Why The Ascension? A Sermon for Ascension Day

By: Christopher W. Martin
Editor's Note: This sermon was preached at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church on Sunday, May 4th, 2008 to commemorate the festival of the Ascension of Our Lord. We did not have a special service on Ascension Day itself (May 1st), so I moved the commemoration of the festival to a Sunday this year. The sermon text is Acts 1:1-11 and Luke 24:44-53. I offer it here for your edification. God's blessings to all our readers!

Ascension Day is one of the few remaining main festivals of the Christian church year that hasn’t really been touched by our secular American society. For example, take our two biggest festivals, Christmas and Easter. They’re the “big two” festivals of the Christian church year, and yet they also have secular ideas and traditions that have little, if anything, to do with the actual Christian festival itself. Ascension Day is a little different. I’m guessing none of you sent or received any “Happy Ascension Day” cards in the mail this week, or went out for dinner for Ascension Day. None of the stores had a big “Ascension Day Sale”, nor do we have some character like Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny that’s associated with Ascension Day. In fact, I’m willing to guess that many of you here this morning don’t even know when it usually falls each year. Ascension Day is 40 days after the celebration of Easter, so it’s on a Thursday each year. The 40 days represent the 40 days that Jesus walked the earth after his resurrection before he ascended into heaven. This year, it would have been this past Thursday. Because it’s such a lesser known festival, not many churches have a special service to commemorate it. In fact, many Lutheran churches celebrate Ascension Day with a special evening service that day, but have it as a joint service with sister congregations, and even then, it’s hardly a big turnout. But because it’s a major event in the life of our Savior, I decided it was important enough to move the celebration of the Ascension of Our Lord to today, a Sunday, so we can learn a bit more about this “mystery” festival of the church year, and understand why it’s important that we celebrate it.

One of the things that makes this day unique is that it’s the last time recorded in Scripture that Jesus is seen on earth. Now St. Paul does encounter Jesus on the road to Damascus later in the book of Acts, but Paul doesn’t see the actual, physical, resurrected body of Jesus, he sees a bright light, and hears a voice. In the book of Revelation, St. John tells us he hears Jesus, but again, it’s not a physical body on earth that John sees, it’s a vision. So this account of Jesus’ ascension into heaven is rather unique, in that it is the last time that Jesus is physically seen in his resurrected body on earth.

Jesus has been resurrected from the dead and appeared to His disciples for 40 days now. It’s no big secret that he’s risen from the dead at this point. He had made many appearances in that time period, and they’re recorded in the Gospels. One of them, he appeared to over 500 people! So by this time, it’s no big secret. He’s restored his disciples, the 11 men who cowardly ran away and hid during his passion and death, even restoring Peter, who had denied him three times. No doubt, even though a little over a month had passed since that truly Holy Week in Jerusalem, it probably still seemed so amazing, unreal that Jesus was alive! No doubt, they had to wonder at some point how long Jesus would be with them. Perhaps they thought He was there to stay, to fix their problems, and protect them from what would happen next.

In our readings for this morning, however, we see that would not be the case. Jesus, as he’s done in the three years he spent with His disciples prior to His crucifixion, and in his appearances to them in the 40 days since his resurrection, is teaching His disciples. But the tone of this teaching sounds a bit different from anything they’ve heard. The topic is the same: the kingdom of God. In our Gospel reading from Luke, we’re told Jesus says “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 and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” At this point, Luke tells us that Jesus “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures”. If you’ll recall, quite often when Jesus was teaching about something that was going to happen to him, or what the Kingdom of God was like, he’d often have to interpret what He was saying to them. This time, He opens their minds, so that they can understand what everything was all about. We’re told he says “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.” He calls them witnesses of these things, and promises them help from above. HE then tells them to stay in the city until they are clothed with power from on high.

Now what was all this about? Can you imagine the reaction the disciples must have had that day? They finally understand what all of these events they had witnessed were all about! Jesus was the Christ, He had to suffer, die, and rise again! It was all a part of God’s plan to save the world! Can you imagine the joy, or the “ah hah!” moment they had to have experienced at that point? You’ll notice that they don’t come to this conclusion on their own, but Jesus, through His Word, opens their mind through the preaching of His Word to the disciples. It’s the same way with you and me today. Contrary to popular belief, we don’t come to understand the things of God on our own, our eyes and minds are open through the Word of God. By hearing the Word, our minds are opened by the work of the Holy Spirit through that word, bringing us to faith, or strengthening us in faith. If it happened to the disciples, men who had been unfaithful to Christ during His passion, yet restored after His resurrection, and charged with the task of being witnesses, it can surely happen, and will happen, with you and me as well.

Along with having this joy of finally understanding what took place, the disciples probably had another feeling, wondering what was going on here? Why was Jesus telling us to stay in the city? Wasn’t he coming with us? He’s always been there with us, why would he leave us now? These had to have been some of the thoughts of those disciples that day.

So Jesus led them out as far as Bethany, and lifts up his nail-pierced hands to bless them. All of a sudden, Jesus ascends up into heaven. Our reading in Acts tells us that a cloud took him out of their sight. What kind of questions do you think they were asking? Probably questions like “Where did you go, Jesus? Are we left to do this work alone? Why did you have to leave?” And maybe, as we hear the Ascension accounts, we wonder, why did Jesus have to go back to heaven? Why didn’t he stay here on earth?

Well, let’s think about that point for a moment. During his earthly life, Jesus was in what we call his state of humiliation. That is, while Jesus was true God and true Man, he chose not to use some of his divine qualities during his earthly life. Just imagine, being the all powerful God, creator of heaven and earth, and willingly choosing to limit yourself to a human body. One of those limitations is that a human body can only be in one place at one time. I know some of you might try to be in several places at once, but is it possible? No, it’s not. So if Jesus had not ascended back into heaven, he’d only be in one place. And if Jesus is only in one place at a time, well, he’d be limited in how he could be with us. We’d either have to go to where he was, or he’d have to come to us. So if you’re in a time of trouble, where you need to call out to your Savior for help, you’d better hope he’s not somewhere else doing something else, or you’d be out of luck. I read a statistic this week that helped to illustrate one of the reasons for the Ascension. If Jesus were still on earth today, as he was prior to the Ascension, and we were given just 20 seconds to be with him, and he was with people for 20 seconds at a time, 24/7, he’d only be able to be present with 4,320 people in a day. That means a very small percentage of Christians would be able to be in Christ’s presence on any given day. But now that He is in heaven, he can indeed be with us always, to the end of the age. He’s present with us right now, in this very church as we are gathered here in Word and Sacrament, just as He is present in other churches who are gathered around those same means throughout the world. Likewise, when you pray to Him on your own, and someone in Denmark, or Germany, or New Zealand is praying to Him at the same time you are, He’s present with each one of these people, listening intently to their prayers, something He couldn’t do if he remained confined to a specific place and time here on earth. When you think about it, the presence of your Ascended Lord is sure a lot better than hoping you’re one of those lucky 4,320 people that get 20 seconds to be with Jesus in any given day had he not ascended into heaven, isn’t it?

So, the disciples are there, watching Jesus ascend, and who appears next? Two men in white robes appear and say “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” They heard that although Jesus had left them physically, not only would be still be with them spiritually, he’d return one day. They knew that they were not left as orphans, but as people with hope, hope of being with their Savior again one day.

So, the Disciples on that first Ascension Day had Jesus open their minds to the Scriptures, he Ascends into heaven to be with them always, and he left them with a charge to be his witnesses. So what did they do? Luke’s gospel tells us that “they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.” They were filled with great joy! Not only did Jesus promise them His Holy Spirit, and charge them with the task of spreading His Word, and promise that He would return again, He gave them something else very important. He gave them a fellowship to belong to. He gave them the presence of each other. By staying together, by worshipping together, they could encourage each other to be the kind of witnesses that Jesus had prepared them to be. No doubt, they talked about the things that they had seen, heard, and learned while they were with Jesus. They studied His Word that he had revealed to them. And they did so with Great Joy!

What does that sound like? It sounds like what Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church exists for. When we gather together as a congregation, it is to encourage each other by our presence here, to be together with fellow believers in Jesus Christ who share our faith. When we gather together, our Lord Jesus Christ is present in our worship service, feeding us with His Word and in a few moments, his sacrament of Holy Communion. While He’s hidden, we know, just as those early disciples knew, that Jesus was still present, though hidden, from them. That’s why we’re here first of all. But we’re also here to prepare ourselves to be powerful witnesses. Notice that Jesus says He will give them what they need to be powerful witnesses. He will provide the gift of the Holy Spirit, which will come to them on Pentecost. Likewise, in our gathering this morning, through hearing the Word, by receiving the Sacrament, you’re being strengthened and equipped to go out into your daily lives, and share that very message with the world. Whether you realize it or not, each one of you are witnesses of the same things the disciples were. While you haven’t seen them with your physical eyes, with your spiritual eyes, the eyes of faith, through hearing the Word, you have had your minds open to who Jesus is, what He did for us, and that “repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

For us, that work begins not in Jerusalem, but right here in Audubon, Iowa. We’re charged with sharing the message that Jesus Christ is “The Way, The Truth, and The Life.” We’re to tell others the word of God’s law, that none of us can live up to what God expects from us, and that we sin daily. Sometimes, that means we have to get specific about certain sins. But, then, we can announce to them that Jesus Christ has gone to the cross to die for that sin, and then left that sin in the grave when He rose again from the dead. We can tell them that because He’s now ascended into heaven, He’s with us always, even to the end of the age. That’s what proclaiming in Christ’s name the message of repentance and forgiveness of sins is all about. Some will try to use Jesus as a psychological crutch, as something to make you feel better now, others will try to tell you “if you follow these 12 steps, Jesus will bless you with material wealth beyond your wildest dreams.” Some will even simply say “Jesus, Buddah, Allah, it’s all the same. Believe what you want, be good, and you go to heaven.” But that’s not what we have witnessed in the Word. When Christ calls us to be His witnesses, we’re only to share what we have learned from the Scriptures as truth, not what the world wants us to say.

You see, Ascension Day is a very important day in the life of the Christian Church. For one, it’s the day when Jesus goes from being limited to being present in one place at one time, to being everywhere, for us. It’s also the day that He opens the minds of His disciples, and encourages them to be His witnesses. Today, we experience the same thing. Our minds are opened through the preaching of the Word to the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world. And we’re told we are to be His witnesses, starting right here in Audubon. As I’ve said the last two weeks, mission work doesn’t start overseas, it starts right here, right now. It happens in your conversations at the store, on main street, at coffee, with friends, in our everyday lives. You don’t have to be a powerful speaker, or feel a call to a foreign country to be a powerful witness of the love of Christ. It’s simply about sharing the Gospel you hear in this place with those you come into contact with. May God make us His powerful witnesses in this community for Jesus’s sake. Amen.

Christopher Martin is Pastor of Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Audubon, Iowa and ELCM Mission Developer for Iowa. He also serves as editor for The Lutheran Centrist.

From Palms to Passion-Thoughts for Holy Week

by Christopher W. Martin

Note: This post is from a sermon I preached on Palm Sunday, March 16, 2008. I encourage our readers to read the Palm Sunday account from John 12:12-19 and the Passion Gospel from Matthew 26-27 as you ponder how Holy Week is a week that goes from Palms to Passion.

As some of you may be aware, today has two names on the church calendar. Most of you know today by it’s more common name, Palm Sunday. It’s the day the Sunday School children process into the church, waving their palm branches, and we as a congregation sing “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna”, remembering the cries of that first Palm Sunday crowd. The cry “Hosanna”, meaning, “save us now!” It’s a picture of victory, of joy! A procession fit for a king! Even the religious leaders of the day at the site of this crowd and hearing their shouts of “save us now!” can see what’s going on, how popular Jesus is at this moment, to the point of making the remark “You see that we gain nothing, look, the whole world has gone after him!”

Yet today is also called Passion Sunday. Quite a change from the Palm Sunday parade. As you will have noticed in our readings for today, the events of that week in Jerusalem take a strange, unexpected turn. Who in that crowd on that first Palm Sunday would imagine that just 5 days later, the crowds that were crying out “Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” who welcomed Jesus into their city with palm branches and laid out their coats on the road, would turn into a vicious, bloodthirsty mob. The shouts by Friday would turn to “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” As far as the claims of him being a king, they claim “We have no king but Caesar!” Indeed, quite a change from the beginning of the week, wouldn’t you say?We’ve marked both events today during our service.

We started our service by hearing the Gospel account of that first Palm Sunday. We saw the Palm braches wave, we heard the cries of “Hosanna”; we joined in the joyful song of those people in that Palm Sunday crowd. But then, our service took a dramatic turn, as we turned our attention to the Passion gospel, which you heard read from Matthew’s account this year. Instead of joyful hymns of “Hosanna”, we sing words set to more somber tones, verses of hymns like “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” and “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”. The two themes sure seem like complete opposites, don’t they? Can they possibly be about the same guy?

In addition to today being Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday, it also marks the beginning of Holy Week, the week of the church year where we focus on Jesus’ last week in Jerusalem. Through the scripture readings and sermons you’ll hear this week, you’ll be transported back to Jerusalem, 2000 years ago, and you’ll be going various places. We already started by being a part of that Palm Sunday crowd, shouting our praises to our King, riding triumphantly into King David’s city! As the week progresses, we’ll go with Jesus to the upper room, see Him institute the sacrament of Holy Communion, pray in the Garden, be betrayed by one of his disciples, arrested, tried, beaten, and crucified. We’ll see a LOT of evil go on in these events. People at their worst moments. We’ll be called to ponder all of this, and ask, so, what’s this week all about?

As you go through Holy Week this year, I’m going to encourage you to see yourself in each of the places we’ll visit. As you do, you’ll realize that at times, we’re all a part of that fickle crowd in Jerusalem. We’ll find at times, we’re ready to praise Jesus so loud, no one can keep us quiet. We’ll also find that because of our sin, we also abandon Jesus. We don’t always speak up for our faith when we should. We don’t always acknowledge that we’re children of God by the things we say, do, or think. We’ll find a bit of Judas in us, willing to betray our Lord for whatever type of silver sin sets in front of us, and we’ll find it’s our sin that condemns him to be nailed to the cross. We’re going to find that in reality, while it’s so easy for us to be angry with those who treated our Savior so badly that week in Jerusalem, that if we were there, we wouldn’t be any better.

But, we also know that the ugly sights, horrific sounds, the undeniable pain that our Savior suffers, is not for Himself, but it’s for us and for our sins. When we look at the cross on Good Friday, and the road that leads us there, we’ll see that Jesus walked that road for you and for me. He did it so that we can be sinless, spotless before our God. We’ll see that there’s no more beautiful, no more important week in our lives, than this week, Holy Week. It’s a journey that I look forward to taking each year, and I pray you’ll join me in taking that journey with me.

So, while there’s a lot going on this week, I’d encourage each of you to walk the road to the cross with Jesus. Ponder what He’s done for you. Read the various Passion accounts in the Gospels. Come to His house for all the special services this week, to take part with your fellow travelers on this journey to the cross, as we’ll consider the events that took place. May this Holy Week be more than just another week for you, may it be a week where you journey with your Savior, and through the Word and Sacrament, understand that all of this, everything that happened this week, was done for you, for the forgiveness of all of your sins, no matter who you are, where you come from, what color of your skin, no matter what you’ve done. Jesus endured all of this for you! Amen.

Christopher W. Martin is the ELCM Mission Developer for Iowa, and is Pastor of Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Audubon, Iowa. He also serves as editor for The Lutheran Centrist.

Lenten Reflections

by Christopher W. Martin

During the season of Lent, we are called to focus on our sinfulness and our need of a Savior. It’s a time of the year that we make the jorney with our Savior to Jerusalem, and watch him be arrested, put on trial, beaten, spit on, and crucified. We especially remember those events during Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday, when we hear shouts of “Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” By Good Friday, that crowd changes it’s shout to “Crucify Him!” We observe these events with special services, and we hear the Scriptural accounts of our Lord’s passion. Some of you have even seen the movie “The Passion of the Christ.” In a very real way, Lent reminds us of what the Christian faith is really all about.

Too many churches today have turned Christianity into another form of self help therapy. You will find churches that no longer have a cross in the sanctuary out of fear that it is too offensive to a non-Christian, or that it isn’t a positive message. You hear preachers on TV, the radio, or in many pulpits today telling you that instead of focusing on all that sin, death, blood, and gore stuff, you can have your best life in this world. They’ll give you 12 steps to being a better employer, or tell you what to do for God to give you the material stuff you want. They might mention Jesus in passing, but only as an example or motivational figure who wants you to do your best, nothing more. Their idea of a “Beautiful Savior” is a role model.

The real “Beautiful Savior” knew you were born sinful and unclean. He knew that you couldn’t keep God’s law on your own. So he made that trip into Jerusalem, and allowed himself to be arrested, beat up, spit on, and ultimately nailed to a cross. That’s where you and I belonged, but Jesus loved you so much, that he went through all of that so you can have eternal life.

As we continue the season of Lent and as we approach Holy Week, I encourage you to listen to you Savior speak to you through His Word. You’ll find the cross to be the most beautiful thing you will ever seen. You’ll be reminded of what being a Christian is all about, it’s about being forgiven for all of your sins through the blood of Jesus Christ. During this Lenten season, and throughout the year, let us keep our eyes focused on the cross, and live our lives under the cross of Christ, where we will hear Him speak His life giving Word to us!

Christopher W. Martin is the Pastor of Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Audubon, Iowa and ELCM Mission Developer for Iowa.

Home to Rome, or Constantinople or Willow Creek?

Contributed by Chris Hurst

There has been a growing movement of Lutherans, and other Protestants for that matter, towards Rome and Constantinople. Even the great Lutheran scholar Jaroslav Pelikan died as a member of the Eastern Orthodox faith. Just as disturbing is the seemingly unstoppable trend of entire Lutheran denominations turning towards watered down, mega-church “Evangelicalism”.

The reason, I believe, is that in most Lutheran Churches (and national denominations like ELCA, LCMS, WELS, etc.) there are no longer any distinctly Lutheran ideals or practices. There are a large number of Lutheran Churches pushing the “Evangelical Catholic” stance; which says that we are Catholics in protest attempting a reform of the universal Church. While I agree with this position in principle, why is it that many of the “Catholic” trappings these Churches are advocating are post-Trent; and why are they almost always things that the Lutheran Reformers rejected in the 16th century?

ELCA has Bishops; LCMS and WELS are establishing policies that lead many people to believe in the “infallible synod” in practice, if not in rhetoric. Many of the Churches are extremely “High Church” and have placed the liturgy on such a pedestal that it is almost the same as a Catholic Mass; in fact many call their Sunday worship “the Mass”. A number of Lutheran pastors have started calling themselves “Father” instead of “Pastor” or “Reverend”.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is the ever-present “Church Growth Movement” that has infested all of the major Lutheran bodies to varying degrees. This movement is steeped in charismatic, emotional and experiential decision theology. It is most closely associated with non-Lutheran organizations such as Willow Creek or Dallas Theological Seminary.

So where do these developments lead us in our discussion of Lutherans “jumping ship”? If you are sitting in a Lutheran Church, where there is nothing distinctly Lutheran anymore; where the pastor is pushing Catholic teachings, rituals and structure; or where the teaching is no different than every Evangelical mega-Church; why not just become what your Church is trying to be? If you are in an Evangelical Catholic Church, why not just go to Rome? If you are in a charismatic Lutheran Church, why not just go to Willow Creek?

We must re-capture the Lutheran distinctive. That means we must emphasize sola fide, sola gratia, Scripture as the ONLY infallible norm of faith, and the Lutheran Confessions as our confession. If we dance with the culture around us, our flocks will go the next step. This is a call to all clergy and lay leaders to regain, and reinforce, what it means to be Lutheran; and stop trying to go backwards to Rome, or flirt with heterodox charismatics. Be strong, be Lutheran, be faithful.

Vicar Chris Hurst is the ELCM Mission Developer for North Dakota.

A Lutheran Rosary?

A Lutheran Rosary?

Contributed by: Vicar Chris Hurst

I was stunned recently to find a Lutheran Rosary. I have to confess, when I first came across this it sounded like a great idea; a daily discipline for Lutherans that will give us the air of devotion that our Catholic brethren have. You see, I have struggled with a disciplined prayer and devotional life, and I have often attempted to find ways to “tune into God” through what I would now consider prayer gimmicks. After careful consideration I have to conclude that the Lutheran Rosary is yet another gimmick.

With that, I would like to give a simple, beautiful and edifying daily discipline that is much more in line with the Lutheran Confessions. Dr. Luther said in the Preface to the Small Catechism to read the Catechism daily, because we can never learn it enough; and so the Catechism, along with Scripture, is the central focus of this devotion. Keep in mind; this is not a be all and end all. It is simply what I have found to be very helpful in getting a daily discipline of prayer started. After using this “formula” for a few weeks, you should be able to adjust to your own needs and level of spiritual growth.

Confess your faith in the words of the Apostle’s Creed
Pray a brief prayer of confession and repentance of sins
Read the Catechism (in my own devotion I read the Three Chief Parts daily, and the whole Catechism once a week)
Read the Scriptures (I personally use the One Year Bible; eliminates the “what should I read today” questions)
Pray the Lord’s Prayer
Go about your day

Of course extra prayers added in for your neighbors, family and any other requests before God can be added in anywhere. However, in my dealings as a pastor I have found that the hardest thing for people to do is “talk to God”. This simple six step process can help get that relationship started. From there, your devotional life will take the same course St. Paul talks about in Romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (ESV) This is yet another example of our complete and utter dependence on God. I believe this is why Dr. Luther emphasized praying the Lord’s Prayer and Apostle’s Creed in his short work “A Simple Way to Pray”.


Vicar Chris Hurst is the ELCM Mission Developer for North Dakota. In this role, he serves as a regional Assistant to the President of the Evangelical Lutheran Conference & Ministerium, and is a contact for any in North Dakota and surrounding areas who are interested in ELCM. Vicar Hurst has provided the following introduction for our readers:

"First of all let me say what an honor it is to contribute to this blog. I am a strong advocate for a Centrist Lutheran alternative to the current trends in American Christianity. I have been an ELCM Licensed Minister since 2003, and I currently serve as Mission Developer for North Dakota. In the past, I have served two congregations in Hatton, ND; as well as a short stint as a nursing home chaplain in the same town. My main emphasis on this blog will probably tend to be geared towards catechesis and translating our encounter with the Risen Christ into a living, daily faith. I welcome any and all comments on this forum. With that in mind, here’s my first contribution to the conversation."

Thank you, Vicar Hurst, for your contribution to our blog!

Greetings!

Greetings to all who read this blog in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Welcome to the official blog of the Evangelical Lutheran Conference & Ministerium of North America (ELCM). We are a centrist-Lutheran church body, organized in 1999. We presently have several congregations, pastors, and mission stations in various locations throughout the country.

This blog will feature regular articles, theological writings, sermons, and other works by our ELCM pastors and lay leaders. We pray that you will be edified in your reading here.

If you have any questions about ELCM, please contact our ELCM President, Rev. Roy A. Steward at revroy@elcm.org. You are also invited to check out our website at www.elcm.org as we have a lot of updates coming in the weeks and months ahead.

God's richest blessings to you all as you pursue our blog!

Christopher W. Martin, Editor
ELCM Mission Developer for Iowa