Hope for a Weary World

This is the message I preached at St. Timothy Lutheran Church and Grace Lutheran Church, Dunkirk. The text is Luke 24:44-53.

Why do we celebrate Ascension Sunday? We don’t hear much about the Ascension in the New Testament. Paul doesn’t talk about it in his letters. John's letters don't say anything about this. Neither do Peter’s. The Ascension is not mentioned in any of them. If Jesus died and rose from the dead, isn’t that enough? After all, he would be alive. But if Jesus did not ascend to his Father, his mission would have been limited to the Holy Land. The disciples would have spread the faith there and died. Potentially, the Christian faith may well have died out.

Jesus' ascension is an important event. It enabled the Holy Spirit to pour out its power on the early followers of Jesus. This facilitated the outpouring of power so that God’s word was spread all over, not just in a small area.

In today’s gospel, Jesus is preparing the disciples not for his crucifixion, which has already taken place, but for his ascension. I’m sure the disciples experienced some of the same angst as they did the night before Jesus’ crucifixion.  Again, the issue of how they would manage without their teacher. 

Here we have Jesus trying to prepare his disciples, the eleven and others who were there. There are many good things that happen in this text, but what really strikes me, is Jesus’ illumination of the Word, which, remember, was the Old Testament. We’re told, “Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures” (Luke 24:45). Does this sound familiar? The two that were on their way to Emmaus, later in this chapter, said, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32)…” without divine revelation, readers would not see the predictions about Jesus in the Scriptures,” (The Jewish Annotated New Testament, Oxford University Press). The disciples then and now would not have understood what Jesus’ mission was all about. 

It takes more than understanding, however, to spread the good news. Jesus took care of that too. They needed power to accomplish this mission. Jesus tells them to wait in Jerusalem until the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, until after Jesus has ascended to the Father. 

This week, I virtually attended the Festival of Homiletics in Minneapolis, MN. Homiletics is preaching. There was joyous, thought-provoking worship, preaching and teaching. The subject was “Preaching Hope for a Weary World.” Did you know that “according to the recently released Harvard Youth Poll of 2,513 Americans ages 18 to 29, 51% of young Americans said that at least several days in the previous two weeks they had felt down, depressed or hopeless…”  (Abigail Johnson Hess, https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/10/51percent-of-young-americans-say-they-feel-down-depressed-or-hopeless.html#). Since the isolation many experienced during the height of COVID, hopelessness has only increased. 

We can only share with others what we already have. If we don’t have hope, we cannot bestow it on our world. Christ is our hope. The Holy Spirit will open our eyes to scripture if we let it. 

I found it interesting in today’s gospel that Jesus’ disciples actually did what he told them to do. Jesus said they should stay in Jerusalem until the outpouring of power. They left Bethany, from where Jesus had ascended and “returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God” (vv. 52-53). The disciples not only stayed put, but did so joyfully, hopefully, continually blessing God. They really believed what Jesus said. 

I think of Jesus’ time with the disciples in this text as a kind of double illumination. Jesus illuminated his word, God’s word, thereby illuminating his disciples, so they had divine understanding preparing them for God’s outpouring of power. 

How many of you have read parts of the Book of Acts? With all those amazing things that would be happening in their future, the disciples couldn’t blindly go into their work for Christ. Thousands repenting and being saved, miracles of people being raised from the dead, healings, changing of the hardest hearts and changing them into devoted disciples; you need preparation for that. The disciples prayed and sang and cried and laughed together in the temple. They were ready.

Are we? Can we bring hope to a weary world? Can you see the weariness in people’s eyes? When you ask people how they’re doing, you don’t hear that many “Really well… Everything is fantastic… Things couldn’t be better.” We certainly don’t see that so much among people of faith. Even in hard times, which we have all experienced, there is an underlying hope in God, knowledge of the presence and care of God. 

Do you think we have something to learn from those who gathered in prayer in Jerusalem? Jesus opened their minds, enabled and empowered them to reach their world with the good news of the kingdom of God. The same can happen today if we’re open to it. Can you think of hopeless people you know? 

There are a whole host of people who are not welcome in some churches: the homeless, the LGBTQIA+ population and others. Can we share with these folks that we at St. Timothy are open and welcoming for them? 

May it be so.

Let us pray. 

By your word, eternal God, your creation sprang forth, and we were given the breath of life…death is overcome, Christ is raised from the tomb, and we are given new life in the power of your Spirit. May we boldly proclaim this good news in our words and our deeds, rejoicing always in your powerful presence; through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord.

Amen. (ELW)

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