If guns kill people, do pencils misspell words?
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Atlantis: the domain of the Stingray
13May
2010
Thu
23:52
author: Stingray
category: Sermons
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Ascension of Our Lord

Luke 24:44-53

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Jesus' time on earth was nearing its end. He was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the virgin Mary and born in a lowly animal stall. He was wrapped in cloths and placed in a manger, a feeding trough. He was circumcised on the eighth day, as was the custom for Jewish boys, as the law prescribed. He lived as a boy in His step-father's house and spent some time in His Father's house. He grew and took up a trade—carpentry. He went to His cousin, John, and was baptized in the Jordan, and the voice of the Father called out, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased;" heard again as He was transfigured on a mountain top. He taught, healed, exorcised, and forgave with an other-worldly authority. He celebrated the Passover Meal, renewing the covenant of forgiveness as He says the bread is His body and the wine is His blood. He then sheds that blood and dies in His body on the cross and is buried. "It is finished;" mission accomplished—He has done what He came to do. On the Third Day, He rose triumphant over the grave; death could not hold God, the creator of life!

All of this for you! Hallelujah!

Now, it is forty days later. Jesus had just appeared to the two followers on the way to Emmaus. He taught them and broke bread in their presence, at which time they realized who He was, and He vanished from their sight. They rushed to Jerusalem to report to the eleven what had happened. As they reported, Jesus appeared among them, and they were frightened. Jesus bids them to believe that He is real, inviting them to see His wounds and touch Him, and asking for something to eat. He receives a fish and a honeycomb, and He eats it in their presence.

Then He teaches them:

"These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures..."Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."

"Remember," He is telling them. "Remember how I taught you while I was among you, that everything that was written in Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled in Me." He had catechized His disciples for three years concerning these things. Now, He opens their minds to understand it. As. Dr. Just writes, "Human eyes are blind to the reality of Jesus' presence even when he stands directly in sight, and ears are deaf to his words even when he speaks them audibly, unless Jesus himself heals the spiritual blindness and deafness. Eyes and minds must be opened and faith created by God in order to understand the mystery of the kerygma," that is, the proclamation of salvation, "of his crucified and risen Son." He then repeats that catechization: "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day." "Remember," He says, "this was done for you."

All of this for you! Hallelujah!

But his instruction continues: "Repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." To complete the thought: "Thus it is written, and thus it is necessary that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in Christ's name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." This is the work of the church, this is the work that goes on in the church, and it is an extension of Christ's work. For, what the church proclaims, that kerygma, is the work of Christ, that "it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day." It is necessary and it was written. We have the Old Testament Scriptures word on this. These eleven are witnesses of Christ's work, we hear in this evening's Gospel lesson, and they have given us the New Testament account of Christ's work: The Old Testament tells us that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and rise again, the New Testament witnesses tell us that Jesus is the Christ who suffered and rose again.

And, while this proclamation is the work of the church, it is also an extension of Christ's work in that it is Christ's work. Christ works through the church to bring this proclamation to the world, beginning at Jerusalem. Jesus proclaims His suffering and resurrection through the church when the church proclaims Him. It is as the reformers wrote: "the church is the congregation of saints in which the Gospel is purely taught and the Sacraments are correctly administered." It is Christ crucified that is proclaimed, and so the work of Christ continues.

It's a good that that it is the work of Christ. For it is through the proclamation of Christ crucified that understanding is opened. Christ is still at work to open the understanding of those who hear the proclamation of Christ so that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Oh, to be sure, there are those who resist this and reject the proclamation. But, wherever Christ crucified and risen is proclaimed, there He is at work to open understanding and give forgiveness and life and salvation.

All of this to you! Hallelujah!

This kerygma, this proclamation, this work of the church, began in Jerusalem. It would be in 10 days that power from on high would descend on these 11. They would proclaim Christ to a multitude of nations in every language, as people would gather in Jerusalem for the harvest festival. From there, the Word spread around the world like wild fire!

Before they get there, however, there is this day, where after telling them these things, Jesus leads the disciples out to around Bethany. There...

...He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.

He blessed them. When God blesses people, He is putting His name on them. It is written in Numbers:

Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, "This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them:
'The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.'
So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them."

And when God puts His name on people, He is being present with them. His presence is a blessing, and it gives peace.

Here, as He ascends into heaven, Jesus blesses His disciples after having just told them to proclaim Him. He grants them His presence—He grants His church His eternal presence—to bless them, and this blessing gives peace. Though the world around may rage and reject the kerygma, the proclamation, nevertheless God is present to bless and give peace. Furthermore, since He is present, He is the one doing the work in the proclamation, as previously mentioned, to give understanding, forgiveness, life, salvation, and peace. He is present in the means that He has ordained to be present—in Word and Sacrament—and in these means gives what they say, gives exactly what He said they give.

So, they return to Jerusalem with great joy, where they would be continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Jesus had just opened their minds to understand the Scriptures and blessed them. They had great joy knowing full well that Jesus is the Christ and all that He had accomplished was for them, and that there was a joyful and great task ahead of them in which Christ Himself would be present doing the work.

That brings us to where we are, today. As said, it would be 10 days later, and the Spirit would descend on the disciples, and they would proclaim Christ crucified to a multitude of people from different nations in their languages. From there, the Word would go out into the world like wild fire.

All of this for you! Hallelujah!

It has made it here. Christ crucified is proclaim here. Christ's work continues here in the work of the church. Christ is very much present here, though He now sits at the right hand of the throne of God. And this is cause for great joy, just as the disciples felt that day of the ascension.

"Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations."

The work of Christ continues here. Though and because Christ is ascended, repentance is proclaimed here. God's Law is proclaimed in all of its fullness. We each have done things or not done things which forbid our measuring up to God's holiness. We miss the mark each and every time. There is nothing we can do to correct this. There is no hope within ourselves or our work. We are sinners deserving God's wrath and punishment. But there is hope with God, therefore repent!

But, the work of Christ continues here. Though and because Christ is ascended, remission of sins is proclaimed here. God's Gospel is proclaimed in all of its sweetness. Christ has taken our sin upon Himself and sacrificed Himself on the tree of the cross, dying in our place. He was removed from the cross and buried and rose again on the third day, but our sins forever died on the cross when He died on the cross. They have been removed from us as far as the east is from the west. We have been reconciled to God through Christ's substitutionary atonement. Therefore, it is no longer we who live but Christ who lives in us. What great joy!

Yes, dear hearers, Christ born, circumcised, baptized, crucified, risen, and ascended is proclaimed here; therefore, Christ is here! He is here to open our understanding, give forgiveness, life, and salvation, and give peace—the peace of God that passes all understanding and guards our hearts and minds through Him.

Yes, dear hearers, Christ is ascended. He is now seated as prophet at the right hand of the throne of God from where he sends men, pastors, to proclaim His Gospel. He is now seated as priest at the right hand of the throne of God where he intercedes on your behalf: "Remember," He says, "I died for this one, My blood covers them; therefore, they are in Me and I am in them." He is now seated as king at the right hand of the throne of God where He governs and protects His church and rules the world in the interest of the church. He is there to prepare a place for those who receive Him, that where He is they shall be, too, giving us this great hope: that we too will rise bodily from the dead and sit with Him at the Father's right hand in glory.

All of this for you! Hallelujah! What great cause for joy: He has done all of this for you. And since He has done this for you, you are forgiven for all of your sins.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.


audio recorded on my digital recorder and converted to mp3
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