Acts 1:1-11 - Ascension Life Matters - May 16, 2021
/For several years now America has been swept up in a debate over which lives matter. You’ve seen the signs and bumper stickers: Black lives matter. Blue lives matter. Brown lives matter. Yellow lives matter. Eventually, once you’ve run through the whole spectrum of colors, even though it’s not politically correct to say, you get to the point where all lives matter. No, this is not going to be a lecture on race relations in our country today. Today we’re going to add another acronym to the list: ALM – Ascension Life Matters.
Now, as you were driving here this morning, you may have seen clear evidence to the contrary. You probably saw people walking their dogs, working in their yards, towing their boats to the lake, headed to the hardware store to pick up material for a DIY project – you saw with your own eyes that to many people, Ascension does not matter – not even a little bit. But Ascension does matter. Sure, out there it’s just another ordinary Sunday. But in here it’s a special festival; a day to sing and rejoice and celebrate. In the early church, Ascension was celebrated, along with Christmas and Easter, as one of the three high festivals of the Christian church year. But it’s hardly treated like that today, even by us. Ascension actually took place 40 days after Jesus’ resurrection, which was this past Thursday, but we didn’t have a special service. We don’t give Ascension Day gifts, we don’t throw Ascension Day parties. Even we, who should rightly celebrate Ascension as heartily as we do Christmas or Easter, don’t. Why not? Probably because like those disciples we find ourselves standing here looking up at the sky, wondering what it’s all about.
What does Ascension mean? When Jesus bodily ascended into heaven 40 days after his resurrection from the dead to reign and rule over all things for the good of the church (Ephesians 2:20-23), he took us with him. Really. He took us with him into heaven where he rules and reigns over all things. Does that sound like a stretch? Does that match up with what you can observe with your own eyes? Do you see Christ and his church ruling the nations or do you see the nations slowly but surely chipping away at the moral and Biblical foundation of the church? Do you want proof? Daniel prophesied about this roughly 600 years before Jesus’ ascension: the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under all the heavens will be given to the people, to the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and all dominions will worship and obey him (Daniel 7:27). Paul confirms this in Ephesians 2: God, because he is rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in trespasses…He also raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-6). A number of other passages attest that because of Jesus’ ascension, because he reigns and rules all things – so do we (Isaiah 61:6; Revelation 5:9-10; 22:5). Do you feel, experience, sense that power and authority? No? Why not? Maybe because we’re not minorities.
Allow me to illustrate. On April 15, 1947 something happened that had never happened before: an African American named Jackie Robinson started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers. By all accounts, this event was far bigger than just who was playing first base for the Dodgers. For the African Americans who were watching, it wasn’t just Jackie stepping into the batter’s box, it wasn’t just him running around the bases, it wasn’t just him who was voted the National League MVP in 1949. [1] Jackie Robinson didn’t just play for himself – he played for all African Americans. Even though they still lived in a segregated country, they could identify with Jackie as he played Major League Baseball. Interviews with African Americans who lived through his barrier breaking testify about how it changed everything for them; how they viewed life, what they thought was possible for them in life. When they saw Jackie Robinson on a professional baseball field, at least for a few hours, they saw themselves where he was.
In the same way, we – as Christians – are to see ourselves where Jesus is now. Admittedly, this is a radical idea. Human reason says that it is impossible for human flesh and blood – for humanity – to ascend to heaven. And yet, just as people used to say that it was contrary to nature, reason, even the law, for a black man to play professional baseball with white men, so all of nature, all of reason, all the observable laws of nature say that human bodies don’t go to heaven. Sure, maybe a soul can, but not a flesh and blood body – they are just buried in the ground. But because Jesus shattered all those barriers when bodily ascended into heaven, that’s exactly what is true for us as well. Paul writes: you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory (Colossians 3:3-4). Now, just as black men belonged in MLB after Jackie Robinson, so humanity belongs in heaven after Jesus. Jesus’ ascension shows us that the bodies we have right now – which we regard as so confined to earth, so attached to dust and dirt – can – and will – go to heaven! But Ascension is more than that – it has to be. Ascension wouldn’t mean anything if it all it proved is that the perfect Son of God can take human flesh and blood into heaven.
The same was true of Jackie Robinson. “He opened doors.” [2] That’s what many people said about Jackie Robinson. He didn’t just take Black people onto a baseball field; he opened the door for Black people in a variety of fields – from the military, to Hollywood, to government and business. Black people all over American began to dream of what doors they could now walk through because Jackie Robinson had broken through the barrier of skin color which kept them out.
That’s how we should think of Jesus’ resurrection. That’s why today should be a day of celebration and joy and thanksgiving. Jesus has opened the door for humanity to go to heaven. And not perfect humans – but fallen, sinful humans – humans like us. In that sense, Jesus’ ascension contains two miracles. First, in Jesus, humanity now sits where only God had sat before – far above all rule, authority, power, and dominion, and above every name that is given (Ephesians 1:21). Second, the door of heaven – which had previously been locked – now stands open to sinners like us.
Do you see how much this matters? If you’re honest with yourself, if you listen to your conscience, if you’ve looked at yourself in the mirror of God’s holy law and if you’ve seen the pained looks in the faces of the people you have hurt with your words and actions – you know that you are a sinner and that you have always been one. You know you aren’t perfect. There hasn’t been a single day that you’ve been free from sin. All of those witnesses testify that you can’t go to heaven. Jesus’ Ascension testifies that you can!
We can join Jesus in heaven because Jesus descended from heaven to where we are: under the Law and burdened with our sin (Galatians 4:4; Romans 8:3-4). This is all summarized in our Creeds. When Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate, he suffered for your sins. When Jesus was crucified, he was crucified for your sins (Galatians 3:13). When Jesus was buried in a tomb, your sins were buried with him. When he rose from the dead, he left your sins in that tomb. When Jesus ascended into heaven, he ascended into that cloud sinless and holy. In Jesus, as you are through the means of Baptism, Absolution and Holy Communion, your sins have been paid for and removed forever (1 Peter 2:24). This means that even though you know that every one of your thoughts, words and actions are dripping with sin, through faith in Jesus you are covered by his righteousness – and you can go where he goes. Ascension Matters because Ascension proves that heaven stands open – even to sinful people like us.
Another thing people often said about Jackie Robinson is that things were never the same after him. He opened doors that could never again be shut. Something changed for Black people when Jackie Robinson ran out onto the field in 1947. If you were a Black person at the time, you knew that, you felt that, you took comfort in that. It wasn’t just that institutions like Major League Baseball viewed Black people differently – but Black people viewed institutions like MLB differently.
Think of how humanity viewed heaven prior to this – remembering that the essence of heaven is being in the presence of God (Revelation 21:3-4). After they ate the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve tried to hide from the presence of the LORD God (Genesis 3:8). When the LORD descended on Mt. Sinai, the Israelites pleaded with Moses to speak with him on their behalf – they were scared to death (Exodus 20:19-20). Isaiah figured that he was as good as dead when the LORD appeared to him to call him as his spokesman (Isaiah 6:5). Peter, James and John fell on the ground like dead men when the glory of the LORD appeared on the Mt. of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:6). Jesus says that when he returns in glory and judgment, many will cry out for the mountains to fall on them to hide them from God’s heavenly presence (Revelation 6:16). Apart from Jesus humanity could only view heaven with fear, terror and dread – because we could only see heaven through the lens of the Law: that the God of heaven is holy and we are not.
Ascension presents heaven to us – not through the lens of the Law but of the Gospel. Luke tells us that Jesus ascended with his hands uplifted, blessing them as he went – no doubt, with the nail-holes in his hands clearly visible (Luke 24:50). Those hands are why we don’t need to fear heaven – or death or judgment any more. Those hands kept the Law, which condemned us, perfectly in our place. Those hands were stretched out and nailed to a cross to pay the price for our sins. Those hands have torn down the curtain of sin that separated us from God’s presence. Those hands are still actively working in this world to bless us. Is it any wonder that the disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy (Luke 24:52)? Jesus’ ascension changed heaven for them – no longer was it a foreboding, fearful, mysterious place – but their home – the place where their brother Jesus rules and reigns alongside God their Father – and from where Jesus will return one day to come and take them.
Because MLB looked at Black people differently because of Jackie Robinson, Black people looked at MLB differently. In the same way, because heaven looks at us differently because the true man and true God, Jesus Christ, now rules and reigns in it – we can never look at heaven the same way again. Does the idea of going to heaven by way of death or Judgment Day scare you? It shouldn’t. Because Jesus, the one who died on the cross for our sins is reigning there. If he didn’t turn against us as he suffered hell for us – would he really turn against us now that he is enjoying the bliss of heaven? If he was willing to endure the cross for us – do you think he would really abandon us to carry our crosses alone? If he was willing to submit himself to the corrupt judgments of earthly authorities, don’t you think he’s more than willing to sit at his Father’s right hand (Romans 8:34; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3) and rule the world for us? Ascension Life Matters because Jesus changes our view of heaven, of death, of Judgment – so that we are no longer terrified of them but, in fact, long for them – praying daily: Come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:20).
But Ascension isn’t only a reason for future hope and joy. Ascension Life Matters here and now because it means that Jesus, as he promised, continues to come to us here and now through the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). Heaven is as close to us as Jesus and Jesus is as close to us as the water of Baptism is to our skin, as close to us as the words of Absolution are to our ears, as close to us as the bread and wine are to our lips in Communion. Ascension Life Matters because Jesus took us, our human nature, with him to heaven; Ascension Life Matters because Jesus has changed our view of heaven. Don’t stand there looking up into the sky wondering what this is all about, instead, look here to the means of grace, for here Jesus opens heaven and changes your view of heaven by bringing heaven here to you on earth. Amen.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Robinson
[2] https://resources.corwin.com/sites/default/files/07_Excerpt.pdf