Saturday, May 20, 2023

Ascension • Easter 7A

Psalm 47:5,6,7
God is gone up with a shout,
the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises:
sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth:
sing ye praises!
Psalm 47:5,6,7
Luke 24:44-53

44 Then Jesus said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled." 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46 and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; 53 and they were continually in the temple blessing God.

Ascension–Easter 7

The 40th day of Easter, always a Thursday, is the feast of the Ascension. Because most people don't go to church on Thursdays, today for Easter 7 or Day 43 we're hearing about the Ascension.

In easy theological terms ascension, ascendancy, ascent mean reign, rule, power, sovereignty, authority, stewardship. Not domination as people sometimes misinterpret dominion in Genesis 2, but caretaking and responsiveness to the needs of all our neighbors—human, flora, fauna, land, waterways, sky… everything that encompasses creation. Unlike in human governments and organizations, Jesus' authority has no checks and balances. It is supreme. It is absolute.

The Heidelberg Catechism tells us we move from Christmas / Incarnation, "with the mystery of spirit in flesh" to Jesus' Ascension, "with the mystery of flesh in Spirit."

The Easter season is a week of weeks, the biblical number of 7 times 7. Next Sunday on the 50th day of Easter we'll celebrate the Day of Pentecost, the church's third great Trinitarian festival. The pentecostal gift of the Holy Spirit enables the church to do the "greater works" Jesus promised as John 14:12 records. We then move into the green and growing season of Pentecost, a l-o-o-o-n-n-g segment of Ordinary Time when the church really comes into its own.


Until Now

During the season of Easter we've experienced Jesus' gift of the Holy Spirit on Easter evening from John's gospel; twice in the gospel we received from John's community we've revisited the upper room of Maundy Thursday with Jesus' commandment to love along with his promise of the Holy Spirit (advocate, paraclete, counselor) of comfort and truth.

Three weeks ago on Easter 4, we heard about the apostles' preaching and teaching. It's no longer Jesus as teacher and preacher! We see them gather for prayer in the kind of community that's a true common unity of koinonia where everyone has enough, no one possesses too much or too little. Their meeting includes "breaking of bread," that likely meant regular meals (potlucks, anyone?) as well as the Bread of Life and Cup of Salvation of the Lord's Supper.


Luke–Acts

As we prepare for the season of Pentecost and six months' focus on our lives as Jesus' presence in the world, let's consider the pair Ascension passages from Luke: in the gospel that bears his name, and in the Acts of the Apostles.

• Luke 24:49 "…I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

• Acts 1:5 "…for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

• Acts 1:6 When they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" 1:7-8 He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

When the disciples ask the resurrected Jesus if now he'd finally restore the (Davidic, probably) kingdom to Israel, he replies, "the question is wrong," and tells them to wait. They will receive power (the Greek is our "dynamite") and then they'll be his witnesses everywhere. You won't get reclaimed splendors like the Davidic monarchy or a recycled Jerusalem temple! You'll receive the Holy Spirit so you can live as Jesus' presence in the world; from now on, the world will discover Jesus within the church. In other words, Jesus' disciples (that's us!) will be the ones to restore God's reign of love, justice, mercy, and shalom on earth.


Where We Live

Jesus promises us baptism or literal immersion in the Holy Spirit of life; Jesus promises our lives will witness to him, but we don't do this on our own, by ourselves; we accomplish it with the power of God's life with us and within us. In the global reach of the Holy Spirit of Pentecost, we become Jesus' presence on earth and begin restoring God's reign over all creation, as the HS empowers us to walk the talk!

What does it mean to be Jesus' witnesses? Think of courtroom testimony.

The Heidelberg Catechism asks, "Why is the son of God called Jesus, meaning Savior?" Then, "Why is the son of God called Christ, meaning anointed?" And then: "But why are you called a Christian?" Answer: "Because by faith I share in Christ's anointing, and I am anointed to reign over all creation for all eternity."

His disciples ask Jesus, "is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" Jesus essentially informs them their question is wrong and replies, "you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

In the power, discernment, and reach of the Holy Spirit of Pentecost, we becomes Jesus' presence on earth and begin restoring God's reign over all creation. Just as Jesus was anointed a Servant Sovereign or King, the Holy Spirit anoints and empowers us to walk the talk in the image of our servant God.

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