Ascension Sunday

Summary

This past Thursday Norway had the day off.  Thankfully it was a beautiful day too.  We went for a long walk along the water, and all around us were individuals, families, and groups of friends lying upon the grass, grilling, fishing, and simply enjoying the day, as did we.

I had to remind myself though, why it was that I had the time to enjoy the day.  Why we all had the time to enjoy the day.  It was because it was Ascension Day, Kristi Himmelfartsdag, in Norwegian.

Most people probably did not take a second thought concerning the meaning of the day, but some of us did, I thought about it.  Of course I have been thinking about Jesus’ ascension a lot, because of course I am preaching upon it today, right now!

So, what was Jesus’ ascension all about?  Why did he leave his disciples, his followers, and all of those whom loved him and so soon  after his resurrection at that?

Well, I think three words, three different words sum up the reasons why.  The first is, ‘mission,’  the second is ‘time,’ and the third is, ‘presence.’

So, what do I mean.  Let me explain.

Jesus gives his disciples a mission.  He mentions it in today’s scripture in both the Luke portion of the text as well as in the verses from Acts.  The mission is proclamation of the Good News of forgiveness and new life in Jesus.

The disciples have been following Jesus for three years.  They have listened to him preach, and they have sat at his feet listening to him teach.  In other words they have had three years of learning, in which they have been educated and trained to go and proclaim the gospel, the good news to the world.  This mission will require that they use all that he has taught them over their years together, to accomplish the mission.  It is the mission of which he speaks in the Acts portion of today’s gospel reading, when he says, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Yet, how could they get on with their mission while Jesus was still around?  After losing him upon the cross, and all of the grief and hurt that that caused, none of them would willingly leave him again.  He was their master.  So, in order for them to begin to live out the mission that he gave to them, Jesus needed to leave.  The disciples needed to be free to go.  They could not always be desiring to follow Jesus along the road and to be sitting at his feet.  They needed to go and find their own voices, they needed to be able to mature and become the people he had called them to be.  That wasn’t happening with Jesus around, so he needed to take his leave.

The second word that I named was, ‘time.’  Jesus needed to leave not only that the disciples might receive the Holy Spirit and so go and make disciples, but also that he might ascend to his proper place, as King.  For Jesus is king, the king beyond time, and beyond place, above all rulers, as Paul wrote to the Ephesians in today’s scripture.  You see, when the disciples ask Jesus in Acts if he is about to re-establish the kingdom, they’re not speaking of God’s kingdom, or the Kingdom of Heaven, but rather, the Kingdom of Israel in their time and place.

So we see, that even at the moment of Jesus’ ascension to heaven, his disciples were still waiting for Jesus to become an earthly, time-bound Messiah.  They were still expecting, or at least hoping that Jesus would overthrow the Romans and re-establish Jewish rule.  Do you see?  Jesus had to go.  For until he did, the disciples would never be able to come the full awareness of what Jesus had done, and was doing, not only for them, but for the world.

Jesus had not come simply to free the Jews of first century Palestine from Roman oppression, no, he had come for all people, of every age in time.

As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “God 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, 21 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 age to come. 22 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

Jesus our Lord and King, was not, and is not bound by time, nor place, nor culture, nor language, nor politics, nor theology, nor any earthly or human force.  To simply put it, Jesus transcends all of those earthly and human limitations.

Isn’t that great?  It is why Jesus needed to ascend to Heaven…so that we might believe also.  For, Jesus came for you and me in our time too.

Now we come to the third word, ‘presence.’

Though Paul had never known Jesus on earth, he had met him, and in a very powerful way as we know, on the road to Damascus.  So, Paul understood intimately that because Jesus ascended to heaven, he had transcended our earthly limitations, and so, through the Spirit, was, and is still present with his disciples, and with his church.  Jesus knew that his church would need his guidance, and his active participation in their lives, through the ages and that could only be possible if his presence was spiritual rather than earthly.  So, again, to make this possible Jesus took his leave, ascending to heaven, to rule as King through all time and space, the Kingdom of Heaven that exists not only in heaven, but in our hearts here on earth as well.

We can be thankful then, of Jesus’ ascension, for in this act he prepared the way for the Holy Spirit’s arrival ten days later, and the spread of the good news across the globe, through time, and into our hearts by his presence in us.

In conclusion, I want to pray with Paul, the prayer he prayed in his letter for the Christians in Ephesus, but in our time and in this place, I want to pray it for you.

“17 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, 18 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, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.”  Amen.

Remember, and live in the reality of Jesus’ presence with you at all times, as you live out your mission of proclaiming the good news of Jesus’ forgiveness and love to the world.

Amen.

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