Easter VII/Ascension Sunday
May 12, 2002
The Rev. Dr. David M. Wendel
Lessons: Acts 1:6-14; I Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11; St. John 17:1-11
Is the account detailed in our first lesson, not strange? It’s St. Luke’s description of Jesus’ ascension—His otherworldly, supernatural departure from earth, after His death and resurrection. And I can’t think of any words to better describe His ascension than, otherworldly, supernatural. The passage begins with the apostles being uncertain about where their lives and Jesus’ ministry would go from there. They ask Jesus, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” Now that He was raised; now that death was not the end for Him; now that the tomb couldn’t hold Him, it seemed logical that now, something big would happen. Wouldn’t this be a good time for Jesus to march into Jerusalem, boot out the Romans, kick Herod off the throne, and assume His rightful place as King David’s heir, come to restore the Davidic kingdom? That’s what the disciples had expected of Jesus all along. Their hopes were dashed, when Jesus was crucified. But surely, His resurrection meant that finally, it would happen. That finally, Jesus would restore the kingdom of Israel and rule as God’s Messiah. That’s what the apostles expected, now that Jesus was back—and appeared to be, truly, invincible! Strangely enough, however, that’s not what was going to happen. Because, just as Jesus had told them time and time again, He was not here in the first place, to assume an earthly throne. And He was not resurrected for that reason, either. Jesus never wanted, nor lived, for earthly power and glory. He came to change hearts and lives. He came to restore, not an earthly kingdom, but a relationship, between God and humanity. And His bodily resurrection was only a means to an end—God’s end, that alive again, Jesus could be present in the lives of all disciples, everywhere, to bring His life-transforming presence to all people, everywhere. But to do that, He needed to free Himself from time and space. To do that, He needed to ascend to heaven, so that He would no longer be only in Jerusalem, but by the power of the Holy Spirit, He could be anywhere, and everywhere, at once. That’s why Jesus tells the apostles that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon them, and then, blessed by the Spirit’s power to bring Jesus to all believers, they were to be His witnesses, in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, to be sure, but then, they were to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth! That, was God’s plan, for Jesus and His disciples. That is why God raised Jesus from the dead. And finally, that’s why Jesus ascended. He ascended to the right hand of God, so that by the power of the Spirit, He could descend to be wherever two or three are gathered in His name—to fill the world with His presence, to be with us always, even to the close of the age—so that we could be witnesses to His presence, in the world, and in our lives. So, when he had said this to the apostles, as they were watching, Jesus was lifted up, lifted up into the sky, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. And what happened next is what is doubly strange.
While Jesus was going up, up and away,
two angels in white robes appeared, and they asked the disciples, “Men of
Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven?” Which is strange, because, hey, they’d just seen Jesus, raise up
from the ground, float through the air, and disappear into the clouds! That’s why they were standing, looking up
toward the sky! And you’d think two
angels would realize that it’s only natural to stand and watch Jesus go. It’s also strange, because the angels are
right in asking the disciples, “Why are you standing around, watching the
sky?!” The angels are justified,
because you’d think given what Jesus had just said, the disciples would be
hurrying off to get to work! He told
them that they’d be receiving the Holy Spirit;
He told them they would receive power to embark on an exciting,
world-wide mission; He told them they
were to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth—and here they stand, looking
up like they’re going to stand right there until Jesus comes again. The whole Ascension event is filled with
strange happenings and odd responses.
But what is not strange, or odd, is that the same thing continues to
happen today. Disciples continue to
think that all we have to do is stand and wait for Jesus to return. Believers still get pre-occupied with
thinking about what it will be like when Jesus comes again. Christians still sit in worship,
figuratively watching heaven. And the
angels in our reading are still asking us, “Why do you stand looking up toward
heaven? Did you not hear what Jesus
said—get busy!”
The fact is, we have no reason to stand and watch and
wait. The Spirit has come, and we have
received power from on high—the power of Jesus’ presence in us and with us. Now, it is for us to be His witnesses. Now, it is for us to be busy with the work
of the kingdom of God. To be busy, like
those first disciples, in prayer, constantly.
To be busy, as Saint Paul instructs us, humbling ourselves under the mighty
hand of God, casting our anxieties on Him.
We are to be busy disciplining ourselves, keeping alert against the
devil, remaining steadfast in faith. We
are to keep Jesus’ word, being one, as the Father and the Son are one, so that
the world may know, and believe in Jesus, the crucified and risen one. Jesus has made this, our mission, abundantly
clear, and now, it is for us to commit ourselves to being His witnesses. It is not our mission to stand around
looking up at heaven. It is not our
mission to gaze skyward, idly waiting for Jesus to return. It is really not even our mission to get
caught up trying to calculate when Jesus will return, and how it will
happen. It is for us, to be His
witnesses, in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. It is for us, for you and me, to be His
witnesses, in Colorado Springs, and in Monument, and in Denver, and wherever we
find ourselves. It is for us, for you
and me, to be His witnesses, at church, but also, at home, and in our
neighborhoods, and in the places where we work. Jesus says, to us, to you and to me, “You received power when the
Holy Spirit came upon you. And you,
will be my witnesses—to the ends of the earth.” And the angels ask us, “Why are you standing around?” Which is not all that different from what
the assisting ministers say to us at the end of the liturgy each Sunday, when
they say, “Go in peace, serve the Lord!”
It’s all means the same thing, basically. That though we come here to be in the presence of our risen, ascended
Lord, we’re not supposed to just stay here, indefinitely…having been nourished
with Word and Sacrament, we are to go—to serve—to be witnesses, even to the
ends of the earth…or at least, across the street and in our own homes and
neighborhoods. And the good news is,
when we go, Jesus goes with us. In
every situation, with every person, whenever we have the opportunity to witness
to Jesus’ presence in our lives, He’s there with us—to strengthen us, to
encourage us, to make us bold, to be able to say, simply, “Jesus lives—and is
with us, even now!” That’s all it takes
for us to be His witnesses. So, when
the service is over, don’t hesitate—don’t stand, looking up at the sky—but, go
in peace, serve the Lord! Amen.