With seeing hearts
Commentary
Have you ever seen a child's eyes dance? I bet you have seen it at a parade or on Christmas morning or at an amusement park. The eyes open so wide. Then the gaze seems to bounce from scene to scene so as not to miss a thing. There's definitely a sparkle that stands out as well. That wide-eyed movement that comes when a child's world is full of joy, gives rise to the expression about eyes dancing.
We often talk about ears perking up when few would actually see the ears move. Most people can imagine that feeling of the stomach doing flips when nothing on the body actually turns over. The image of letting your "fingers do the walking" is probably now long overdone. Teachers since the beginning of time have had eyes in the back of their heads. A parent ought to know intuitively when it is time to be "all ears" in terms of a child who has a story to tell.
Such creative use of body parts can be found in the scripture as well. Jesus was known to invoke hyperbole in some teaching as he called upon the listeners to cut off a hand or pluck out an eye. In 1 Corinthians the Apostle Paul crafted his most familiar image of the faith community as various parts of the body working together as one. So in Paul's letter to the Ephesians, when the reader comes upon "the eyes of your heart," it ought to spark the imagination. An intentional juxtaposition of such imagery shouldn't be missed. At the very least, the preacher will want to explore what it is that a believing heart is expected to see. The phrase "anyone who has ears to hear, let them hear" is often connected to Jesus and his teaching in parables. Perhaps Paul is pushing the church a bit further. Anyone who has ears to hear, let them have hearts to see.
On this Sunday when the text selections focus on the Ascension of Jesus, perhaps such a literary device stands out a bit more. The themes of Ascension Day arise in the context of Jesus no longer being in view. Appearances of the risen Christ are no more. This final scene in the narrative of Jesus the Christ describes the Lord rising into the heavens and out of sight. For the followers of Jesus the work of the senses now shifts. By grace the risen Christ invited Thomas to touch and see. In the aftermath of the Ascension, the church must now develop a keen sense of the seeing heart.
Acts 1:1-11
With the first verses of chapter 1, the author of the Acts of the Apostles reveals the connection to the Gospel of Luke. The references to the "first book" and to "Theophilus" establish the current work as a subsequent volume intended to follow up the recording of "all that Jesus did and taught." Theophilus, lover of God, appears to be an unknown believer and recipient of the two volumes. Some have suggested a more generalized intended audience. Perhaps Luke was writing to any who could be described as "lovers of God."
An observant reader will quickly recognize the attention to detail that is found in Luke's Gospel. According to Luke, that first book covered everything Jesus did and taught from the very beginning of Jesus' earthly life until the Ascension. Luke sums up the Lord's passion with mention of his suffering. Reference is given to the resurrection appearances, described in verse 3 as "convincing proofs." The time period of the presence of the risen Lord is defined as 40 days. The content of the teaching is described as conversation about the kingdom of God.
Here in these early verses, Luke provides something of a transition between the teaching of Jesus and the Pentecost birth of the church that will fill the chapters that follow. As you would expect, this first chapter tells of the last words of teaching Jesus offered to the disciples. With that teaching, Luke places the Ascension within the framework of Pentecost. "This is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now" (v. 5). That baptism of the Holy Spirit Jesus describes as the "promise of the Father" (v. 4). Indeed, the language of baptism connects the Luke-Acts volumes and, more importantly, connects the earliest beginnings of the church with the life and ministry of Christ.
The narrative of the Ascension in Acts begins at verse 6 as Jesus and the disciples gather together. The disciples ask the risen Christ about the restoration of the kingdom of Israel (v. 6). It is a question of the full political and social implications of messianic fulfillment. Consistent with all of the Lord's answers related to questions of the future and fulfillment and his coming again, he defers to the Father's knowledge and authority. While the answer related to such messianic fulfillment is not forthcoming, Jesus does tell of the coming Holy Spirit and the power that will establish the disciples' witness. Such witness will spread far beyond Jerusalem. In fact, their Spirit-filled witness will spread beyond the restoration of Israel. God's plan of salvation, that messianic fulfillment, shall send them to the very ends of the earth (v. 8).
Luke then describes the Ascension in rather simple terms. Jesus is lifted up as a cloud takes him out of their sight. The disciples are watching as one of those biblical clouds guide the risen Christ in a heavenly direction. When they can no longer see him, the disciples continue to stare up to the heavens. A question then comes from two angelic-like men who suddenly join the mountaintop gathering. "Men of Galilee, why do you stand there looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven" (v. 11).
The question echoes that asked of the women who stood at the tomb on the first Easter morning. Luke records that question from the two heavenly beings. "Why do you look for the living among the dead?" (Luke 24:5). Both questions have to do with vision. Both questions have to do with location. Both questions send believers forward into ministry and service. In addition, the question in Acts affirms that Jesus was "taken up." The implication is that the power of God is at work. Similar language would be used to describe the lifting up of Christ at the Resurrection. In a Trinitarian sense, the power and the agency of "lifting up" belongs to God.
Lastly, the question references the Second Coming. The risen Christ will come again to earth the same way that the disciples saw him go into heaven. The implication would support a view of the Second Coming that drips with drama as the victorious Christ comes down from heaven in the clouds. The tradition is not lacking when it comes to developing such eschatological themes and imagery. However, the question from the two men in white still stands. The clear exhortation is to not just stand there, but to go about the work to which you have been called by Christ himself. That work and ministry is described in chapter after chapter in Acts. Despite timeless fascination with the Second Coming, the church's mission is to carry out the witness of the risen and ascended Christ rather than to stand looking up into heaven waiting for one of those biblical clouds to appear again.
Ephesians 1:15-23
In these verses to the Ephesians, Paul begins with his traditional words of thanksgiving directed toward the community of faith and soars into doxology in response to the person and work of Jesus Christ. The language seems to typify Paul's writing. In this letter, the reader will find some of his most familiar themes and images. From salvation by grace through faith alone (2:8) to comprehending "the breadth and length and height and depth" (3:18), Paul provides the church some of the finest and most memorable of biblical literature. His writing on the supremacy of Christ is no exception.
Paul begins with that word of thanks and a promise of prayer in verse 16. With a description of the content of the prayer, Paul is about to be at his best. The prayer is for wisdom and knowledge for the faithful at Ephesus (v. 17). It is a prayer for the knowledge of the hope to which God has called, the riches of the inheritance bestowed upon the church, and the immeasurable greatness of God's power (vv. 18-19). The language, however, makes it very clear that this is not simply some kind of head knowledge or book learning. The experience of God is rooted in the heart. Or as Paul describes it, it is an enlightening that comes when the "eyes of your heart" (v. 18) are opened to ponder these mysteries of God.
The "eyes of your heart" is a striking metaphor. It is with seeing hearts that the faithful shall perceive hope, salvation and the great power of God. This power of God, for Paul, is uniquely revealed in the work of Jesus Christ. The concluding words that proclaim the divine reign of Christ begin with the Resurrection but move quickly to the Ascension where Christ has been seated in the heavenly places at the right hand of God (1:20). It is there upon the throne that Christ shall rule over every earthly power. With his place assured in the heavens, the name of Christ shall be lifted far above all other names now and forever (v. 21).
With the last verse of chapter 1, Paul offers a theological interpretation of the Ascension of Christ. That heavenward movement symbolizes the divine reign of Christ and the subjection of all others within the kingdom. For Paul, the Ascension also provides something of a Pentecost transition as the gospel narrative moves toward the story of the church. The church itself shall always be subject to the divine Christ within the kingdom of God. Using that language about the body that echoes 1 Corinthians, Paul affirms Christ as the head of the church, which shall be his body on earth (1:23). The last phrase reveals God's promise for the church. The post-Ascension earthly body of Christ, which is his church, shall reflect the fullness of Christ who indeed fills all in all. In sum, then, Paul's prayer for the Ephesians is that with seeing hearts, they might be able to perceive the presence of the risen Christ in and through the church.
Luke 24:44-53
Other than the longer ending to Mark's Gospel, Luke provides the only Gospel narrative that tells of the Ascension of Jesus. In Luke 24, it comes immediately after the Emmaus Road account. The risen Christ appears again to the disciples, offering peace and showing them his hands and feet. As the disciples were full of joy and still disbelieving and wondering, Jesus asks for something to eat. The brief reference to the eating of fish sounds like that beach breakfast in John's Gospel hosted by the risen Christ.
In the aftermath of this resurrection meal, the scene shifts. As he did along the Emmaus Road, Jesus again teaches. He grounds his ministry, passion and Resurrection in the law of Moses, the writings of the prophets and the work of the psalmists (v. 44). As Jesus was teaching, Luke writes, "He opened their minds to understand the scriptures" (v. 45). The divine insight offered is a restatement of the salvation history; the cross, the Resurrection, and forgiveness proclaimed to all nations (vv. 46-47). The Lord's reference to being "clothed with power from on high" (v. 49) is a foreshadowing of the Pentecost birth of the church and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit.
Here at the end of his gospel narrative, Luke paints what could be considered a traditional scene of the Ascension of Jesus. Having led the disciples out to a distant place, Jesus lifts his hands and offers a blessing. Notice that in the midst of that blessing Jesus creates some distance between himself and his followers and is carried up to heaven. With no other details offered to that miraculous scene, Luke quickly turns the focus to the disciples who began to worship Jesus. They returned full of joy and were "continually in the temple blessing God" (v. 53). Such an image of never ending worship foreshadows the temple life of the post-Pentecost church described by Luke in the Acts of the Apostles.
The reader knows that this account is not all that Luke has to write on the matter of the Ascension of Jesus. To affirm the unity of Luke-Acts is to suggest that Luke really doesn't end his gospel with that mountaintop miracle of Jesus climbing into heaven. Rather, the Ascension in Luke provides the Spirit-filled movement toward the church. In terms of doctrine, the Ascension affirms that divine Lordship of Christ now and forever. In terms of Luke's narrative revealed in Luke-Acts however, the Ascension provides that framework for pondering the Resurrection, the presence of the risen Christ, the birth of the church, and the promised gift of the Holy Spirit.
Application
On this Sunday closest to Ascension Day, the church gathers somewhat in betwixt and between. Next week the Pentecost celebration begins and we give thanks for the Holy Spirit and the fruit and the gifts and the manifestations experienced in the nitty-gritty of congregational life. Although Easter may be a faded memory by now, these weeks of Resurrection celebration will now come to end. Just as the congregation gathers here in the beginning of June between spring and summer, the liturgical cycle has us hanging in between as well.
In many churches Ascension Day may be far from a liturgical celebration. With the day itself coming during the week, it could easily come and go without any mention as those who plan for worship wait for Pentecost to provide a bit of a boost. Maybe the church just doesn't know what to do with Ascension. Read the text or sing a hymn or invite the congregation to reflect, and we may just find ourselves gazing up into heaven like those disciples. For some, the theological wrestling with the presence of Christ may come up. How can he be here and up there? A few may find themselves able to quickly affirm that cosmic divinity and lordship. And for many, the vacant gaze up to heaven indicates that we're just not sure what it means. The question of the two men dressed in white may have multiple applications. "What are you doing here just gazing up to heaven?"
These lectionary selections invite the listener to worry less about seeing with eyes and to ponder anew what can be perceived with seeing hearts. Luke-Acts provides ample opportunity to affirm the absence of the resurrected Christ in terms of those post-Easter appearances. As the church seeks to claim its post-Pentecost identity as the body of Christ, it will be with the eyes of the heart that church is able to see the "immeasurable greatness of God's power" at work. The church turns from the Easter celebrations and looks with seeing hearts to find the presence of Christ at work here in our midst.
The preacher for today can certainly proclaim the divine Lordship of Christ. Perhaps the bigger challenge is to take a page from Paul. Yes, on this threshold between Easter and Pentecost we seek to affirm the supremacy of Christ. But Paul also seeks to exhort the earthly church as the body of Christ. For God promises that in and through the church the world might experience the presence of Christ in all of his fullness. In the Sundays after Easter preachers may preach those texts that recount the miraculous presence of the risen Christ. On this Sunday closest to Ascension Day, preachers are called to look into the church's life and name that same miraculous presence.
Alternative Applications
1) Luke 24:44-53; Acts 1:1-11: A closer reading of the two Ascension narratives will give the preacher insight. In giving more detail regarding the teaching of Jesus, the gospel narrative places the Ascension story within the wider framework of salvation history. The specific address to the disciples puts the emphasis on the mission of the church. The gospel account seems to end on a note of worship while the Acts passage reflects more of a commissioning. Both passages give a clear notion of the promised coming of the Holy Spirit. A detailed comparison of the two accounts of the same story may provide a unique angle for the preacher.
2) Ephesians 1:15-23: Here at the end of Ephesians 1, Paul provides some powerful words in ecclesial self-image. Beginning with the vision of Christ at the right hand of God, Paul then affirms the fullness of Christ's presence there within the church. Are there many samples of sermons that excel in ecclesial formation? John Calvin would have described it as "building up" the church. Using this text from Paul, the preacher may be inspired to exhort the congregation and invite them to claim that identity as the body of Christ. Rather than pondering an individual's response to the heavenly Christ, Paul moves from the Lordship of Christ to the empowerment of the community of faith. It is an invitation for the preacher to rise and announce to the church "this is who you are!"
Preaching The Psalm
Psalm 47
Both Psalms 47 and 93, the alternative psalm for this day, are enthronement psalms, praise hymns celebrating God's rule over the nations. They were most likely used on festal occasions when Israel again declared that God was its king. We will focus on 47.
While the psalm was for Israel's celebration, verses 1-2 call all the nations of earth to recognize God as their monarch as well. Verses 3-4, however, return to God rules of Israel.
Verse 5 -- "God has gone up with a shout" -- may be the reason the lectionary committee designated this psalm as an Ascension reading, though to be true to the psalm, the Ascension referred to here was of God moving up to his heavenly throne. It's not a great stretch, of course, to see the similarity in Christ's movement "into heaven" (Acts 1:11).
Verses 6-9 repeat the call for all peoples to praise God as king of all nations.
There is an additional point of entry into this psalm you might consider. Verse 2 declares that God is "awesome," which might provide a way to speak to the young people present in your service. Youth-speak changes fast, but it wasn't too long ago that "Awesome!" was the youth culture's exclamation of choice to express that the speaker was really impressed by something. The superlative was "Totally awesome!" And let's face it: "Awesome!" is at least an improvement on the earlier "Far out!" or the more recent "Sweet!"
It would be useful to explain that the word actually means "inspiring awe" or "worthy of awe," and that when the psalmist used it of God, he knew no superlative could improve it, for God is all in all, and there is no word or words to convey that. So the sermon could proceed along the lines of how we picture God, and how none of the imagery we use for him is adequate. Perhaps this is where you roll out the "Your God Is Too Small" discussion, a la the still timely J. B. Phillips book by that title.
We often talk about ears perking up when few would actually see the ears move. Most people can imagine that feeling of the stomach doing flips when nothing on the body actually turns over. The image of letting your "fingers do the walking" is probably now long overdone. Teachers since the beginning of time have had eyes in the back of their heads. A parent ought to know intuitively when it is time to be "all ears" in terms of a child who has a story to tell.
Such creative use of body parts can be found in the scripture as well. Jesus was known to invoke hyperbole in some teaching as he called upon the listeners to cut off a hand or pluck out an eye. In 1 Corinthians the Apostle Paul crafted his most familiar image of the faith community as various parts of the body working together as one. So in Paul's letter to the Ephesians, when the reader comes upon "the eyes of your heart," it ought to spark the imagination. An intentional juxtaposition of such imagery shouldn't be missed. At the very least, the preacher will want to explore what it is that a believing heart is expected to see. The phrase "anyone who has ears to hear, let them hear" is often connected to Jesus and his teaching in parables. Perhaps Paul is pushing the church a bit further. Anyone who has ears to hear, let them have hearts to see.
On this Sunday when the text selections focus on the Ascension of Jesus, perhaps such a literary device stands out a bit more. The themes of Ascension Day arise in the context of Jesus no longer being in view. Appearances of the risen Christ are no more. This final scene in the narrative of Jesus the Christ describes the Lord rising into the heavens and out of sight. For the followers of Jesus the work of the senses now shifts. By grace the risen Christ invited Thomas to touch and see. In the aftermath of the Ascension, the church must now develop a keen sense of the seeing heart.
Acts 1:1-11
With the first verses of chapter 1, the author of the Acts of the Apostles reveals the connection to the Gospel of Luke. The references to the "first book" and to "Theophilus" establish the current work as a subsequent volume intended to follow up the recording of "all that Jesus did and taught." Theophilus, lover of God, appears to be an unknown believer and recipient of the two volumes. Some have suggested a more generalized intended audience. Perhaps Luke was writing to any who could be described as "lovers of God."
An observant reader will quickly recognize the attention to detail that is found in Luke's Gospel. According to Luke, that first book covered everything Jesus did and taught from the very beginning of Jesus' earthly life until the Ascension. Luke sums up the Lord's passion with mention of his suffering. Reference is given to the resurrection appearances, described in verse 3 as "convincing proofs." The time period of the presence of the risen Lord is defined as 40 days. The content of the teaching is described as conversation about the kingdom of God.
Here in these early verses, Luke provides something of a transition between the teaching of Jesus and the Pentecost birth of the church that will fill the chapters that follow. As you would expect, this first chapter tells of the last words of teaching Jesus offered to the disciples. With that teaching, Luke places the Ascension within the framework of Pentecost. "This is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now" (v. 5). That baptism of the Holy Spirit Jesus describes as the "promise of the Father" (v. 4). Indeed, the language of baptism connects the Luke-Acts volumes and, more importantly, connects the earliest beginnings of the church with the life and ministry of Christ.
The narrative of the Ascension in Acts begins at verse 6 as Jesus and the disciples gather together. The disciples ask the risen Christ about the restoration of the kingdom of Israel (v. 6). It is a question of the full political and social implications of messianic fulfillment. Consistent with all of the Lord's answers related to questions of the future and fulfillment and his coming again, he defers to the Father's knowledge and authority. While the answer related to such messianic fulfillment is not forthcoming, Jesus does tell of the coming Holy Spirit and the power that will establish the disciples' witness. Such witness will spread far beyond Jerusalem. In fact, their Spirit-filled witness will spread beyond the restoration of Israel. God's plan of salvation, that messianic fulfillment, shall send them to the very ends of the earth (v. 8).
Luke then describes the Ascension in rather simple terms. Jesus is lifted up as a cloud takes him out of their sight. The disciples are watching as one of those biblical clouds guide the risen Christ in a heavenly direction. When they can no longer see him, the disciples continue to stare up to the heavens. A question then comes from two angelic-like men who suddenly join the mountaintop gathering. "Men of Galilee, why do you stand there looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven" (v. 11).
The question echoes that asked of the women who stood at the tomb on the first Easter morning. Luke records that question from the two heavenly beings. "Why do you look for the living among the dead?" (Luke 24:5). Both questions have to do with vision. Both questions have to do with location. Both questions send believers forward into ministry and service. In addition, the question in Acts affirms that Jesus was "taken up." The implication is that the power of God is at work. Similar language would be used to describe the lifting up of Christ at the Resurrection. In a Trinitarian sense, the power and the agency of "lifting up" belongs to God.
Lastly, the question references the Second Coming. The risen Christ will come again to earth the same way that the disciples saw him go into heaven. The implication would support a view of the Second Coming that drips with drama as the victorious Christ comes down from heaven in the clouds. The tradition is not lacking when it comes to developing such eschatological themes and imagery. However, the question from the two men in white still stands. The clear exhortation is to not just stand there, but to go about the work to which you have been called by Christ himself. That work and ministry is described in chapter after chapter in Acts. Despite timeless fascination with the Second Coming, the church's mission is to carry out the witness of the risen and ascended Christ rather than to stand looking up into heaven waiting for one of those biblical clouds to appear again.
Ephesians 1:15-23
In these verses to the Ephesians, Paul begins with his traditional words of thanksgiving directed toward the community of faith and soars into doxology in response to the person and work of Jesus Christ. The language seems to typify Paul's writing. In this letter, the reader will find some of his most familiar themes and images. From salvation by grace through faith alone (2:8) to comprehending "the breadth and length and height and depth" (3:18), Paul provides the church some of the finest and most memorable of biblical literature. His writing on the supremacy of Christ is no exception.
Paul begins with that word of thanks and a promise of prayer in verse 16. With a description of the content of the prayer, Paul is about to be at his best. The prayer is for wisdom and knowledge for the faithful at Ephesus (v. 17). It is a prayer for the knowledge of the hope to which God has called, the riches of the inheritance bestowed upon the church, and the immeasurable greatness of God's power (vv. 18-19). The language, however, makes it very clear that this is not simply some kind of head knowledge or book learning. The experience of God is rooted in the heart. Or as Paul describes it, it is an enlightening that comes when the "eyes of your heart" (v. 18) are opened to ponder these mysteries of God.
The "eyes of your heart" is a striking metaphor. It is with seeing hearts that the faithful shall perceive hope, salvation and the great power of God. This power of God, for Paul, is uniquely revealed in the work of Jesus Christ. The concluding words that proclaim the divine reign of Christ begin with the Resurrection but move quickly to the Ascension where Christ has been seated in the heavenly places at the right hand of God (1:20). It is there upon the throne that Christ shall rule over every earthly power. With his place assured in the heavens, the name of Christ shall be lifted far above all other names now and forever (v. 21).
With the last verse of chapter 1, Paul offers a theological interpretation of the Ascension of Christ. That heavenward movement symbolizes the divine reign of Christ and the subjection of all others within the kingdom. For Paul, the Ascension also provides something of a Pentecost transition as the gospel narrative moves toward the story of the church. The church itself shall always be subject to the divine Christ within the kingdom of God. Using that language about the body that echoes 1 Corinthians, Paul affirms Christ as the head of the church, which shall be his body on earth (1:23). The last phrase reveals God's promise for the church. The post-Ascension earthly body of Christ, which is his church, shall reflect the fullness of Christ who indeed fills all in all. In sum, then, Paul's prayer for the Ephesians is that with seeing hearts, they might be able to perceive the presence of the risen Christ in and through the church.
Luke 24:44-53
Other than the longer ending to Mark's Gospel, Luke provides the only Gospel narrative that tells of the Ascension of Jesus. In Luke 24, it comes immediately after the Emmaus Road account. The risen Christ appears again to the disciples, offering peace and showing them his hands and feet. As the disciples were full of joy and still disbelieving and wondering, Jesus asks for something to eat. The brief reference to the eating of fish sounds like that beach breakfast in John's Gospel hosted by the risen Christ.
In the aftermath of this resurrection meal, the scene shifts. As he did along the Emmaus Road, Jesus again teaches. He grounds his ministry, passion and Resurrection in the law of Moses, the writings of the prophets and the work of the psalmists (v. 44). As Jesus was teaching, Luke writes, "He opened their minds to understand the scriptures" (v. 45). The divine insight offered is a restatement of the salvation history; the cross, the Resurrection, and forgiveness proclaimed to all nations (vv. 46-47). The Lord's reference to being "clothed with power from on high" (v. 49) is a foreshadowing of the Pentecost birth of the church and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit.
Here at the end of his gospel narrative, Luke paints what could be considered a traditional scene of the Ascension of Jesus. Having led the disciples out to a distant place, Jesus lifts his hands and offers a blessing. Notice that in the midst of that blessing Jesus creates some distance between himself and his followers and is carried up to heaven. With no other details offered to that miraculous scene, Luke quickly turns the focus to the disciples who began to worship Jesus. They returned full of joy and were "continually in the temple blessing God" (v. 53). Such an image of never ending worship foreshadows the temple life of the post-Pentecost church described by Luke in the Acts of the Apostles.
The reader knows that this account is not all that Luke has to write on the matter of the Ascension of Jesus. To affirm the unity of Luke-Acts is to suggest that Luke really doesn't end his gospel with that mountaintop miracle of Jesus climbing into heaven. Rather, the Ascension in Luke provides the Spirit-filled movement toward the church. In terms of doctrine, the Ascension affirms that divine Lordship of Christ now and forever. In terms of Luke's narrative revealed in Luke-Acts however, the Ascension provides that framework for pondering the Resurrection, the presence of the risen Christ, the birth of the church, and the promised gift of the Holy Spirit.
Application
On this Sunday closest to Ascension Day, the church gathers somewhat in betwixt and between. Next week the Pentecost celebration begins and we give thanks for the Holy Spirit and the fruit and the gifts and the manifestations experienced in the nitty-gritty of congregational life. Although Easter may be a faded memory by now, these weeks of Resurrection celebration will now come to end. Just as the congregation gathers here in the beginning of June between spring and summer, the liturgical cycle has us hanging in between as well.
In many churches Ascension Day may be far from a liturgical celebration. With the day itself coming during the week, it could easily come and go without any mention as those who plan for worship wait for Pentecost to provide a bit of a boost. Maybe the church just doesn't know what to do with Ascension. Read the text or sing a hymn or invite the congregation to reflect, and we may just find ourselves gazing up into heaven like those disciples. For some, the theological wrestling with the presence of Christ may come up. How can he be here and up there? A few may find themselves able to quickly affirm that cosmic divinity and lordship. And for many, the vacant gaze up to heaven indicates that we're just not sure what it means. The question of the two men dressed in white may have multiple applications. "What are you doing here just gazing up to heaven?"
These lectionary selections invite the listener to worry less about seeing with eyes and to ponder anew what can be perceived with seeing hearts. Luke-Acts provides ample opportunity to affirm the absence of the resurrected Christ in terms of those post-Easter appearances. As the church seeks to claim its post-Pentecost identity as the body of Christ, it will be with the eyes of the heart that church is able to see the "immeasurable greatness of God's power" at work. The church turns from the Easter celebrations and looks with seeing hearts to find the presence of Christ at work here in our midst.
The preacher for today can certainly proclaim the divine Lordship of Christ. Perhaps the bigger challenge is to take a page from Paul. Yes, on this threshold between Easter and Pentecost we seek to affirm the supremacy of Christ. But Paul also seeks to exhort the earthly church as the body of Christ. For God promises that in and through the church the world might experience the presence of Christ in all of his fullness. In the Sundays after Easter preachers may preach those texts that recount the miraculous presence of the risen Christ. On this Sunday closest to Ascension Day, preachers are called to look into the church's life and name that same miraculous presence.
Alternative Applications
1) Luke 24:44-53; Acts 1:1-11: A closer reading of the two Ascension narratives will give the preacher insight. In giving more detail regarding the teaching of Jesus, the gospel narrative places the Ascension story within the wider framework of salvation history. The specific address to the disciples puts the emphasis on the mission of the church. The gospel account seems to end on a note of worship while the Acts passage reflects more of a commissioning. Both passages give a clear notion of the promised coming of the Holy Spirit. A detailed comparison of the two accounts of the same story may provide a unique angle for the preacher.
2) Ephesians 1:15-23: Here at the end of Ephesians 1, Paul provides some powerful words in ecclesial self-image. Beginning with the vision of Christ at the right hand of God, Paul then affirms the fullness of Christ's presence there within the church. Are there many samples of sermons that excel in ecclesial formation? John Calvin would have described it as "building up" the church. Using this text from Paul, the preacher may be inspired to exhort the congregation and invite them to claim that identity as the body of Christ. Rather than pondering an individual's response to the heavenly Christ, Paul moves from the Lordship of Christ to the empowerment of the community of faith. It is an invitation for the preacher to rise and announce to the church "this is who you are!"
Preaching The Psalm
Psalm 47
Both Psalms 47 and 93, the alternative psalm for this day, are enthronement psalms, praise hymns celebrating God's rule over the nations. They were most likely used on festal occasions when Israel again declared that God was its king. We will focus on 47.
While the psalm was for Israel's celebration, verses 1-2 call all the nations of earth to recognize God as their monarch as well. Verses 3-4, however, return to God rules of Israel.
Verse 5 -- "God has gone up with a shout" -- may be the reason the lectionary committee designated this psalm as an Ascension reading, though to be true to the psalm, the Ascension referred to here was of God moving up to his heavenly throne. It's not a great stretch, of course, to see the similarity in Christ's movement "into heaven" (Acts 1:11).
Verses 6-9 repeat the call for all peoples to praise God as king of all nations.
There is an additional point of entry into this psalm you might consider. Verse 2 declares that God is "awesome," which might provide a way to speak to the young people present in your service. Youth-speak changes fast, but it wasn't too long ago that "Awesome!" was the youth culture's exclamation of choice to express that the speaker was really impressed by something. The superlative was "Totally awesome!" And let's face it: "Awesome!" is at least an improvement on the earlier "Far out!" or the more recent "Sweet!"
It would be useful to explain that the word actually means "inspiring awe" or "worthy of awe," and that when the psalmist used it of God, he knew no superlative could improve it, for God is all in all, and there is no word or words to convey that. So the sermon could proceed along the lines of how we picture God, and how none of the imagery we use for him is adequate. Perhaps this is where you roll out the "Your God Is Too Small" discussion, a la the still timely J. B. Phillips book by that title.
