May 12, 2024 Sermon

Sermon title:  “The Ascension”

Scripture:  Acts 1:1-11

(Other lectionary choices include Psalm 47, Ephesians 1:15-23, and Luke 24:44-53.)

Acts 1:1-11

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

1In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning 2until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 4While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me; 5for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

The Ascension of Jesus

6So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8But 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.” 9When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. 11They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Since this is Mother's Day, the people who put together the lectionary many years ago offered TWO sets of Scripture readings. In one of those sets, we could talk about what our mothers have done for us. Since I have already preached a sermon a few years back about my mother, I opted for today's topic, the Ascension.

While some of us may have a difficult time with the topic of the Ascension, there is still a lot of good information in today's Scripture reading from the book of Acts. First of all, the disciples ask Jesus, “Lord, are you going to restore the kingdom of Israel at this time?” How interesting that even at the very beginning, some of our spiritual ancestors want to know the future! But what does Jesus say, “None of your business!” Well, okay. He doesn't say THAT. But he DOES say, “It is not yours to know the times and the seasons which the Father has appointed by his own authority.” I am SO glad we have that quote in Scripture because NOBODY knows what God's plan is, and it even says so in the Bible!

There is something else I like about this Scripture, too. As the disciples gazed up into heaven, they are told, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing looking up into heaven?” I like this, because what it is saying between the lines is, “Get to work!” And they are told that this Jesus will come again. So, two things:  you are not to know everything that God has planned, and in the meantime, get to work doing the things Jesus did:  heal the sick, raise the dead, feed the hungry, visit those who are in prison, etc. We are to be faithful disciples, even if we don't know what's coming next.

As I have mentioned before, I learn things when I write sermons! I didn't realize until this week that Luke is the only Gospel writer who mentions the Ascension! And if you check that hypothesis out, you'll find it's true. The Gospel of Mark ends with the Empty Tomb, although it is possible that the last few pages of Mark are missing. Still, what we have is a Gospel that does not have an Ascension story. Take Matthew:  the last chapter is 28 and it ends with the Great Commission:  “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” END of STORY! END of Matthew's GOSPEL! No Ascension story! Okay, how about John? It ends with Chapter 20, but no mention of the Ascension. There is an extra chapter that seems to have been added to give Peter a chance to say that he loves Jesus three times. (Maybe that's to give Peter a chance to reverse the fact that he denied Jesus three times.) But in any case, No Ascension story in John's Gospel. Luke talks about the Ascension at the end of the Gospel of Luke, and also in Acts which we read today. So, I learned something! Only Luke writes about the Ascension. Why? I have no idea!

We heard an interesting thing early in today's reading, and that was an instruction to the disciples to WAIT on the Lord. The Risen Christ tells them “not to go away from Jerusalem but to wait for the Father's promise....” The Scottish scholar William Barclay says, “The apostles were enjoined to WAIT on the coming of the Spirit. We would gain more power and courage and peace if we learned to wait. In the business of life, we need to learn to be still.” And, he says, “Amidst life's surging activity there must be time to receive.”

I am glad such verses are in the Bible. Sometimes we need to wait on the Lord. Our eager-beaver culture would have us always on the move. Sometimes, though, we are called to BE STILL and know that I am God, as one of the Psalms says.

The passage I chose to preach on today is Acts 1:1-11. Another choice was Luke 24:44-53. The reason I mention this is that in that Luke passage, the very last two verses (52 and 53) say, “And they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple blessing God.” Why I think this is worth noting is that the disciples knew that Jesus was alive - maybe alive in a different way, but not dead! When the Scripture says they returned to Jerusalem WITH GREAT JOY, it is saying the disciples were invigorated and happy with the current state of affairs. They had witnessed the Ascension, and now they were waiting for further instructions from on high.......and they'll get those instructions next Sunday at Pentecost. Amen. Any questions?

Pastor Skip