|
 St. Luke 24:51 - Ascension 2009
St. Mark Lutheran Church - May 20, 2009
Listen Here
In the name of Jesus, our risen and ascended Lord. Amen. You say it every day, “I believe in Jesus Christ, who ascended into heaven and sits on the right hand of God.”
It’s not just words. Not just some sentence or fact. You know, like.. The grass is green. Texas has hot summers. LSU won two national championships in the last five years. And oh and.. Jesus ascended to heaven.
The Ascension is so much more! Dr. Luther reminds us that we must consider Jesus’ ascension and His Lordship as something that is “active, energetic, and continuous.”
We must not imagine that Jesus sits up in heaven and does His own thing while we do our thing here on earth.
No, that’s not Jesus’ way. He does what He does for you. He did what He did before He was crucified for your salvation. He does what does now for the same reason.
He ascends to spread of the Gospel to Jerusalem, all of Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. So that you and me, who know that Texas summers are hot would hear the Gospel - hear Jesus’ apostles preaching repentance unto the forgiveness of sins.
But more than that... Jesus ascended to the right hand of all majesty and power so that He could be more for you than He could be before - even after the resurrection.
So, that He could be wherever His gifts are - His Gospel, His Absolution, His Baptism, His Body and Blood.
To give you everything by delivering to you eternal life - real life, heaven, right were you live, right now.
Energetic. Active. Today. Right now. In everything you do. With everything you say. Jesus is at the right hand of God.
For you. Giving you eternal life - yesterday, tomorrow, especially right now.
From the near miss on the highway, to the accident which happens two cars in front of you and doesn’t involve you, to the sickness that you don’t get, to the sickness that you do get. Life is full of inches, moments, opportunities that happen or don’t happen for you. Jesus at the right hand of God is working all of them out for your good.
Everything - He’s doing everything for your good. He takes your evil and makes it good. He takes your losses and turns them into wins - things which bring you closer to Him. The win may not be a win here and now, but in the end faith believe that the loss will bring you to a deeper and richer understanding of His love for you.
And nothing escapes Him, He doesn’t miss any details. How could He? He’s at the right hand of the majesty of Almighty God!
But my sins... If nothing escapes him what about my sins?
Well, He sees them too. The biggest of your sins is thinking and living as if He didn’t ascend to heaven, as if He isn’t at the right hand of God.
So you live like He isn’t there - thinking that you have to defend yourself before Almighty God. Thinking you have to convince God by what you do and don’t do, that you are worth saving.
But, you know you aren’t worth saving. Cause you know what you’ve done and haven’t done. You know and it scares you that He knows too.
Which is the best reason to have Jesus at the right of God. There He stands for us, our advocate, defender, our shield.
I used to think that the best metaphor of Jesus being at God’s right hand was that of a lawyer defending us in a courtroom. Jesus speaking up for us, defending us.
But, that falls short because the judge in a court room isn’t out to kill you. God is burning mad at what we’ve done and how we’ve done it. The Law says that... He’s ready to pounce on you like a wild animal and do you in.. And what’s worse, you deserve it!
Jesus shields us. He blocks the anger of God. He points God over and over again to what He pointed the disciples to: His hands and His side.
I paid for them, Father. I paid the price for that sin. You can’t punish that sin, I answered for it. Judge them by what I did, not what they do.
That’s active. That’s always going on. That’s on going. That’s energetic. That’s Jesus at the right hand of God.
And He’s not gone away. He’s not blown out like a candle. He is with us where His gifts are - where the Word is being preached, Jesus is there delivering His gifts.
Where He gives you His Body and Blood, Jesus is present, bringing the right hand of God to you. He’s here tonight, bringing heaven to you and putting it into your mouth.
And at your baptism... You’ll see that light again. Paschal candles are extinguished on Ascension Day, but they return throughout the year. They come back and are used again to light the candles given to the little ones at baptism!
Where Baptisms, there the symbol of His resurrection. We died with Him, we rose with Him. We will ascend with Him. That’s true of you. That’s true of all who are baptized into Christ. And thus, out will come the Paschal Candle whenever we have a baptism as a gentle reminder that Jesus is with us.
You see, He’s not gone, not really. He’s where His gifts are - especially Holy Baptism.
Alleluia! Jesus has ascended to the right hand of God. Not just words or facts, but alive and full of salvation.
Where He is, we shall be. Where He is, we are already there by faith. We are just working it out now waiting for the consummation.
But, you don’t have to wait for the consummation, because today He brings that the right hand of God to you at His Supper. He comes to you. He is with you in His gifts.
And what He does there at the right hand of God is for our good. What He gives, He gives today - right now, where we are, in this place, where it is hot in the Summer.
A blessed Ascension Day to you as you celebrate what you confess every day - “I believe that Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God.”
In the name of Jesus, our risen and ascended Lord. Amen.
|
