Tag! You're It!
This is the message I shared with St. Timothy Lutheran Church and St. Mark Lutheran Church on Ascension Sunday, 5/8/16. The scripture text is Luke 24:44-53.
Tag--you're it! Luke's closing section of the gospel is like
a holy game of tag in which Jesus tags followers, saying, "You're it. Now
you're me in the world." These are
words we gather in worship to wait for, and we don't have long to wait. We're a
part of Christ's family. When we meet at the table, we taste promises. We
become Christ's body.
Today we are celebrating Jesus'
Ascension. Jesus leaves his disciples with instruction, a commission, and a
promise of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus' time of instruction with
his disciples serves to bring closure by recapping major themes of the gospel
and to set the stage for the coming of the Sprit and the work of the disciples
as witnesses in the months and years following his Ascension. Jesus' training
consisted of teaching the necessity of the things that have come to pass.
Initially, Jesus reviews the key events
in Luke's gospel and shows them to be a necessary fulfillment of scripture. He
reminds the disciples that "everything written about [him] in the law of
Moses, the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled (v. 44).
The gospel is in continuity with
what God has been doing and planning in the Jewish scriptures. This is
repeatedly underscored by Luke. This was no long, dry history lesson of the
Jewish people. Instead, Jesus "opened their minds to understand the
scriptures" (v. 45). There in a nutshell, is how Jesus interprets his
death, resurrection and their significance as the fulfillment of scripture. It
was this understanding of Jewish
scriptures, that the disciples bore witness to Jesus, which constituted
the heart of the earliest preaching.
When God calls his children to do
something, he gives them the means to do it. Jesus calls his first followers to
be witnesses. Jesus does not dwell on the past, but turns his focus upon his
followers, calling them to be "witnesses of these things" (v. 48). This will not be a mere spectator
sport. It is not simply about what they had seen in the past, but the disciples
are being given a comprehensive call to testify about Jesus to "the ends
of the earth" (v. 48).
But the disciples are not left on
their own to figure out how to accomplish this task. Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit would
come and help them to understand all Jesus taught. They were to be
"clothed wIth power from on
high" (v. 49). The gist of this
promise is Jesus' followers will have the capacity to be Jesus' witnesses in
every way that is called for. We see this illustrated throughout Luke's second
volume, the book of Acts.
Jesus gave his followers the
promise of the Holy Spirit. We need to
understand that God is not through with his church, with the gatherings of
Christ's people--with us. As we get to
the end of Luke's gospel, it is not the end of Jesus' ministry. In Luke's
second book, Acts, we see a Jesus still engaged with the world by healing
(9:34), associating with his followers (9:4; 22:7; 26:14), and working through
those who act in his name (3:6,16; 4:10, 30; 16:18). After Jesus' Ascension,
Jesus works in ways that are more
hands-off.
What Jesus' Ascension signifies
has less to do with geography (where Jesus went) than with his exaltation (who
Jesus is). Jesus' ascension establishes him as the Lord and Messiah, exalted at
God's right hand in ways that go beyond the physical (Acts 2:22-35; 3:26;
etc).The Ascension of Jesus speaks
volumes about who Jesus is without limiting him to any particular time or
space.
As he ascends, Jesus blesses his
followers. The disciples did what Jesus told them to do--to go back to
Jerusalem. There, they were continually in the temple blessing God (v. 53). The
ending of Luke' gospel implies how Jesus' followers are to live: worshipping
God, waiting for Jesus' promises, and do this "with great joy" (v. 52).
What does this mean for us?
Today's gospel is a powerful message for those of us who recognize that not all
is right with the world, but who live in a holy hope that God's purposes will
be fulfilled. Our God is on the loose, desiring to use us to proclaim the good
news to the whole world. When we get to
the tomorrows of our lives, God is already there, and God's grace is
sufficient.
As we come to know Him and the
hope to which he has called us, may we have open minds, enlightened hearts, and
be clothed with power from on high!
Amen.
Resources
R. Alan Culpepper, The New Interpretes Bible, Volume IX, Luke
sundaysandseasons.org
Troy Trufgruben, workingpreacher.org
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