Acts
1:1-11
NPMC
Psalm
68
Ascension
Ephesians 1;
15-23
May 4, 2008
Luke 24: 44-53
Anita Retzlaff
Ascension: The Power of our Witness
Grace and peace to you from God the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ!
On our bulletin cover this morning we see a copy of a 16th century Greek icon depicting the ascension of Jesus. I like it because it helps me overcome some of my western, Enlightenment, science-oriented perspective on things religious. A couple of weeks ago in a pastors’ lectionary study group we were reading the texts of scripture given for Ascension Day and I found myself sketching a fluffy cloud with two stick figure legs dangling below. I caught myself thinking, “How does one explain this?”
When I saw this icon I realized again how narrow my perspective often is. I don’t know exactly what happened in Jesus’ departure and I won’t try to explain it but what I have discovered is reflected on the bulletin cover. Jesus doesn’t disappear into thin air necessarily. O.K. maybe he did but that is not the major point here. Jesus is lifted up and as the Ephesians text for this morning relates, “God…raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places (and if Tom Yoder Neufeld is correct, heaven and earth are part of a shared realm), far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come… And he has put all things under his feet.”
According to this icon Jesus does not disappear but dwells above all things. Jesus stays related to us, though spatially separated maybe, does not retire to some place far removed. Jesus is overseer of everything that we regard as important. Christ in his ascension, his being lifted up, becomes the focus and center of our lives. Now, lest we are inclined to contentedly sit back and say, “Well isn’t that a nice story,” we instead must pay close attention! For here it is that we become a part of his being lifted up.
We are the witnesses to this truth! We are witnesses to the power of the glory of God and to the lifting up of Jesus the Christ. In other words Jesus has authority “over” our lives because God has made it so. We have a share in that power and will share of that power.
In our 21st century world we are not too sure about what to do with power and glory language. We don’t want to attribute too much power and glory to politicians or church leaders because we know where that goes. Sometimes I am afraid that we don’t want to ascribe power and glory to God either and along with our culture ascribe power and glory to celebrity and wealth instead.
There is an ad on TV that has stuck in my head. One day I wrote down the dialogue. Many of you will have seen it. The setting is the indoor showroom of a car dealership. The door opens and a tall Caucasian man dressed all in white walks through the door. He is wearing white platform shoes, has a white beard (he is much younger than Vern), just plain white all over and he says to the salesman, “What does 100 days of grace mean?” The salesman replies, “Well, right now when you buy a Nissan you don’t have to make a payment for 100 days.” The very white guru, holy-like man says, “Well, isn’t that glorious!” and light streams over his shoulder and a white dove takes flight. Very cheesy! The religious language and imagery of grace, peace and glory are employed to describe a three-month interest-free car loan. No wonder we are a little confused about the meaning of glory and power.
The power and the glory of a risen and ascended Christ is the fulfillment of God’s promise to faithful people throughout history. It is not the promise of an interest-free loan but rather the constant reminder that the power of love is with us, guiding us always, lifted up in our midst. To that power, we are to be witnesses. The heart of God is not military power or party politics or fame; it is the hope that transforms death into life and community dynamics into peaceful life together. To that we are witnesses. The power and glory of God is experienced here today as we hear the testimonies of Elaine and Ched and last Sunday our sisters and brothers in the congregation who joined us in membership.
The ascension of Jesus our Lord is manifest in this small community of believers today. We gather together in the power of repentance lived as forgiveness, that flows from the power and promise of Christ. We have been clothed with power to be witnesses. That is the word of God for us today. The scriptures have been opened and the glory has been shared.
“Lifting up his hands, Jesus blessed” the disciples. And so this day Jesus blesses us, blesses our worship and our witness both here in this place and in all the places we go. Thanks be to God. AMEN