Ascension - what is that about?

Can be listened to here


Gate Pa - Ascension Sunday and Easter 7 Year A
Readings:
Palm                            Psalm: 68:1-10, 32-35                                                
First Reading:              Acts 1:6-14                                         
Second Reading:         1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11          
Gospel:                        John 17:1-11                                       

What I want to say:
I want to explore what the ascension of Jesus might offer us beyond Jesus goes to heaven.
What I want to happen:
How does our abiding in the Godhead affects how we see the world and how we live our lives.

The Sermon

       1.     Introduction:

Today is 7th Sunday of Easter or the Sunday after Ascension
means last week some time was Ascension Day
ask – when
-         how that day got to be called ascension day
long time I really didn’t get what the ascension was about
think created more problems than it was worth
wondered why Luke made so much of it.
some ways undoes some of what some gospel writers seem to be suggesting
e.g Mark – gospel as written by Mark ends at chapter 16 verse 8
very possible his ending got lost
two possible ending based on Matthew have been provided
– not Mark
also very possible that that is where Mark intended to stop
instead telling story resurrection appearances in Jerusalem
inviting his hearers tell own stories
I really like that idea
what does idea of Jesus ascending into heaven do to that?
kind of says there are no such appearances
Likewise other gospel writers understanding of Ascension very different from Luke’s in Acts
Matthew likewise has no Ascension
            ends with Jesus saying “surely I will be with you always to the end of the age”
For John and Luke – ascension happens with resurrection
In John Jesus says to women at tomb – do not cling to me I have not ascended to my father
            but later is all good with people touching him
impression is that he rose and ascended and
then appeared as risen and ascended one
interacts with disciples in Jerusalem and back in Galilee
Luke – writer of book of Acts
            ascension happens on Easter Sunday – how he finishes his gospel
By the time he came to write Book of Acts
            Luke added 40 days to story
rather than ascending on Easter Sunday
            Jesus hangs around 40 days
            then ascends from Mount Olives
            not from locked room in Jerusalem.
our churches calendar has chosen to use the timeline set out by Luke in Acts 
not gospel writers
story is little confused

       2.     Problematic

idea of the ascension I think raises some problems
as I have said before
gospel writer offering radically different way understanding God
we meet God in Jesus
in his life and death
we come know the very nature of God
            they invite us to understand God through Jesus
            he is to be our primary image of God,
that is what today reading from John is all about
want to know who God is – look at Jesus
not other way around
Central to this is idea of incarnation
Jesus is God coming amongst us
            As John says – The word in whom and through whom and for whom all things were made
made known to us in this person
            who was generous, merciful,
who brought healing, justice, peace, and goodness, life
In this person, in his teaching, in his actions, in his death - we meet God
resurrection rather than fixing crucifixion
            is God the Father’s big tick of approval
            Yes, I am met in this story
trouble with the Ascension can be
kind of says that – Jesus gone back heaven
so temptation is to stop seeing Jesus as our way of understanding God
Jesus gone back to God head
led a lot of Christians to almost discount Jesus earthly life
            sure – good teaching in there
            for some miracles are great – prove supernaturally cool he was
                        dying and rising is important for getting into heaven and such
don’t see Jesus compassion, generosity, mercy, justice, peace, goodness
ð Jesus ceases to be starting point how we understand God.
temptation is to revert back to old images God
like ruler and judge  of all creation
sits at right hand
God all powerful
not a hint of compassion, generosity, justice, mercy, goodness.
lot of conservative Christian leaders I suggest fallen into this trap
Their god is not god I recognise in Jesus
so we end up tons images like our resurrection window
            glorious all powerful Jesus
bears no resemblance to Jesus described in Gospels

end up with a God who is watching us from a distance –
judging us from a distance
complete absent from Gospels

finally we have idea because Jesus has ascended to heaven
incarnation is over
Jesus has left the house
all up to us to carry on mission
if don’t nothing happen
so mission becomes something we do
            rather than something God does
I grew up thinking that
            heavy heavy responsibility
pretty clear in Anglican theology anyway
mission is God’s work
we join in that work
remember when I first read that mission is God’s work
huge weight came off me
and I thought – I can do that

I blame Ascension for all this
it has confused us
left us with bad theology
frozen under weight of our responsibilities
leaves me wondering – why have it?
I have not really understood the need for it
One gifts of coming here and preaching from our lectionary is
I can’t just ignore it
have to at least ask what it might offer us.
here are some thoughts?

       3.     Incarnation

Think Ascension offers us two things (at least)
Firstly can be seen as the other side of the Incarnation
which as I said is idea
God the Eternal Word coming among us
as one of us
in person Jesus
fully human
fully divine
In incarnation
divinity fully divine Jesus
mingles with our humanity
with all its earthiness and messiness
to remind us that we are made in image of divine love
to show us what that divine love looks like
remind us that in our creation
            divinity had already mingled with our humanity
should blow our minds
that God values us
            each one of us
            all humanity
            so much
that God eternal Word came among us
            as one of us
            in all our humanness
            frailty
            and powerlessness
sign how much God values us
            esteems us
            loves us
that is how important we are to God

        4.     Ascension

what then is the ascension?
in ascension
this fully divine and fully human Jesus ascends into the Godhead
no matter what we think of resurrection as historical event
from theological point of view
gospel writers make it very clear
resurrected Jesus does not stop being human
            touch him
            he eats fish
certainly different from us
still fundamentally human
So the Ascension is when Christ’s humanity mingles with God who is three in One
our humanity mingles with the Trinity
like a welcome mat is put out for us
invited come and join in God’s ongoing party
drawn into life of God
right into the heart of that life.
Human Jesus is drawn back into the life of the Trinity
not separate from it
into the heart of Trinity
we are drawn with him
we join in that life

God in us
us in God

as we approach Pentecost
invite you spend next week saying these words
God in us
us in God
God in me
me in God

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Simply Sent

They Were Not There at the Beginning

Youth Camp