“The Ascension Difference”
Pastor Walther
Ephesians 1:15-23
Sermon Prayer (Psalm 62), “Lord, my soul finds rest in you alone, my salvation comes from you; you alone are my rock and my salvation, my fortress which will not be shaken…” Amen. Dear friends in Christ,
Today we are celebrating that Jesus ascended into heaven 40 days after rising from the dead. It sounds pretty important! We’d probably all agree this is a significant event…. But WHY? Sure, Jesus is in heaven, that’s great! What DIFFERENCE does his ASCENSION really make for our lives here on this earth?
You know, it’s interesting that Ascension always used to be celebrated with a special Thursday night service, 40 days after Easter – separate from the regular Sunday service, which would have a different focus. And these days we’re still willing to go to extra midweek services during special seasons. But like us, most churches don’t really have a dedicated Ascension service. And that OK, we don’t have to worship on any particular day, Christ has given us that freedom!… Yet, if we’re honest, we might admit this has happened because Ascension feels like a lesser holiday. Lesser, certainly, than those great celebration like Christmas or Easter… probably even less significant than something like Pentecost, which we’ll hear about next week when the Holy Spirit came upon the church… perhaps even less significant than something like “Good Shepherd Sunday” a few weeks ago. After all, that’s practical, we can relate as we think about our needs here on earth and how Jesus meets them… But on the other hand, how can we relate to Jesus going to heaven?
What’s not OK is if we’ve lost the striking DIFFERENCE Christ’s ASCENSION makes for our lives. That’s the blessing of our sermon text today from EPHESIANS. Paul wrote these words while he was in prison in Rome, awaiting trial for testifying about Jesus. And yet, what’s remarkable about these words is that they contain a joyful (almost hymn-like) tone… WHY? It’s because Paul saw that Jesus’ ASCENSION had made that kind of DIFFERENCE for his life.
We see that in a number of ways in our sermon text, which focuses on Christ’s ASCENSION… and notice that this is something Paul wants his READERS (US!) to experience as well. It’s why in verses 17-18 Paul prays for US, that we would understand what our Savior has done more fully. That’s no easy task. As Paul describes Jesus’ power in verse 19, he uses words that contain the idea that all of this is beyond our ability to measure it. To put it in another way: Paul says that God’s power is “off the charts!” Our translation makes an effort at saying that: “just how surpassingly great his power is for us who believe…” In fact, it’s so powerful that, verse 21, “God worked (his mighty strength) in Christ when he RAISED him from the dead and SEATED him at his right hand in the heavenly places.” What Paul pictures for us in Jesus is a HUMAN body that not only rose from the dead, but which rose to heaven to the highest seat at God the Father’s right hand. In a few minutes, we’ll think about the DIFFERENCE it makes to have someone like THAT on the throne. Especially when, notice in verse 22 where his attention is focused from his throne: it’s NOT on kings, it’s NOT nations; rather, it’s the CHURCH, It’s us!… and if all that weren’t enough, notice what Paul calls US in verse 23. “The church is his body—that means we’re CONNECTED to him; AGAIN, that WILL make a DIFFERENCE for us, and notice what ELSE we’re called: (we are )the FULLNESS of him who—in turn—fills everything in every way…” Let. That. Sink. in… The one who fills all things, the one who requires ABSOLUTELY. NOTHING from us, is the one who chose to be FILLED. BY us… which doesn’t make ANY sense…
Not when, 1) At our BEST, we’re so far BELOW God. I mean, our understanding pales in comparison to his! Us trying to understand the Trinity, for example, would be like our Preschoolers trying to understand Calculus! Meanwhile, he’s in charge of ALL nations—and he does that so capably, and our concerns must seem so trivial by comparison – yet he focuses his attention especially on us, his church?… Again, that’s looking at it from our best. 2) At our WORST, we throw God’s affection for us in the garbage with every sin we commit – with every regrettable outburst where we see our kids shut down, every time we see pain in the eyes of someone whom we have just pierced with our comments, every excuse we make for our pathetic behavior… Why would the Lord of the Universe want to be filled by THAT? And then, as we heard in our other readings: why would Jesus additionally leave his beloved church behind in the hands of sinful men like the Disciples—sinful people like us—and entrust the most important work there is (eternal work that gets SOULS to HEAVEN) to people like that!?
Well, it’s not meant to make sense. In fact, it’s precisely what makes Jesus’ death and resurrection so meaningful. Because this really is love – unconditional & unearned. Because it wasn’t just enough for Jesus to stand supreme, he genuinely longs for a real relationship with you … and that explains everything Christ did for you. It’s why Jesus lived for you on a sin-torn planet, even though it meant leaving the perfect comforts of heaven. It’s why Jesus suffered for your sins on the cross, including hell itself – think of it, God who created hell for the OPPOSITE of everything he stands for, suffered HELL for you!… It’s also why Jesus died for you on that cross – think of it, the Living God (who had never NOT existed) actually died for you, never cease to marvel at that! And finally, it’s why he ASCENDED, to direct all things—to make a real DIFFERENCE – for you and for others.
Let me ask you: WHAT DIFFERENCE WOULD IT MAKE if your dad were the president of the United States, or if your best friend were the richest person on earth? I asked my 10-year-old those questions, and he quickly said we’d probably get someone to drive us everywhere and we could just tell people to finish our basement – though, he quickly added, I’d still find something else to stress about…how well he knows me!… Likewise, can you imagine the DIFFERENCE? You would get the best protection from the secret service, or you would get world-class medical care for whatever situation you’re facing!… Now, let me ask you: what kind of DIFFERENCE DOES it make that Jesus, your brother, IS the king of the universe?… Yeah. No matter what I’m going through right now, I’ve got someone on it – literally directing all things in all creation for my good.
THE “ASCENSION DIFFERENCE”. Get used to thinking in those terms. Maybe it helps to think of it like this: the Ascension means there is LITERALLY human flesh and bone on the throne in heaven RIGHT NOW. You see, where other religions talk about casting this flesh off—freeing ourselves from our bodies in death, which ultimately makes them meaningless—Christianity is meant to make a DIFFERENCE for our whole selves – body & soul alike – including our real lives and real struggles here also. Jesus didn’t ASCEND to distance himself from all of this, but to bring it close to God and his own control. So much so that he’s filled by it; He’s filled by you. Finally, you are as much a part of Jesus as your own hand or your foot belong to your own body. And just as you will instinctively, without question act in self-preservation for our body and seek to remedy its maladies – longing to get that splinter out, seeking medicine that will sooth us, curling up and covering our heads in a moment of danger – Jesus will instinctively, without question act in our interest as the members of his body. And it is not a matter of us being worthy or without any flaw. Rather, just like your arm is attached to your torso or your leg to your hip, it is a matter of being connected to Christ our head by faith. That’s why we CAN live with joy every day, knowing Christ will take good care of us here, AND it’s why we live with hope every day, knowing the best is yet to come.
What a Sunday! What a celebration! What a great day to sing rich praises to God – as we are doing with all of our instrumentalists today. And sure, we may still stress when we leave this joyful celebration behind, just like I would even if my dad were the president or my best friend were rich… but in those moments, keep going back to the truth we heard today: We don’t have to solve all of our problems; our Savior is in a unique position to do just that. It’s the ASCENSION DIFFERENCE he wants for you. Amen.
