May 13, 2018
The Seventh Sunday of Easter, Ascension Sunday

Where is Jesus? It seems that people have a hard time sometimes finding him. For example, at his birth, the Wisemen, thinking that Jesus was the new-born prince of King Herod, first went to the palace in Jerusalem rather than to the stable in Bethlehem. Then when he was twelve years old, when Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, his parents spent three days looking for him, only to find him in the Temple with the teachers. The soldiers had to be guided by Judas to find Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. On the third day, Mary could not find the resurrected Lord in the tomb and asked the Gardener, “Where is Jesus? Where have you laid him?”

Today we remember the Ascension of Jesus. And now we know where Jesus always is, he is in Heaven, sitting at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. Now we can always find him. But Jesus is not far off someplace in the Galaxy, he is with us, he is in our hearts, he is in our lives. Listen to these two beautiful promises of Jesus.
★ Matthew 28:20, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
★ Matthew 18:20, “Where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”
★ And also, Matthew 1:23, The Angel told Joseph, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” which means, “God with us.”

And yet, Jesus is not with us in a way that we can see and touch. We might want that sometimes, just like sometimes we feel like we need a hug or need to hold someone’s hand. Today is Mothers Day. Sometimes it would be nice if Jesus would be like our mother. Not those times when mother scolds us or paddles us, of course, but after the scolding when she shows us her love and concern for our welfare. I think that when we understand a mother’s true love, then we can begin to understand the love of God. We can understand the sacrifice and patience and mercy and grace of God. And when a mother understands that sort of God’s love, then she can be a better mother and love her children better. And then she will make the Fourth Commandment easy for her children to obey, “Honor your mother and your father.”

But Jesus knows that we are often rebellious children. The whole Old Testament is the story of how God the Father dealt with his rebellious children, the People of Israel. Often in the Old Testament we see an angry God, but more often we see a patient, merciful, understanding and gracious God. And in the New Testament, in Jesus Christ, we see that God has bent-over-backwards to save us whom he calls his “children.” He knows we need constant help and love. And so that is why he promised to send the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is not with us just to hold our hand like we were still only little children. The Holy Spirit gives power. Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” This is the power to tell the world where to find Jesus. We need to tell the world that Jesus was not only a person who lived 2000 years ago far away in the Middle East. Nor is Jesus far away in heaven. Jesus is with us now. It is our work to proclaim that message. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to create faith so that people know where Jesus truly is.

When Jesus ascended, the disciples looked up and wondered where he was going and when he would return. Then the Angels told them, “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” It is one of the most important teachings of the church that Jesus will return. The Nicene Creed says it this way,

“He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.” This is what makes it worthwhile to be a Christian. It gives meaning to life because there is the hope. We have hope because the sin and evil of this world will end. When Jesus returns to judge, he will bring justice and final peace to this sinful world. It gives us hope and peace right now because we know that when we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, that our sins are forgiven and we have eternal salvation and life. That is why, as the creed says, “we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.”

And so, the Ascension of Jesus is very meaningful to us.
First, since Jesus is in heaven, he is equally close to all of us.
Second, his Ascension means that the work done on earth for our salvation is complete, that the crucifixion and resurrection are a sufficient sacrifice to forgive the sin of the world and do not need to be repeated.
The Ascension of Jesus makes way for the Descent of the Holy Spirit.
The Ascension is the beginning of the world-wide mission of the church to spread the Gospel when Jesus gives the Great Commission.
The Ascension to the right hand of God the Father means that Jesus has power and authority to hear and answer our prayers.
And the Ascension reminds us that Christ will return at the end of the world to bring salvation.

Therefore we rejoice with the Apostles and the whole church on earth.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church

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