Eve of the Ascension of Our Lord

Eve of the Ascension of Our Lord (C)

May 25, 2022

Text: Acts 1:1-11; Eph. 1:15-23; Luke 24:44-53

Alleluia!  Christ is risen!  He is risen, indeed!  Alleluia!

            You may be disposed to think that presidents and potentates rule the world.  If so, that is a very discouraging thought.  But this is why we are such political animals.  We hang all our hopes and blame all our problems on the man in office at the particular moment, and believe that the next election is the most important in our lifetime.  Because if we elect the right person, our nation and the world will be saved.  But if we elect the wrong person, our nation and the world will be destroyed.  Christians should not think this way, and we must repent.  The Bible tells us in no uncertain terms, “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation” (Ps. 146:3; ESV).  Now, I am not saying that politics and elections are inconsequential.  We should hold informed political opinions (informed, by the way, by our Christian faith and the biblical worldview), and we should participate in civil society and the political process, and above all, we should pray.  But we should never, ever, hang our hopes on any particular political institution or politician coming to power.  That is idolatry.  Repent.  Nor should we ever despair as though any particular political institution, politician, or worldly power can unseat God.  That, too, is idolatry.  Repent.  Now, it shouldn’t surprise us that sinners in power are empowered to sin.  Even “good” rulers fall far short of the glory of God, and participate in wicked things.  We should pray for them.  If it is difficult for a rich man to be saved, how much more a rich man in power?  But the good news of Ascension Day is that the risen Lord Jesus Christ has taken up His throne at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.  That is, Jesus reigns.  And in spite of all appearances, He rules all things for the good of His people, and for our salvation.

            Now, this can be difficult to believe, considering the tsunami of historical evidence, or even just the first five minutes of the evening news, never mind the horrendous events of the past couple weeks in Texas and in Buffalo.  The evidence before our eyes points not only to incompetent or malevolent human powers ruling the world, but the malevolent one himself, Satan.  Which is just what he wants us to believe.  After all, he claims for himself (and think about the audacity of this) that he can give Jesus all the kingdoms of the earth and their glory, if Jesus would only fall down and worship him (Matt. 4:8-9).  Satan does appear to be in charge here, doesn’t he?  St. Paul even calls him “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2), which is to say, we’re in his atmosphere here in the world.  He calls the demons “the rulers… the authorities… the cosmic powers over this present darkness… the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).  And Jesus calls Satan, simply, “the ruler of this world” (John 14:30).  So there is a sense in which Satan has his authority here and now, in this age, and in this fallen creation.  And to add to our anxiety, since His ascension, the Lord Jesus has been removed from our sight (Acts 1:9).

            But again, here is the good news of Ascension Day, and it is news that, for us, must be heard and believed, not seen (not yet!).  Jesus Christ, who was crucified for the sins of the whole world, is now risen from the dead.  He lives.  And He reigns.  He is vindicated.  He has defeated the devil and his kingdom.  And now God has exalted Him to His own right hand.  “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool” (Ps. 110:1).  Jesus reigns, or, as the simplest and earliest form of the Christian Creed confesses, “Jesus is Lord” (Rom. 10:9; 1 Cor. 12:3).  If Jesus is Lord, as every Roman knows, Caesar is not.  That is why the Romans killed Christians.  And if Jesus is Lord, Satan is not.  The head of the serpent is crushed, which is why he hates Christians and afflicts us.

            Jesus is the King.  He is Lord of all.  We owe presidents and potentates honor and obedience under the Fourth Commandment, so long as they do not require us to sin.  But let us live under no illusions.  Their time is short.  Jesus is the hidden Ruler over all creation, and all men, including presidents and potentates, whether they know or acknowledge Him or not.  He is the King over school shooters and terrorists who will, one day, meet Him face to face.  And He is the King even over the devil, who, in spite of himself, must submit to God’s purposes. 

            And beloved, He is also the Ruler of His Church, His little flock on earth, which He is bringing to Himself in heaven.  No matter what she suffers here (and, in fact, through her suffering), He is doing His work in her and through her.  St. Luke tells us that his first volume, the Gospel According to St. Luke, is a record of “all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up” (Acts 1:1-2), until His Ascension.  And the implication of that little word “began,” is that Jesus continues to do and teach through His Apostles and His Church, as Luke records in his second volume, Acts.  Now is the time of grace, in which Jesus is working through His Church to bring more citizens into His Kingdom by the preaching of the Gospel.  That is why He leaves us here, now, in this world of sin and misery, instead of immediately translating us to heaven the moment we are baptized.  So that we may preach and confess.  That is why the Lord Himself is hidden.  He is not gone, as you know.  He is gone from our sight, but not from our presence, and His hands are still raised over us in blessing, as Luke points out in our Gospel (Luke 24:50-51).  So He is still our Emmanuel, God with us, in a very real way.  But now, as St. Paul points out, He is present with His Church as the Head is with His Body.  The Church is His Body, and “the fulness of him who fills all in all” (Eph. 2:23).  The Word and Sacraments are the hidden presence of Christ in His Church, and the Church is the hidden presence of Christ in the world. 

            But the Day is coming when all that is hidden will be revealed.  Jesus Christ will come again visibly in the same way the disciples saw Him go (Acts 1:11), on the cloud of His presence (Rev. 14:14-15).  The trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised (1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thess. 4:16).  The powers of the heavens will be shaken (Luke 21:26).  And every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him (Rev. 1:7).  Then at the Name of Jesus, every knee will bow, in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth… even Caesar’s and that of every earthly power… even school shooters and terrorists… even Satan and the demons… and every tongue, including theirs, will confess, what?...  That Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:10-11).  Every tongue will confess the Creed, and for some, that will be hell.  But for us who have loved His appearing, that will be the Day of our greatest joy.

            You may be depressed about the state of things in this world.  You may feel it in your gut every time you open a newspaper or fill your gas tank.  And frankly, you should feel it.  You should grieve.  You should feel compassion for the victims of senseless violence and war and natural disaster, for the victims of oppression and persecution, and for the littlest victims of the hedonism and self-idolatry of the sexual revolution.  You should mourn our sin.  These feelings should move you to repent of your participation in the sins of the world, and to pray for all who are suffering, and for all who are deceived.  But you must not lose heart.  Every time you feel that sadness and grief, you must remember the truth as Jesus has revealed it to you by His Word and Spirit.  Let that feeling move you to hear that truth preached, and to confess it daily with your own mouth.  Things are not as they appear.  Christ has died.  Christ is risen.  Christ will come again.  And in the meantime, He rules over all things at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.  So, come what may, there is no room for despair.  Only faith and absolute confidence in Jesus Christ, who is the Lord, who has redeemed us, and who will deliver us. 

            Alleluia!  Christ is risen!  He is risen, indeed!  Alleluia!  In the Name of the Father, and of the Son X, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.