Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Seventh Sunday of Easter (B) 2018

+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.

Text: Acts 1:9
Theme: Ascended and Enthroned

Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

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

The narrative the Holy Spirit has given us is never inconsistent with the character of God. From the first word of Genesis to the last sentence of Revelation the account of God’s presence and work in the world is a coherent unity. Saving knowledge of the true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, comes to us only in the record of Holy Scripture. Any attempts to play the nature of God off against the biblical accounts is like sawing off the branch upon which one sits. There may be only a small disturbance when the sawing begins, but a big crash when it is completed. God remains true to Himself and true to His word.

Thursday marked the occasion of the ascension of Christ to the Father’s hand of power. Forty days after His resurrection from the dead He was lifted up to heaven. Jesus ascended bodily to the Father’s throne in the presence of His disciples. They were near Bethany, not far from Jerusalem. Angels were present, indicating the importance of the event. The disciples were still confused. Jesus gives them correction and comfort. He then receives His coronation. His journey of sacrifice was ended.

The church confesses the ascension in its creeds. The ascension is not an afterthought, an event tacked on to the chronology of the crucifixion and resurrection. It is, rather, the culmination of His work of redemption. He now rules at the Father’s side and makes intercession for His church. But we do not believe God is an absentee landlord. He does not deliver decrees from distance demanding obedience from His subjects. He is not an aloof ruler that occasionally intervenes in human affairs according to His whim.

God has not left us to fend for ourselves. Pentecost looms, but the ascension is not a handover from Jesus to the Holy Spirit or from Jesus to the apostles. He has already said to them, “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."1 Jesus is Immanuel- God With Us2! His reach is not limited by His enthronement in heaven. He is present wherever and whenever His word and sacrament are. His presence isn’t a projection in the minds of believers. He is the incarnate one; always near to His people. When the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, "Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people,"3 the apostle understood that the Saviour was at His side.



There is no place God is not. It’s important to understand, though, that the omnipresence of God does not mean we have unrestricted and generic access to Him. The truth that God is everywhere does not mean He is available to us according to our preferences. Saving contact with God only happens through His chosen means. That’s why regular contact with God’s word is so vitally essential. Today Jesus prays to the Father on behalf of His followers saying, “Sanctify them by Your truth; Your word is truth.”4

His truth is the be all and end all of reality itself. His truth calls us to account for our sins, brings us to repentance, and shapes us for lives of service, and comforts us with heavenly blessings. This happens as He transforms us from the inside out. When you answer that question, “Do you confess that you have sinned, and do you repent of your sins?” Do you think God is just targeting some lapse in your self-control that resulted in lying, cheating, and stealing? Restraint is necessary primarily for unbelievers. He is targeting the deeper motives of your heart. God is not a parole officer keeping a list of your “petty offences”. He is a master surgeon operating on the cancer of your idolatry. Restraining the outward transgressions doesn’t cure the inward motivations. But when the heart and conscience find security in the grace of God the actions will follow.

The Lutheran Confessions say it this way, “Now, the Decalogue [Ten Commandments] requires not only outward civil works, which reason can in some way produce, but it also requires other things placed far above reason, namely, truly to fear God, truly to love God, truly to call upon God, truly to be convinced that God hears us, and to expect the aid of God in death and in all afflictions; finally, it requires obedience to God, in death and all afflictions, so that we may not flee from these or refuse them when God imposes them.”5

Faith means that your conscience wants to know and do God’s will even if your heart is enticed by selfish desires. Faith means the conflict against temptation is always engaged. Not that we live in some state of perpetual anxiety over the constant presence of temptation. We have peace that passes all understanding6. If we are being assaulted by Satan’s schemes, or refined by the Lord’s discipline we can be assured that our faith is active. A person with a dead faith cares nothing about following God’s will, flees from Divine discipline, and avoids every sort of pain and heartache the world can throw at us. Avoidance of discomfort is at the top of most modern agendas. Evading pain is not only a top priority, it is nearly considered to be an inalienable right.

Dear friends, as people of God, we live in the world, but we are not of the world. You have worries, cares, frustrations, and challenges. You are occupied with disappointments, fears, and doubts. You may struggle with being dependent, despondent or depressed. You may be apathetic or lack empathy. You may not feel any different from the average person of the world. Yet, God’s holiness is not far removed from you. There’s no burden He cannot lift. There’s no darkness His light cannot penetrate. There’s no sadness that cannot be wiped away by the immortal life He brings. We dine at His table. We are cleansed by His blood. It’s our privilege to share His hope and light.

Jesus died and rose again to atone for the sins of the whole world. His grace has no conditions. His mercy has no prerequisites. His compassion is not restricted according to any human criteria. If you could contribute anything, even in the smallest measure, to your own salvation, the entire premise of the gospel would be overthrown. If you could climb part of the ladder, pay a little of the debt, or carry some of the burden, the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ would be undermined and overthrown. That means your baptism is not a conditional promise. Yes, it can be despised. It can be torn to shreds like tearing up $100 note. When God’s promises are despised we scorn God Himself.

Yet, just as tearing up that $100 note does nothing to the authority that issued it (the central bank), so too, God in His character (His power, grace, and wisdom) remains unchanged by human fury or folly. God is, of course, pained when people rebuff His blessings. The Scriptures warn about grieving the Holy Spirit7. Still, God remains true even when every human is false. He remains faithful even when we lapse from the faith. He remains constant in love even when our hearts grow cold.

Today mothers are also recognized all around the world. What a tremendous privilege it is helping to bring life into existence. But the status of motherhood is under attack. Not respected as it once was, Christian mothers are in greater need of support from the wider network of Christian people. Life is sacred to God. He blesses its conception, its nurture, and the Christian’s entire pilgrimage to eternity. Mothers are not discretionary. They are His indispensable means of giving love and care, identity and purpose to His children.

Jesus is ascended. But He is not absent. He rules patiently and tirelessly until the appointed time for His return in glory. He doesn’t leave us short-handed or in suspense. Thanks be to God! Amen.

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

+ In nomine Jesu +

Seventh Sunday of Easter
13 May 2018
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt

1 Matthew 28:20 2 See Matthew 1:23
3 Acts 18:9-10 4 John 17:17
5 Apology IV 6 See Philippians 4:7
7 See Ephesians 4:30


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