Are We Beggars?

Text: Luke 16:19-31

In the name of Jesus. Amen. 

He was like an American playboy – the type of man who lived chiefly in the pursuit of pleasure.  You know what I am talking about.  The type of man who dresses flashy, has a fancy car, jewelry, new technology and thinks he is God’s gift to the world.  This is the man that we are introduced to in our reading from the Gospel of Luke.  This is the rich man.  

But we are also introduced to another man named Lazarus.  This man was quite the opposite.  He was poor, hungry, and cast aside.  He was a beggar – a loser.  No one comforted this poor beggar; no one gave him anything – he was forsaken having nothing.  No covering, no house, no home, no money, and no friends.  No one came to his aid.  Only the dogs had mercy on him as they licked his sores.  Indeed, Lazarus was a pathetic loser in the eyes of the world.  He was nothing more than a filthy failure that took up space. 

Now, both of these men had nothing in common.  They were from opposite sides of the tracks.  They were a part of two completely different classes of people.  They were cut from different cloth.  They had nothing in common.  Well, except for one thing – they both died.   

It has been said before that death is the great equalizer in life.  We all end up in the grave – the rich and the poor, the popular and the losers.  Everyone goes to the same place.  From dust, we were formed, to dust we will return.

But what about after death.  What happened to the rich man and Lazarus after death?  Well, after death we heard from our Gospel reading that there were only two options.  There was Hades (hell), and there was paradise.  Yes, there were only two options, not one and not three or four.  Only two – heaven and hell.  And so, after death there was a great change.  The rich man became poor, and poor Lazarus became rich.  That is right; Lazarus was carried by holy angels into Abraham’s bosom, and the rich man was buried in hell in the devil’s graveyard. 

But why? 

Modern day social justice warriors would say that the rich man went to hell because he was rich.  The mantra goes like this, rich capitalists are evil and poor blue collar workers are righteous.  However, is this really the point of our Gospel reading?  Is it a sin to dress nicely and live well?  Do rich people automatically go to hell and do poor people automatically go to heaven?  

No, this is not the case.  Fine clothing and good living do not condemn a person to hell, and an empty wallet is not a ticket to heaven.  There will be plenty of rich people in heaven, and there will be plenty of poor people in hell… and vice versa. 

So then, what is the point of our Gospel reading?  

Dear friends, it is simply this, fine clothing and good living would not have condemned the rich man to hell had he not looked for his pleasure and desire in them, forgetting God, and letting poor Lazarus die of hunger.[1] 

You see, in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon tells us to go and eat our bread in joy and to drink our wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what we do.  He tells us to enjoy life with our spouse.[2]  Yes, we are to consider all that we have before us as gifts.  The food that we have, the property that we own, the family that we have, and the health that we possess, are all gifts of God.  We are not worthy of any of this!  And so, we acknowledge that absolutely everything that we have received is a gift of God, no matter how big or how small, it is a sheer gift of God’s graciousness to us.  So, we enjoy the things of life that God gives to us, knowing that the Lord has blessed us. 

However, things go wrong quickly when our eating turns to gluttony and when our drinking turns to drunkenness.  Everything is perverted when our clothing turns to vainglory, and our love turns away from our neighbor to the Benjamins – that is money.  There is a big difference between enjoying the gifts that God gives to us and collapsing inward into the darkness of our sin living a pig’s life. 

That is the problem with the rich man.  It wasn’t his clothing, money, and food, but rather, he made an idol out of his belly and his desires. The rich man was so fixated on himself and serving his desires, every single day, that as a consequence he became ungracious and unmerciful because he caved inward on himself.  The rich man reclined each day submerging himself in feasting and drunkenness like a fattened hog, and as a result became blind and deaf to God and Lazarus.  He was blind to everything around him, except the delight of his eyes.  He was deaf to the cries of Lazarus, but not to the grumbles of his belly.  And the same was true for his family, his brothers.  They had Moses and the prophets, but they did not listen to them as well. 

And now we begin to see the point of this story from Jesus.  Jesus is giving us a lesson on the Third Commandment.  He is showing us that the rich man was blind and deaf to everything around him, except himself. 

What Jesus is saying in this story is that the rich man despised God’s Word because He did not hold it sacred.  In other words, the rich man did not love God. He did not recognize God as the source of his wealth.  He did not recognize the needs of his neighbor. He thought only of his pleasures and as a result, neglected God’s Word and his neighbor.  He did not gladly hear and learn the Word because his whole life was spent looking elsewhere – his clothing, feasting, and carnal desires.  He was caved in on himself. 

Dear friends, you may or may not have the blessings of luxury in your life.  Your wallets may be full, or they may be empty.  Whatever your circumstances may be, whether big or small, luxurious or humble, if you are pursuing your dreams to the point that you have neglected and turned a deaf ear to God’s Word, you are committing spiritual suicide.  And what is worse is that calling yourself a Christian, you are encouraging those around you to follow you in your destructive path to hell. 

Are these strong words?  You bet.  They are strong, because you need to hear them.  You need to hear them because the Lord does not want you to end in the place of torment with the rich man.  But rather, the Lord wants you to be with Lazarus in paradise – to be with Him.   

Dear friends, open your ears.  Turn away from yourselves.  Listen to the Word.  Do not despise the Word.  Do not neglect it at the expense of serving the god of your gut.  The Word is sacred and powerful and active to give full salvation and forgiveness. 

We have so often failed to hold this Word sacred.  We have failed to trust God, who speaks in His Word.  We have turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the Word of God way too many times, which is often evident in how neglect the needs of our neighbors.

Lord have mercy on us.  Christ have mercy on us.  Lord have mercy on us. 

However, the Lord has compassion on you and me.  He did not ignore you and me, as we lay helplessly before Him, trapped in our sins, covered with the sores of our uncleanness.  No, He stooped down to us by sending His Son into our flesh. Jesus experienced pain and poverty and hunger for us.  He was despised and rejected by men as if He was the most repulsive outcast of all.

Jesus even experienced our sin, as He let the full weight of our guilt pile upon Him at Calvary.  All the idols that clutter our sinful hearts – all of the idols that we chase after – all of the idols that distract us from the Word – all of the idols that we chose over our neighbor, were counted against Jesus so that He felt the full torment of Hades as He hung upon the Tree for you and me. 

And get this, though, Jesus did not remain forever in torment but rose again from death – for you and me.

And today, as the resurrected Lord, He speaks to you in His Word.  He gives you this vivid story of the rich man and Lazarus to open your ears – to give eyes to see – to turn you away from yourselves.  And as you are given eyes to see and ears to hear, you are given faith – faith that receives the Lord’s forgiveness, life, and salvation.  Yes, you are given faith that hears that angels will someday carry you not to hades but to paradise, where God Himself will seat you with Lazarus to enjoy the eternal feast of joy.  You are given faith that grants you assurance!  You are given faith that is mighty, busy, active, and living.  You are given faith that does not ask whether there are good works to do, but before the question arises, it has already done them, and is always doing them. 

Yes, dear Baptized Saints, open your ears to hear this day.  Look away from yourselves.  Jesus has died for all of your sins and the sins of your neighbor.  He has been raised from death.  He lives today.  Therefore, He is your hope, and your neighbor’s too.  He is you and your neighbor’s satisfaction.  He is our worth.  He is our pleasure.  You are clothed in His righteousness.  You have everything you need in Christ in this life and in death and in the life to come. 

So, today, turn away from yourselves and receive the body and blood of the Lord for the forgiveness of your sin, the strengthening of your faith toward God, and the strengthening of your love towards your neighbor, neighbors like Lazarus, who are in your midst.    

In the name of Jesus.  Amen. 

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[1] Johann Spangenberg, The Christian Year of Grace: The Chief Parts of Scripture Explained in Questions and Answers, tr. and ed. Matthew Carver, (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2014), 235.

[2] See Ecclesiastes 9:7-9.  

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But Everyone Knows That Doctrine Divides!

Text: John 3:1-15

In the name of Jesus. Amen. 

Today is Trinity Sunday, and with it being Trinity Sunday, we confess the words of the Athanasian Creed.  More specifically, we confess that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance.  We confess that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are coeternal with each other and coequal, so that in all things that we might worship our Triune God in unity. 

Yes, today is the day that we dust off the Athanasian Creed, stand, and confess with boldness our belief that our Triune God is uncreated, unlimited, eternal, and almighty. 

But why bother confessing such a complex and seemingly confusing Creed?  Why bother confessing such a wordy and apparently messy sounding creed like the Athanasian Creed?  Why not just say that we believe in God and leave it at that?  Everybody knows that details and doctrine divide – right?  So, why sweat the small stuff – right?

Well... no.  That is not right.  You see, throughout the history of the church, thousands upon thousands of Christians would disagree.  Yes, there are thousands of Christian martyrs that would have severely disagreed with the sentiments that were previously mentioned, so much that they staked their life on the doctrines of the Christian faith. 

You see, if we look throughout history and spot solid doctrine, we will most likely find a trail of martyr’s blood attached to it.  The Christians of our past were unwilling to compromise the doctrines of God’s Word, and they were unwilling to settle for vague and imprecise statements about the faith.  Those who came before us, such as our Lutheran forefathers, were quite willing to be burned at the stake for a right confession – for solid doctrine. 

But it seems that this way of thinking about the Christian faith has come to an end.  Today more and more people in the church cry out,  

“Oh, why do we have to be so bull-headed about silly doctrine?  Doctrine doesn’t matter; just stick with Jesus.  He saves, not doctrine.  Just stick with the basics; yes, the basics.  We are Christians after all, and we all worship the same God.”

Now, while this sounds fairly reasonable, there are many hidden problems with saying that we should just stick to the basics.  For example, what are the basics of the Christian faith?  Who decides what the basics will be?  You?  Me?  Will someone else decide for us?  Maybe the world will decide what the basics will be?  Will the basics of the Christian faith be reduced to simple children’s stories that make Jesus into a moral teacher?  If so, we really don’t need the Christian faith but can instead watch reruns of Mr. Rogers.  Will the basics be reduced to simple coffee mug slogans: keep the faith, believe in God, be still, just keep praying, and so forth?  If so, we really don’t need the Christian faith but maybe a Starbucks Coffee membership.  Will the basics be simply sticking with Jesus?  If so, should we be concerned with how Jesus gives Himself to us through His inerrant Word and His Sacraments of Baptism and Communion?  If the Word, Baptism, and Communion are too much to fuss about – beyond the basics – well, I guess we are essentially saying that we don’t need the church and should toss our Bibles in the trash, and call it good.      

Remember dear Baptized Saints that Jesus ‘is’ the way.  Jesus did not come to teach you the way or to show you the way or to be an example of how you can find the way to heaven.  No!  That is nonsense! Jesus came to suffer and to die for your sins and rise again for your justification.  On the cross, your Lord Jesus gave His life for you so that He might give Himself to you and with Himself, He gives you and your children, His grace, His forgiveness, His eternal life.  He is your way. 

What does all of this mean, though?  It means that we cannot talk about Jesus without talking about doctrine.  We can’t talk about Jesus without talking about how He gives Himself and His gifts of life and salvation to us.  In other words, doctrine is far from unimportant in the Christian faith.  In fact, without Christian doctrine, we can’t have the Christian faith.  Why?  Because doctrine is just another word for the teachings that our Lord has given us in the Word. 

So, if we let go of Christian doctrine, we are letting go of the Bible.  If we let go of the Bible, we are left with ourselves and our ideas about God, which are more often than not idolatrous – fake.  Furthermore, if we attempt to reduce and diminish doctrine for the sake of embracing an easier life, then in time we will lose the clear confession of who our Lord Jesus Christ is.  And if not careful, we will eventually lose the Christian faith altogether, making us poor souls damned for hell, while thinking that we are fine and dandy. 

Tragically, I hear the sad regret from pastors and parents over how the children and the young people of our churches are falling away from the Christian faith after High School.  And everybody wants to know why.  Why are they leaving!?  Well, it isn’t the fault of the Holy Spirit.  But rather, statistics show us two things.  First, if parents are not bringing their children to church consistently in the first place and teaching them at home about the Christian faith, there is a 1% chance that they will continue in the church after high school.[1]  Secondly, a recent survey of 3,000 Christians conducted by LifeWay Research found that over half of Christians in America subscribe to ancient heresies.  We are not talking about minor doctrinal errors, but major ancient heresies that are condemned by all major Christian denominations.[2]  Bluntly stated, Christians in America do not even know the basics of Christianity and are often embarrassed to admit it.  The average Christian in America has no doctrinal understanding and is often opposed to learning. 

So, if our children and youth are not going to church and not learning at home about the Christian faith, and if the average parent does not even know the basics of the Christian faith, it should not be a surprise to us at all why so many youths are falling away from the church. 

Tragically when the world is teaching our youth about things such as photosynthesis of plants, but the church scorns the idea of teaching our children the doctrine of propitiation, well, it is no wonder why we have the problems that we do. 

O Lord have mercy on us.  God forgive us.  Yes, God forgive every one of us. 

So, where do we go from here? 

Dear Baptized Saints, before we can begin to teach our children, we must know what we believe and why we believe it.  We must learn the doctrines of the faith, the teachings given to us in things such as the Athanasian Creed.  We must treasure and take up the teachings of God’s Word and the Small Catechism, and never settle for the blandness of the basics.  We must know what we believe and why we believe it. 

Yes, if we are to be faithful as a Church and if we desire to have this Christian faith passed down to our children and grandchildren, then we must be prepared to believe, teach, and confess the doctrines of the faith handed down to us from our Lutheran forefathers – from the Christians who have gone before us. 

But we must also be prepared to stand steadfast as a church, to reject and condemn, all errors and false teachings.  But be warned, we will not be liked for being faithful to God’s Word.  The devil hates those who refuse to compromise.

Dear Baptized Saints, doctrine divides, there is no way around it.  We cannot have it both ways.  Either it will be the Holy Christian faith drawn from God’s Word, or it will be a generic-meaningless-empty faith of somebody else’s basics.

Now, if you think this all sounds too harsh, listen to our Lord Jesus and the way He speaks to Nicodemus in the Gospel lesson.  Jesus does not give a watered down generic answer to Nicodemus’ questions.  But instead, Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”  Jesus goes on to say, “We speak of what we know and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.”  Our Lord is clear here.  He is specific.  There is one doctrine, one teaching, one way – His way. There is no compromising.  Jesus does not water down His teaching or bend it towards mankind.  The doctrine and teaching of Jesus will not compromise and accommodate to our ideas of easier paths.

So, today we confessed the Athanasian Creed, today we confessed the doctrine of who God is in great detail.  We confessed it not as some dry religious exercise, but we confessed it so that we might continue to stand on what we believe and know in whom we believe.

Yes, we confess the Creeds and we learn doctrine because in so doing, we not only learn about our sin but also hear about our forgiveness, life, and salvation.  Indeed, Christian doctrine points us away from ourselves to Jesus and what He has done for us.  And when we hear and learn about Jesus, we are given faith and assurance and confidence that we are Jesus’ now and forever.

May God grant us the steadfastness of faith to cling to Jesus and to His Word.  May God grant us a hunger for His doctrine – His Word.  May God Grant us boldness to confess Him – today, tomorrow, and forevermore.

In the name of Jesus.  Amen. 

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[1] Matt Richard, “A New Discovery on how to Keep Youth in the Church,” PM Notes, http://www.pastormattrichard.com/2015/02/a-new-discovery-on-how-to-keep-youth-in.html (accessed May 26, 2018).

[2] LifeWay Research, “Americans Love God and the Bible, Are Fuzzy on the Details,” https://lifewayresearch.com/2016/09/27/americans-love-god-and-the-bible-are-fuzzy-on-the-details/ (accessed May 26, 2018). 

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Red: The Color Of Fire, Fervor, And Blood

Text: Matthew 14:23-31 and Acts 2:1-21

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

Annika, Anna, Allie, and Howie, today is Pentecost Sunday. You can tell because of all the red at the front of the church.  It is one of those few days in the church we get to see red on the altar, the pulpit, the lectern, and the pastor.    

Now, Pentecost is celebrated 50 days after Easter, which is where the ‘pente’ of Pentecost comes from.  You see, ‘pente’ means 50.  And 50 days after Easter is the day that the Crucified, Risen, and Ascended Lord Jesus poured out His promised Holy Spirit on the church.  You heard about this pouring out of the Holy Spirit in today’s Gospel reading from Acts. 

Indeed, in the book of Acts, we heard about a mighty rushing wind that must have sounded like a tornado.  We heard about tongues of fire resting on each one of the Apostles. 

And so, that is where the red of Pentecost comes from, the color of fire and fervor.  We use the color of red 50 days from Easter to show how the Holy Spirit was poured out on the church. 

Now, keep in mind that when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Apostles, everything changed.  Yes, everything changed because, before that Pentecost day, these same men trembled in fear.  They were silent.  They were afraid; often hiding.  But everything changed and they were no longer able to keep silent since the Holy Spirit led them to do what they feared to do.  That is to say; after the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them, they stood up among the crowd in the temple and began to preach in languages they had never learned with confidence and boldness. 

They were not just babbling nonsense, but they preached in the languages of the people who had come to Jerusalem.  People from all over the world were there and these people heard the Apostles speak of the mighty acts of God.  These formerly fearful Apostles now spoke boldly about Jesus who is the Son of God, who was crucified for the sins of the whole world, and who rose again from the dead.  They spoke of forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus name.  The Apostles had no fear but proclaimed Jesus. 

Now, none of this would have ever happened if it were not for the wind and the fire of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.  And so today we have red as a reminder of how the Holy Spirit came down upon Christ’s church.  We have red that reminds us of the fearful Apostles being turned to boldness to preach God’s holy Word of forgiveness, to a world bound by sin. 

You see, the Lord has this pattern of using weak, fearful, and unqualified people to proclaim His Word.  The Lord used fearful and weak disciples to speak His Word, and through that Word brought sinners to Jesus that they might be saved.  And here is the catch, the Lord still uses fearful and weak disciples, disciples like me and like you confirmands. 

Annika, Anna, Allie, and Howie, it is like this, your confirmation today is like a Pentecost.  Maybe we could say, your second Pentecost.  Your first Pentecost was on the day you were baptized.  That is when the Holy Spirit was first given to you, along with the gift of faith and forgiveness in Jesus’ death and resurrection.  But today is sort of another Pentecost, because today through receiving the Lord’s Body and Blood in communion for the first time, you will be strengthened in faith and love – kept steadfast in the Christian faith.  Today, you will make a vow and be prayed over to suffer all - even death - than fall away from the Christian faith. 

Yes, Annika, Anna, Allie, and Howie, today you are reminded by way of God’s blessing that you have received His Spirit and so you will be used to give a witness to your faith in Jesus Christ, to speak of the mighty acts of God that He has done by giving His Son to die for you and the world. 

But it won’t be easy, people do not like to hear about their sin or their need for a Savior. They are much more content with empty religious clichés or foolish television preachers who babble nonsense.  

This brings us to the other reason we have red today.  Red is the color of blood, of suffering, and affliction.

You see, before that Pentecost day, the disciples were paralyzed with fear, their mouths were stitched shut with trembling because they knew if they spoke about Jesus that they would be killed as He was.  They knew that giving a witness to Jesus would not lead to partying and dancing but would lead to suffering and blood.  And so we have red. 

In fact, the word ‘witness’ in the original Greek is actually the word ‘martyr.’  A martyr is someone who suffers and dies because they cannot be silent about the joy and eternal life that they have by faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection. 

And as it was on the first Pentecost day when the Holy Spirit led the Apostles to speak of the mighty acts of God to the people, so it is today for you.  The Holy Spirit will lead you to do what you alone are too fearful to do: to give a bold witness to your Lord Jesus Christ, in what you think, say, and do. 

And the way things are going for the Church in the world today, you may well find what it is like to be a martyr, just like the Apostles did. 

You see, right after Jesus promised to send His Holy Spirit to His church, He also said:

“The time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers a service to God.” 

That time did come for the Apostles. 

Bartholomew: skinned alive and beheaded.

Thomas: burned alive.

Matthew: nailed to the ground

and beheaded.

Peter: crucified upside down.

Paul: beheaded by the emperor of Rome.

Others were stoned to death or killed in terrible ways too graphic to mention this day.  And so we have red, the color of the martyrs on Pentecost, the color of blood.

As we hear this today, we may think that it would be wise to be silent about Jesus – to not rock the boat.  But the Holy Spirit will not let your fear keep you silent.  He will use you in life, and perhaps even in death to be a witness to the joy that you have by faith in Jesus Christ.

Annika, Anna, Allie, and Howie frankly stated, it is difficult to give witness to a world that hates to hear of sin and forgiveness.  It is difficult to give a witness in your own house, to your family, and to your friends and neighbors.  And you all will fail at times, in fear you will be silent though the Spirit would urge otherwise.  In trembling, you will deny your Lord Jesus when you ought to speak and give a clear witness to Him and His Word of Truth. 

The world will accuse you and at times want to kill you.  The devil will accuse you and show you how awful your sins are to try and lead you to despair and condemnation so that you might be silent.  Even your own conscience will accuse you, telling you that you aren’t worthy to witness to Jesus Christ.

But always remember that the Holy Spirit is with you.  You are baptized.  The Holy Spirit will continually bring you to Jesus and to this altar to fill you with forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Yes, when you sin, when you fail. When you deny your Lord in fear instead of confessing Him and giving a witness to Him in what you say and think and do, listen to the Holy Spirit as He calls you to repentance and brings you back to Jesus.  Cling to the promise of Jesus,

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

Know that the promise of peace from your Lord is yours even unto the end of time through the power of His Holy Spirit who brings you to Jesus, and fills you with Jesus and all that is His.

Annika, Anna, Allie, and Howie, today, for your very first time you will receive the Body and Blood of your Lord Jesus Christ to eat and drink for the forgiveness of all your sins, for the strengthening of your faith, for your spiritual refueling.  As you receive, pay special attention as the Cup is raised up before your eyes and the Holy Spirit reminds you that Jesus has given His Body and Blood that “the peace of the Lord be with you always.”  Pay special attention that you are drinking peace – Jesus who our peace. 

That peace is real peace, peace with God, peace in turmoil and persecution, peace from all your fears, peace that passes all understanding.  A peace that will strengthen and preserve you steadfast in the true faith unto life everlasting.

So though you have every reason to fear and to tremble.  There need not be fear any longer.  You can take heart and courage and remain steadfast in this confession and faith even unto death.  Not because of what you have done or will do but because of the Holy Spirit who is given to you, on this your Pentecost Day. 

And so today Annika, Anna, Allie, and Howie, we have red, the color of fire and fervor, and faith and even the blood of the martyrs.  The color of the Holy Spirit who is with you always.

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

Note: This sermon is borrowed in large parts from Rev. Joshua Reimche's Pentecost Sermon at Our Savior Lutheran Church of Bottineau, ND. 

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Above It All

Text: Acts 1:1-11

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

I have this theory about mankind.  It goes something like this: 

We do not like looking up, because when we look up, we realize just how small we are. 

For example, a person going to the Big Apple – New York City – will look up at the tall buildings, get dizzy and feel small.  And some people even get a shortness of breath when looking up at tall skyscrapers. 

Another example would be this.  Looking upon a clear night towards the stars can be overwhelming.  A person named Cory once said this,

“I am utterly speechless when I stop and look up at the night sky.  The cosmos has to be the most majestic thing ever.  I feel so small, and I feel so helpless when I gaze into the universe above me.” 

And so, I believe that most people are much more comfortable keeping their heads down.  We feel better when we can see, touch, and feel things below us.  That is right; when we cannot reach something above us or when there is something mightier above us, well… we get uncomfortable and overwhelmed.  This may be the reason why we keep our heads down so much of the time.  Indeed, if our heads are down, we like to think that are in control and the world seems smaller.  However, when we look up, we become smaller, and the world becomes bigger. 

Now, why do I mention this? 

I mention this because today’s reading from the Book of Acts causes us to look up, not down.  Yes, in the Book of Acts we hear about the Ascension of Jesus, which causes us to lift up our chins and look up towards heaven. 

You see, in the story of the Ascension we hear about Jesus being lifted up out of the sight of the disciples some forty days after His resurrection from the dead.  That is right; Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father.  He was lifted up - a cloud took Him out of the sight of the disciples to heaven. As can be imagined, the disciples gazed up into heaven.  Their eyes stretched as far as they could see, without moving or flinching.

So, is the meaning and purpose of the Lord’s Ascension, for us to simply lift up our chins and gaze into heaven, like the disciples? 

Dear friends, we must keep in mind that the story of the Ascension does not necessarily mean that Jesus is somewhere above us in outer space.  In other words, just because Jesus ascended upward, does not mean that heaven is located up in space somewhere.  We cannot take a spaceship to heaven.  Heaven is not a physical destination located next to Jupiter or Saturn.  One cannot simply take exit 13 at the fourth moon of Saturn to get to heaven.  Heaven is indeed a real place, but not a place ‘within’ our time and space.  But rather, heaven is ‘beyond’ our time and space.

So, if heaven is not physically located in outer space, why did Jesus ascend the way that He did? Why was He lifted up instead of vanishing in a puff of smoke? 

Dear friends, even though God’s kingdom of heaven is not somewhere above us in space, it is still above us.  You see, when Jesus ascended into heaven – when He was lifted up – this was intended to show and remind us of His kingdom’s immenseness and majesty and power.  The Ascension of Jesus to the right hand of power was to show that Jesus resumed His full divine qualities.  It was to show that the time of Jesus’ humiliation was over.  No more suffering, no more dying, and no more agonizing cross for Jesus!  Instead, Jesus reigns alive with a fully resurrected body, as the all-present Savior, who can intervene anywhere and anytime with His saving presence.

So, is it wrong to look up to the Lord when we pray?  Is it wrong to gaze upward when we think of heaven?  No, it is not.  It is quite natural to look up, for that is the direction that Jesus went when He ascended.  It is only naïve to make heaven into a physical location on a space map or believe that we can get to heaven with GPS and enough rocket fuel. 

So, when we lift up our heads towards Jesus in heaven or when we think of heaven above us, we are affirming that Jesus ascended far above all of creation to the right hand of the Father.  Yes, when we lift up our heads, we recognize that Jesus is greater than us.  We realize that He is more powerful than us.  We know that He is big and that we are small.  We understand that He leads His church.  We understand that He is over all of creation.

So, dear friends, when we look up, we should indeed feel small and tiny and insignificant.  We are nothing compared to a 110 story skyscraper.  We are insignificant compared to the millions of stars over our heads.  And we are especially small compared to the Lord Jesus seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven.  But this should not discourage us.  We should not become dizzy or weak or fearful when we look above us to the Lord Jesus at the right hand of the Father.  Indeed, the fact that we are small and the Lord is big is good.  In other words, isn’t it good that Jesus is above every created thing?  I mean, think about it.  What kind of God would Jesus be if He didn’t rise from the dead?  He would be a dead god.  And what kind of king would Jesus be if He was not above the powers and kingdoms of this world?  He would be a no-name average king.  What if heaven was a flimsy kingdom that could give way at the smallest outbreak of war?  Well, we probably couldn’t call it a kingdom.  What if Jesus couldn’t have ascended to heaven and was stuck here on earth?  Well, we probably would try to seize Jesus, as so many did before, and try to make Him do what we want, not what we need.      

Dear Baptized Saints, the fact of the matter is this, all the kingdoms of this world will rise and fall.  Kings will come to greatness only to be stung by death and buried 6-feet under.  Buildings will rise to scrape the sky and then be demolished by great earthquakes.  Even the sun, star, and galaxies have limited time, with stars continually burning up and losing their twinkle.  But Jesus?  He is not like other kings.  He has ascended higher than any other king has ever ascended.  And the kingdom of heaven, well… this kingdom will last forever for it is not of this world.    

And so, the Ascension of Jesus to heaven is not an end to the ministry of Jesus but a display of Jesus’ power, authority, and majesty.  His ascension shows us that He is above all. His throne is above us, which is why we can lift our heads with confidence.  Jesus and the kingdom of heaven are not like us and not like this world.  They are free from the limitations and sin of this world.    

Yes, Jesus is alive, Baptized Saints, at the right hand of the Father, where He will come again one day soon just as He left.  Yes, Jesus will come again, visibly, and with great glory - just as the disciples watched Him go in His Ascension. He will come again because He is not too big to not care for you.  Yes, even though Jesus ascended to heaven, He has promised that He will come again, for you.  He will not come in secret to rapture a few away, but will come suddenly, visibly, and with great glory.  He will come again, with great glory to call you unto eternal life.  And you, whether you are alive or sleeping in that grave, will hear His voice, and will find yourself before the Lord Jesus who ascended to heaven, and came back especially to bring you into the new heaven and earth. 

Until that day comes, we can rest in the assurance that we are never alone.  Christ our Lord, true God and true man, is always with us.  We have His forgiveness, His love, His comfort, and His strength in the Word and Sacraments and through the Holy Spirit. 

Baptized Saints, the world will do all it can to separate us from Him.  It will discourage us.  It will attack us.  It will persecute us.  Jesus Himself warned us, "In the world, you will have tribulation."  Nevertheless, He also said, "Take heart; I have overcome the world." 

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

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