The Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord

(Audio)

Mark 16:14-20; Acts 1:1-11; 2 Kings 2:5-15

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Today is the fortieth day of Easter, the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord. Sadly, Ascension is a day in the church year that doesn’t get a lot of attention, most likely because Ascension will never have the good fortune of falling on a Sunday. It always falls on a Thursday. It’s just math, the way the calendar works. As a result, many Christians don’t really know or understand what the Ascension is all about, what its significance is. Therefore, it is meet, right, and salutary that we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord on its proper day and seek to discover what it means that Jesus ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

First most, the Ascension should not be understood as the departure of our Lord, as if our Lord is gone from us and is in another place. The Ascension must not be understood as a spatial event, where Jesus is simply traveling from one location to another. Years ago, an atheist Russian cosmonaut who was orbiting the earth said, “I don’t see Jesus up here anywhere. God must not exist.” We know, however, that heaven is not simply a spatial location above the stratosphere, but heaven is that unseen realm where God is, an eternal and infinite realm that is not limited to space or time.

We know from the Scriptures that God is present everywhere and at all times, and, therefore, so is His right hand present everywhere and at all times. So, when we confess that Jesus ascended bodily to the right hand of the Father as true God and true man, we are not saying that He has left us, but rather that He has entered into the unseen glory of His heavenly Father and is no longer visible to our eyes. So it is that St. Paul writes in Ephesians, Jesus “ascended far above all the heavens that He might fill all things” in heaven and on earth. The Ascension of Our Lord, then, emphasizes not Jesus’ absence, but rather His presence, His presence especially for the Church and in the Church.

Jesus ascended to be with us always. And don’t gloss over the fact that Jesus ascended in the flesh. For that’s the key thing here. It’s not just that Jesus fills all things as true God. He also fills all things as true man. Jesus is present, not just spiritually, but bodily as well. So, if you want to come into the presence of Christ, you must seek Him according to His human nature, in those concrete places where He makes Himself tangibly present for you. Although you can’t see Christ, you can hear Him whenever His Word is preached and taught in its truth and purity. Although you can’t behold Christ visibly, you can come into contact with Him wherever His Sacraments are rightly administered. It is through these real, physical, visible means that the hidden Jesus is perceived and grasped by the faithful.

So, the question that must be asked is, “Do we properly recognize this reality of Christ’s presence? Especially when we’re gathered for the Divine Service, do our actions confess this truth of our faith?” Very often the answer is “No.” When a person comes into the real presence of the King of kings and the Lord of lords, clearly the appropriate attitude would be one of reverence and holy awe. And yet people often come into church without bowing to the altar of the Lord or honoring Him in any way. They plop down in the pew with no sense of humility for where they are and even begin to carry on conversations as if they were at a social gathering or a party.

And many services themselves are conducted as if Christ is not really here, but away in heaven somewhere while we’re doing our own things down here on earth. Why else would it be that the sacred liturgy of Christ would be treated so indifferently, sometimes being discarded altogether in favor of services that focus not on what Christ is doing for us but on what we are doing for Him? Why else would it be that the real proclamation of Christ’s living words is sometimes replaced with so-called “drama ministry,” which by definition is pretend and not the real voice of Christ? Why else would it be that churches so readily accept this kind of “spiritual” entertainment and musical performing that is more fitting for a theater than for a house of the living God? It’s even gotten to the point where clowns are being used in worship; there are blues services and rap liturgies! Tell me, is that how people conduct themselves when they truly believe they’re in the presence of royalty, standing before the very King of creation?

Ultimately all of this betrays our unbelief in the truth of the Ascension, our disregard for the real presence of Christ in His preaching and in His Supper. Therefore, let us repent of our lack of faith. And let us learn again of the marvelously comforting reality of the Ascension, a reality that is still in effect for us today. For, just as the watery cloud received Jesus, so also Jesus is truly present in the waters of Holy Baptism to cleanse you by His Spirit and make you a child of God. Just as the two men in white spoke the words of God to the disciples as they looked up, so also ministers are sent by the Lord precisely for the purpose of being His mouth and His voice, to speak the Gospel of forgiveness right into your ears in His stead and by His command. And just as it was the body of Christ that ascended, so also does He give His very Body and Blood into your mouth in, with, and under the bread and wine, that you may be partakers of His life. Christ Jesus, who fills all things, is literally present in the flesh in His Church to fill you with His mercy.

The risen Lord comes to you in this way in order that you might share with Him in His Ascension and in His divine majesty. In fact, Jesus took on your human nature in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary precisely so that you would be raised with Him from the depths of sin and death to the heights of the life and glory of God.

And your ascension with Christ is not just a future thing; it’s a present reality. Just as Jesus is with us on earth, so also we are with Him in heaven even now. After all, do not the Scriptures say that the Church is the body of Christ? Is not the Body of Christ at the right hand of the Father? Therefore, you are at the right hand of the Father. Heaven is already yours in Christ.

Ephesians Chapter 2 says, “Even when we were dead in trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ… and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Is that not an awesome truth? You’re already there, because Jesus is already there, and you are in Him. Colossians Chapter 3 puts it this way: “Your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Your very existence, your eternal well-being is kept secure in the ascended Jesus.

I know of nothing that can make you more certain of your salvation than this. When you begin to waver in your Christian hope, when Satan tempts you to doubt whether or not you’re truly saved, remember Christ’s Ascension; Remember that you are a member of Christ’s Body. And He is at the right hand of God as the victorious Ruler of all; nothing can conquer this Conqueror, this Redeemer of yours. It is as Romans Chapter 8 puts it:

“[Nothing] in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. Therefore, He is truly able to work all things together for the good of those who love Him, for you who have been called according to His purpose. Even in the midst of the ups and downs of your life, the Lord, who has begun His good work in you, will bring it to completion in the Day of His return.

So then, brothers and sisters of Christ, take comfort in the Ascension of our Lord. Know that He is Lord over all things for the sake of the Church. Believe that He is with you always by His words and His Sacraments. And have confidence that just as Christ shares fully in your humanity, so also in Him you share forever in the life of God Himself.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.