Pastor
Tom Johnson, May 12, 2013
02-6284373: that is the postal code of the Mount of
Olives. It is the postal code for the Chapel of the Ascension, which is now a
mosque. It is the last place Jesus planted his feet on our earthly soil. The disciples met Jesus there in the Mount of Olives
which is just east of Jerusalem. It was there where they asked Jesus if he was
going to lead them into Jerusalem and usher in a new era for the city of
Jerusalem and from there establish a new kingdom of Israel led by her Messianic
King. Their hope is that now is the time for change. They
hope that today is the day for all the promises to be fulfilled. It is a great
expectation to think that their wait may finally be over. But the angels tell them “it is not for you to know
the time and periods that the Father has set by his own authority.” They long for a faithful Mayor of Jerusalem,
Governor of Judea, and King of the nation of Israel. They want him to fill this
important political role. They want to fill their homeland with the wisdom and
blessing of Jesus the Christ. But the angels tell them to quit gazing into the
sky. They remind the disciples that it won’t be until his coming in great glory
that he will appear to them again and be present with them as he had been in
his physical body. In our various readings, we observe that the
disciples had a limited understanding of the Person and work of Jesus. It is
not all bad. But their longings do fall short of what God is actually doing.
Today, it is not too dissimilar. In this country, we
hear religious leaders calling for the United States to uphold to Scriptural
authority and “return to our Judeo-Christian roots.” We want immediate results! As a family of faith, we want a roof that does not
leak. We want to increase our presence and relevance in the community and city
of Chicago. We want to experience the glory of God. And now would be nice! As individuals, we wonder where Jesus really is.
Where are those benefits of being a citizen of the Kingdom the Bible talks
about? Where is the peace God gives? Where is the joy of my salvation? On the surface of things, Ascension may seem like a Festival
that hardly needs any more attention than we give. It might seem like Jesus’
ascent into the cloud has little impact on our journey through this earthly
life. But we would be wrong.
“He who descended is the same one who ascended far
above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things” (Eph 4:10). “…so that
he might fill all things.” That is the counterintuitive truth of Ascension: in
his departure he is more present. No longer is Jesus limiting his presence to the
02-6284373 postal code. He is now in the 60610 zip code of near north Chicago.
Our reading from Ephesians says we now have his body which is “the fullness of
him who fills all in all.” The Kingdom of heaven does not have a postal code.
Jesus did not vacate the premises when ascended on high. He ascended to fill
the whole universe with his presence. Jesus ascends to the Father in his favor, power, and
love. He ascends to assure us that he has not limited himself to one postal
code but dwells richly in all his creation—especially among his people and in
his gifts.
Last week, a colleague and friend of mine said
something that helped me better understand Ascension. And many of you know my
friend, Pastor Allan Buss, because he preached here for our Stewardship Sunday
a year and a half ago. He said, “In our ascended Lord, we have a friend in high
places.” I like that. The lifting up of Jesus does not distance him from
us but is the ascent of a friend working on our behalf. It puts him into
position to continue the work that he began in this world. Theologians call
this the ubiquity of the Son of God—his presence is everywhere. We have a friend in high places.
My dad used to tell
me, “Tom, it’s not what you know but who you know.” As someone who wanted to
feel a sense of accomplishment and recognition, that didn’t go over very well
with me. I didn’t like the idea of my dad, or someone else,
making a phone call to open doors for me. I wanted to blaze a trail of my own.
But my dad’s words have often been true. In the case of Ascension, they are
right on.
We have a friend in high places. He has descended in
the flesh of the virgin Mary. He has taken up our humanity and bore the weight
of our sin and suffered the ravages of a broken world. He died and rose again.
And he has ascended on high. We have a friend in high places who has already made
that call to God. He has wiped the record of all our sins. We have a friend in
high places who has called ahead and booked a room for us in the Kingdom of
Heaven. And, he fills all things. The ascended Christ works in all creation sustaining
all things by the Word of his power. He dwells with his people as the Body and
family of God. He assures us that he is present when two or three reconcile
with another in his name. The ascended Christ is with the giving of a cup of
water to a child in his name. He gives his Body and Blood with the bread and
the wine. He dwells in our hearts by faith, rooted and established in love. Our
Friend in high places fills all things.
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