Christ is risen!
It’s
now 40 days after the Resurrection of the Lord.
He’s spent these 40 post-Easter days showing proofs of His resurrection
to those whom He chose. He has eaten
boiled fish for breakfast. He’s allowed
a doubter to place his hand into His pierced side. He’s wandered down the road to Emmaus with
some disheartened disciples.
It’s
40 days after Easter and the last thing that He has to do, having completed the
work of salvation on the cross, having been raised from the dead sealing your
justification before God, having shown the battle scars to the witnesses of His
resurrection, He now gives the disciples a mandate, a charge, a duty. He sends them to go out to proclaim the very
first sermon that we heard Jesus preach in the Gospel of Matthew, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should
suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and
forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning
from Jerusalem…” “That repentance and
forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name,” Jesus says.
So,
there you have it: what the apostles are sent out to do. There you have it: the Church’s duty. There you have it: the kingdom of heaven on
earth when a sinner repents of his sin and trusts that the Lord has put them
away.
Repentance.
That’s what Jesus tells His disciples turned apostles – sent ones – to
go out and do. Call sinners to
repentance. Calling you and me and the
world to confess that we’re sinners. Big
time sinners. Sinners who aren’t even
worthy to stoop down and untie our Lord’s sandals. Sinners who hear the Law of God and shrug it
off to follow our own wants and desires.
The Lord says, “Do this.” “Love
God with all your heart, soul, and mind.
Love your neighbors. Love your
enemies. Go to church and receive my
gifts. Honor your father and your
mother.” God says “do” and you don’t do
it, it’s never done. The Lord says,
“Don’t do this.” “Don’t commit
adultery. Don’t have any other gods but
Me. Don’t tell lies about your neighbor
or gossip about him. Don’t hurt his
reputation.” And you know what? That’s exactly what we do. The things that God has commanded us to do we
don’t do and the things that He forbids, those are exactly the things we
do. Repent.
We’re
helpless sinners, who can do nothing but stand shoulder to shoulder with people
like King David and repent. Confess your
sins. “I have sinned against the
Lord. I, a poor miserable sinner,
deserve nothing but death and hell; His temporal and eternal punishment.”
But
our repentance isn’t in despair. Because
the Lord has another Word, a greater Word.
Jesus sends these apostles out to call sinners to repentance but He also
sends them out with a Word of forgiveness for those sinners who repent. We repent, but Christian repentance has two
parts: first we confess our sins, lay them before God; those sins we know and
even those sins which we’re not even aware.
But the second part of Christian repentance is hearing those words of
forgiveness, that, like King David, we hear those beautiful words, “The Lord
has put away your sins. You will not die
because of them.” Law and Gospel. Confession and absolution. Repentance and faith. That’s what the Church is all about; because
the Church forgiving the sins of repentant sinners, that’s how our crucified,
risen, and ascended Lord reigns among us.
In His Word, in His Supper, at the font, the Lord is closer to you than
He was to the apostles there at Bethany.
That’s
why Jesus ascended. So that He would be
with you, there forgiving through His Word of gospel, through His body and
blood there on the altar, through the cleansing and forgiving waters of baptism.
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, truly, 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. Not the time of ignoring but hearing. 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 in
Cavalier, in St. Thomas, in Langdon, in Grafton, Grand Forks, in Germany, in
Russia, and present with His Church throughout the world. You’re His!
Jesus is with you always to the end of the age forgiving repentant
sinners like you, bringing to you His most splendid gifts that He so loves to
give to sinners!
Jesus
sends the apostles out with this message: call sinners to repentance and
forgive their sins. Your sins are
forgiven. The Lord has taken those
things that He’s commanded that we do, yet have failed to give them a thought
upon Himself. The Lord has taken those
things which you’ve done, the sins you’ve commit against God and paid for
them. In full. The work of salvation is complete and His
salvation Jesus still speaks into your ears, is placed on your tongue, and
poured over your heads. Everything needed to accomplish your salvation has been
completed in the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. For you.
Jesus has not 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, and trust that
because of Jesus’ cross 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 to sinners like you and me. .
Amen.
