He will come again.... but in the meantime.... 1st June 2025 Ascension of the Lord

 2025  06  01  Ascension of the Lord    

Acts 1:1-11     Psalm 47 or Psalm 93    Ephesians 1:15-23    Luke 24:44-53

 

Today we are celebrating the feast of the Ascension.  Jesus had been killed by being nailed to the cross, but on the third day he rose from the dead and appeared to his followers.  After 40 days of appearances and instructions, Jesus ascended to heaven and was no longer seen by his followers.  Two angels appeared and said; “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."  Jesus will come back again! 

 

We read about the Ascension twice, and both times the author is Luke.  Luke was a doctor who travelled with St. Paul and he was writing to someone he names as Theophilus.   Luke's purpose for writing was to provide a detailed and trustworthy account of Jesus' life, teachings, so that Theophilus' could be assured that his faith was real and the truth.  This was Luke’s apologetics.  In other words, giving a logical, real and practical reason for belief.

 

Have you seen the movie or read the book, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe?  In this story by C. S.  Lewis, four children are sent to the country to live safely away from the bombs of the war.  When they were playing hide and seek, the youngest of the children, Lucy, hides in a wardrobe that seems to have no back and as she edges back, she finds herself in a whole other land.  She returns to this land a second time and her brother, Edward, finds his way there also.   She tells her other two siblings about this, but Edward refuses to back her up, and says she is making it up.

 

The matter causes conflict, and the owner of the house hears about it.  He says this; “  Logic!” said the Professor half to himself. “Why don’t they teach logic at these schools? There are only three possibilities. Either your sister is telling lies, or she is mad, or she is telling the truth. You know she doesn’t tell lies and it is obvious that she is not mad. For the moment then and unless any further evidence turns up, we must assume that she is telling the truth.”

 

Just like the professor in the story, we need to apply the same logic to the story of Jesus.  In fact, C. S. Lewis also wrote a book called Mere Christianity, in which he explains this logic.  Jesus was crucified because he claimed to be God.  Logically either he was lying, a lunatic or he is who he claims.   We then look at the other evidence and find no sign that he was inclined to lie, no evidence that he was a lunatic, so logically the indication is that he is who he claimed.

 

Our belief is reasonable, because Jesus really existed physically.  He is spoken about by a Jewish historian as performing wonderous deeds.  As for proof of his having risen from the dead, the letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 15:6) tells us that the resurrected Jesus appeared to "more than five hundred brothers at once," and that the majority of these were still alive when Paul wrote his letter who could testify to this.  If more than 500 people witnessed something today, what would be the verdict?  Would we consider it believable?  Certainly, it should be something that we need to seriously consider.

 

Those who believed the message of Christ, became so numerous and influential that our way of counting the years was changed to reflect the birth of Christ.  The year 2025 CE was traditionally 2025 AD meaning  Anno Domini, a Latin phrase meaning "in the year of our Lord".  More importantly, the truth about Jesus has consequences that effect our eternity.  

 

Jesus had appeared to his followers, and we are told that he opened their minds to understand the scriptures.  Some of those followers had been with Jesus for all his ministry and yet they needed to have their minds opened by Jesus in order for them to understand.  This teaches us that all that talk about apologetics is all good and well, yet even we who do believe, need Jesus to open our minds so that the message can be received and understood.

 

In both readings about the Ascension, Luke emphasizes that the disciples were to wait in the city until they received the power from on high – in other words, wait until they received the Holy Spirit. 

 

In our journey of faith, we come to a point where we believe and respond to God, but there will always be so many things that we don’t understand.  If we solely rely on our own intelligence we will remain completely limited, because the things of God are spiritual and need to be understood spiritually.  When we are baptized into God’s family we are Born of God spiritually, and we receive the Holy Spirit.  You might remember that Jesus breathed on his followers and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit”, yet it was later that they were, what we might describe as, baptized into the Holy Spirit. 

 

So, what does it mean?  Next week when we celebrate the feast of Pentecost we will hear about the story, but today’s message is to wait. The waiting doesn’t mean doing nothing.  They disciples continued in prayer and studying the scriptures, but to change the world, they needed…  Not skills, not effort, not a 5 year plan, and not an elaborate program… they needed to be baptized with the Holy Spirit – to receive power from God.  

 

The Church today needs to be baptized with the Holy Spirit.  There is a part in our Thanksgiving prayer that begins; “Renew us with your Holy Spirit”.  I encourage us all to pray this simple line, not just once a week, but every day.   We are a remnant – just a small number, but so were the followers of Jesus at one time.

 

St. Francis of Assisi is quoted as saying, “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.”  It is our actions and our love that speak louder about the love of God than any reasoned argument for faith .  But even to love as Christ loves us, is impossible without God moving and working in us.  We need a move of God to change our hearts and our world.  We need to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. 

 

Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus is with us always.  That is part one of the Message of the Ascension.  Part two is that Jesus is sending a baptism of the Holy Spirit so that we can access the power that we need to impact our world by being Jesus’ witnesses.   Part three is that Jesus will come again.

 

Let’s pray; Lord God, we need your Holy Spirit.  We are small and limited without you, and we need the power from on high so that we can have courage to do all that you call us to.  We pray that wherever we go and to whomever we speak, that you will open both our minds and the minds of those listening, to hear and understand your perfect and wise ways.  Baptize us Lord, with your Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Extra Extra Read all about it.... Peter ate with Gentiles! 18th May 2025 Easter 5 C

 2025  05  18  Easter 5 C  

Acts 11:1-18     Psalm 148    Revelation 21:1-6     John 13:31-35

 

Scandalous news had hit the Jerusalem times…. Peter ate with Gentiles!  Even back then the grapevine could give you the facts, yet still lead you to the wrong conclusion. Before the election, I was longing for it to be over.  One political party slinging dirt at another.  Media making comments with bias one way or another.  There was very little being said that seemed like words of life.  And we are called to something better...

 

Have you ever experienced listening to a conversation and felt as though something deep in your spirit felt a sense of joy and hope and deep peace?  When I was 17, I went to a church young adult group, expecting it to be much the same as many others I’d been to before, but this was very different.   I was absolutely amazed at a sense of their wisdom.  I kept thinking, “The leaders of our country need to hear these people, they make more sense than anything I’d ever heard in my life.”  Interestingly, the phrase, “they’ll know we are Christians by our love”, also kept going through my head.

 

Jesus’ way of love heralds a new kind of kingdom, and today’s readings tell us that there will one day be a New Heaven and a New Earth.  The book of Revelation reveals things as they are from God’s view, and things as they will be.  The world as it is today, is in a fair bit of chaos.  Where there isn’t war, there certainly is division.

 

As followers of Christ, we long to see the reign of Christ, where everything on Earth is in order, according to His ways.   This is where we are different from those who don’t follow Christ.  Most importantly this different way is not a prescribed difference according to me, or you or any other charismatic leader who may come to power, but different according to God’s ways. 

 

The book of Revelation talks about times to come, but it also talks about some things as they are, revealing God’s perspective.  In that book there are letters to some churches and all but one of them are told they need to make some corrections. Those messages were pertinent to the churches at the time that they were written, but the errors of those churches are common throughout history and will be into the future, therefore, they are something we need to be checking for.

 

We are reminded today, that God cares for us.  He will dwell with us, and in this vision, there is no crying or death or mourning.  Also, there is no sea.  There are a few different views about this and why there is no sea, but I tend to feel it implies that there are no divisions.

 

Why do we have divisions?  The Gospel Coalition lists 4 https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/reasons-division-church/  but I suspect there are many.

 

If we get down to a personal level, it can be due to simple misunderstandings and different personality types, or a sense of ownership and control or a power play.  We are all human and suspectable so we all need to check ourselves often, and often times… ego really is a dirty word!  The antidote is love.  Jesus gave us a new commandment, that we love one another…. And do you see how this is echoed in my encounter with the young adult group when I was 17.  There was both a sense of incredible wisdom and a sense of love.  I don’t think it is any coincidence that the two went together.

 

Jesus said; “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”

Loving others was always part of God’s message.  The Israelites were to show hospitality and care for the vulnerable, which is practical acts of love.  So, when Jesus says that he has a new commandment, we need to ask what about this commandment is new.  The new part is to love as Jesus has loved us.

 

Before I continue, I want to make it clear that there were times when Jesus withdrew.  There were many times when Jesus stood his ground and there were many times when Jesus didn’t do what people wanted him to do.  But his motive was always love, and he loved in a way that was wise.  We might say, with proper boundaries.   

 

Recently I’ve been listening to focus on the family podcasts as I am in the car.  An American Christian senator was interviewed.  He explained that he read some of the Psalms each morning because he knew that he would be dealing with many things through the day that were not of God.  He had to keep that balance of putting the good stuff in, otherwise it would be like having a diet of only junk food and we’d get sick.

 

He also said that the divisions we see in government are a reflection of the society which is also divided and that if we want to change this division, it starts way back with us as individuals.   He spoke about not having enemies, only friends and future friends.  He explained that if there were people who vehemently disagreed with him, he would stop talking about those things and find something that they did agree on.  In this way they could find a way to work forward.

 

This is how we show practical love.  He didn’t compromise on the values of Jesus, but he showed that he was genuinely interested and concerned for the cares of the other person.  The show was actually called “dialling down the anger”, and he suggested that when we feel angry, instead of sending a derogatory email, or just stewing over things, we should find a way to serve. This is loving how Jesus loved.

 

In our first reading there was a division between the Jewish Christians and the Gentiles.  The Jewish Christians were Jews, and forever, there had been cultural divisions.  When they heard that Peter had gone and eaten with Gentiles, they were horrified.

 

Peter had experienced denying Jesus.  In this way, Peter had cut himself off from Jesus.  We often miss the grave significance of what it meant that Peter denied Jesus three times.  It means he had absolutely cut himself off, turned his back… it was every bit as serious as the sin of Judas who betrayed Jesus.  The difference being that Peter repents.  Meaning that he agreed with God about his fallibility, vulnerability and he was humbled.  Jesus had reinstated Peter by asking him if he loved him and telling him three times to feed His sheep.  Hopefully, you have picked up that there is something significant about the number “three”. 

 

Three signifies going forward, lifting up and spiritual authority.   If we look at the story of Peter with the vision that happened three times, we can see that God is impressing that this vision carries his authority.   It also involves the way forward and involves elevating the position of the Gentiles. 

 

In the story that Peter tells he ends with this one statement that silences the matter; “If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?"

 

God gave the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.  Repentance is to agree with God.  To agree that we need the sacrifice of Jesus.  To agree that only God can save us. 

 

In all our divisions and the chaos of life, this is what is of fundamental importance.  To agree with God. We need him.  Even in the command of Jesus to love one another as he has loved us, we very obviously can’t do it.  But what we can do, is agree with God, that His way is the way of life and we are thirsty for that living water.  We agree with God that we are fallible, and we need the sacrifice of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins, and we need His gift of the Holy Spirit to enable us to love, we can not do it without him.

 

So let’s pray; Lord God, our father in heaven, we turn to you.  We admit our weakness, but Lord we submit our broken hearts to you.  We ask that you send us your Holy Spirit so that we can love with a supernatural love and walk in the ways of life and goodness that you call us to.  In Jesus name we pray.  Amen.