Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
Today
we celebrate the Ascension of Our Lord, which is actually this Thursday. It’s sort of a forgotten holiday; it’s not on
the radar of most people. When I watched
T.V. this week, I didn’t see any Ascension Day sales. I, admittedly, haven’t looked at the paper
yet this morning, but I’d be willing to bet that there are no ads enticing
shoppers to flock to the stores to take advantage of the Ascension Day
bargains. There were no Ascension Day
gifts waiting for me this morning. Not
even a “Happy Ascension Day” Card. I
don’t know about you, but we haven’t planned an Ascension Day meal with all the
trimmings.
It
seems like a bit of a strange Feast Day of the Church. I mean, don’t we normally celebrate Jesus’
coming to us? Think of all the high and
holy days of the church year. The
Annunciation and Christmas, Jesus comes to us in human flesh. Palm Sunday, Jesus comes to us lowly and on a
donkey. Good Friday, Jesus is crucified
for us and for our salvation. Easter,
Jesus comes from the tomb risen from the dead.
Pentecost, the Spirit comes to the disciples. I could go on with many more examples. But today, it seems that we celebrate Jesus’
leaving. So here’s the question, “Where’s Jesus?”
The
Scriptures say that Jesus physically and bodily ascended into heaven, we
confess this in our Creed. So if Jesus
is at the right hand of the Father, how can He be with us until the end of the
age, as He said in Matthew 28? Is He
stuck there? If Jesus is in heaven, is
He confined there, after all, how can a body be in more than one place at a
time? At the altar, are we just
remembering an absent Jesus or is Jesus really there? Jesus has ascended into heaven, so is He
stuck there, or is He present with us?
Or
is Jesus with us until the end of the age.
Jesus says that wherever two or there are gathered in His Name, there He
is in the midst of them. So, is Jesus in heaven at the right hand of
the Father or is He present with His Church?
And the answer to these questions is, Yes, He is both at the right hand
of the Father, and here with you.
When
Jesus rises from the dead, His resurrection is
spiritual, physical, and bodily.
And after His resurrection, He spends 40 days giving to witnesses proof
that He has been raised from the dead, soul and body. “Put out your finger, Thomas, and place it
into my side. Do not disbelieve but
believe.” Jesus ate fish in front of the
disciples, Jesus is no ghost, but raised from the dead. When Jesus ascends into heaven, the whole
Jesus ascends into the presence of the Father.
Jesus, as God’s Word teaches us, is at the right hand of the Father - the
whole Jesus- the God-Man, soul and body.
So,
is this the location where he’s stuck? A
body can’t be in more than one place, everyone knows that. But, no, He’s not stuck up there. If you say that someone is your “right hand
man” does that mean that he’s stuck at your right hand and can’t be anywhere
else but your right hand? That wherever
you go, he can only be there at your right side? No, of course not. It means he holds a position of authority
that whatever he says it’s as if you’re saying it. Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father
with all His authority, authority over heaven and earth. Yet, He’s still here present here with you,
with His Church. He’s omnipresent,
present everywhere. Does that mean that
you can chew on a stick and receive Jesus?
No, because there are certain places where He has promised to be for
you, where He’s there forgiving your sins, strengthening your faith, bringing
you the balm and comfort of His Gospel, giving you Himself.
In
His Word, Jesus is there, forgiving sins.
Wherever two or three are gathered in His Name, proclaiming His cross
for the forgiveness of your sins, there He is, doing exactly what He said He
would do: forgive sins. At the altar,
under bread and wine, He’s there for you. He Himself said, “Take eat, this is my body
given for you.” “Take drink, this is my
blood shed for you.” The Ascension of
our Lord is testimony that Jesus is who He said He is and that He is with His
church, really, physically, bodily.
Though our eyes only see a sinful man proclaiming mere words, and bread
and wine don’t seem like much, but now isn’t the time of seeing, but
believing. Hear with your ears, because
Jesus has died for you, taking upon Himself all of your sins. You are forgiven. See with your eyes of faith, because though
you only see bread and wine, Jesus has promised to come to you with His body
and blood and commune with you.
That’s
why Jesus ascends into heaven, so that He wouldn’t be bound but could be here
at Our Savior/St. Paul, and also in Cavalier/St. Thomas, in Grafton, Langdon,
Grand Forks, in Haiti, in Kenya, and present with His Church throughout the
world. You’re His! Jesus is with you always to the end of the
age, bringing to you His most splendid gifts.
Though
Ascension Day, to the world goes unnoticed, for you, it’s a great and wonderful
day. Jesus reigns among you in His Word,
which attaches itself to bread, wine, and water. That all the things that Jesus did for you on
the cross, winning for you forgiveness, eternal life, and salvation are brought
to you here and now. Jesus is with you
exactly where He has promised to be.
Jesus is physically with
you. In just few minutes He’ll reach out to you with His hands and bestow His Body and Blood in the Sacrament.
And there He is to bless: “given
and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins.”
Listen. His words give exactly what they say.
Jesus hasn’t abandoned
you. He never really left. And He’s seeing to it that through His
church there is preaching done in His Name so that you repent and believe that
you are forgiven. In His Word and Sacraments the crucified and risen
Jesus reigns among us sinners. Reigning with His word of forgiveness that
gives life and salvation, which He bestows and gives to you. Amen.
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep
your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.
