changing and dying world. Even in the midst of persecution and hatred. For it is done! Christ is risen! [He is risen indeed! Alleluia!] And so the victory, and life, is ours.

In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.