Luke 24:44-55
Listen and Watch Sermon
Pastor Tom Johnson, May 24, 2020
Our reading from Ephesians chapter one is a prayer. It’s Paul’s prayer for believers. His prayer is that the “eyes of our hearts” will be enlightened—that we would see and know the power of God in our lives—that we will experience God’s power. Paul calls it “the immeasurable greatness of his power.” This is the mind-blowing power of the Holy Spirit that brought the eternal Son of God from heaven to earth to be born a human child—the wonder of the Word made flesh. This is the divine power through Jesus Christ that healed the sick, encouraged the downcast, and confronted the abuse of human power. This is the unfathomable power that raised Jesus from the dead. This is the limitless power of the disciples who witness Jesus ascend back to the Father where he reigns over heaven and earth. This power is “immeasurable,” unquantifiable. There is no measuring stick large enough. We are unable with our human minds to intellectually grasp God’s power.
Solomon has a similar vision of God’s power in his prayer when he dedicates the newly constructed Temple in Jerusalem: He prays, “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath…But will you, O God, indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!” (1 Kings 8:23,27). God is not bound by the laws of physics. His greatness exceeds that of the universe itself. He is Creator of everything visible and invisible. In Isaiah 55, God says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Paul’s prayer is that we would know what is beyond knowing—that we will come to this realization and awe—to savor the wonder of God’s power—the immeasurable power at work in Christ that is also at work in us. Paul names three things that happen when we are enlightened by the Holy Spirit: we grow in hope, we discover our wealth in Christ, and we experience God’s immeasurable power. This is a prayer that God’s power will not escape our notice—that we will not underestimate his power at work in our lives.
There is a reason why so many in this world are overcome by despair, greed, and willful ignorance—we have yet to be awestruck by the power of Christ that raised him from the dead in the resurrection and back to his heavenly throne in the ascension. When our imaginations are limited to the power and pride of human beings—when our minds are bound by the natural forces of the universe—when we are paralyzed even by the fear of the rapid and deadly spread of a virus—we live in hopelessness. We need something greater. We need Someone mightier. We need a vision of God’s power that superabounds—that transcends human understanding so that we taste and see that the Lord is good. Hope is born into our lives by his Word and Spirit. When our wealth is measured by the weight of gold, the abundance of material possessions, or the number in our bank accounts and investments, we will never understand the surpassing riches we have in Jesus Christ.
We have Someone more priceless. There is no price tag on forgiveness and eternal life. We cannot purchase our salvation or the unconditional love of the Creator of the universe. It is all gift—even the faith that grows in our hearts. Our hearts and minds fill with gratitude for the incalculable wealth that we have in Jesus Christ. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead and back to his heavenly throne is the same power that works to elevate you and me. Through this prayer, the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit, God reaches out to each of us. By that same power, he lifts us out of our despair, hopelessness, ingratitude, greed, and ignorance.
Now is the perfect time for us as the people of God to share the treasure we have through the power of the risen and ascended Christ. We don’t need to explain everything away nor have an easy answer for every question. We get to share our hopeful hearts. We get to be a people known by our gratitude for all God’s gifts. We have the privilege to humbly tell others that we don’t have God figured out—no one does—but that we live our lives in awe of him. We love him because he first loved us. And we have only just begun to experience what “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9).
To our lives of wanton wand’ring
Send your Spirit, promised guide;
Through our lives of fear and failure
With your pow’r and love abide;
Welcome us, as You were welcomed,
To an endless Eastertide.
(“Up through Endless Ranks of Angels,” LSB 491, v. 3)
Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
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