Seventh Sunday of Easter
June 05, 2011
(The Ascension)
"Jesus
Shall Reign!"
John 17:1-11
Preached at
Pastor
Dennis R. King
The Grace and Mercy of our Risen Lord, Jesus
Christ, be with you today and always.
Amen!
This is the seventh Sunday after Easter. The Ascension was this last week. What that means is that the Easter season, as
a season in the Church year, is coming to a close. Next week we will enter a new season in the
Church year. We will celebrate Pentecost
as we worship together next Sunday and begin the Pentecost season. We will
gather next Sunday for Pentecost and we will celebrate the birth of the church.
I would encourage each of you to wear red for next Sunday as we begin this new
season in the life of the church. We will remember God’s Spirit being sent to
us, to comfort us, to care for us, to counsel us, to help us through each and
every day of our lives.
Somewhere in the midst of all the
busy transition of things, from Spring to Summer from
Easter to Pentecost the Ascension gets lost. With the end of the Easter season
and the beginning of the Pentecost season, the end of winter and the beginning
of summer, with so many transitions taking place in our lives, the Ascension gets
lost. Somewhere in the midst of all of
that Ascension Day gets left out.
Ascension Day is one of those days of the church that we hardly ever
celebrate anymore. I am not sure
why! Other than, without fail, being 40
days after Easter, it always falls on a Thursday. And Thursday just is
The Ascension puts the final seal on that
very thing. Jesus is crowned as Lord of
Heaven and Earth. He is enthroned above. He is crowned King of all, over all,
in all, through all, above all. He had
come in poverty. He had come to made
great sacrifices. But now He is
returning in majesty, in glory, in power, in Kingship, the King of Kings and
Lord of Lords. This event leaves no
doubt. This event seals it. He reigns! This One, Jesus, has made great promises
to us. This One, Jesus, has come and taught us. This One, Jesus, has showed us
how to live. This One, Jesus, now reigns in all power and glory.
Sometimes we just evidently look at the
Ascension and say, "Well it is a transportation day." It is the day that Jesus goes from here to
there. He caught the bus and He made
it. However, it is so much more! For Ascension Day is the day when He is
enthroned, crowned over the whole universe.
This lonely man that walked the dusty paths of
In a day when we are programmed to think that
the things of this world depend on great people, the Ascension reminds us that
great people do not have the final say. Whether we talk about presidential
elections or whether we talk about great leaders in the world, or leaders in
management and labor, it makes no difference. The Ascension reminds us that
there are limits to the power of great women and great men and great people. No matter how invisible those limits at times
may appear, our Lord Christ is King and He reigns over the ultimate course of
history. He rules. It is not the captains of industry or the
barons of the financial world or the computers or the weather or the climate
that is ultimately in control. None of
these people or things have ultimate control. The Ascension assures us that this one,
Jesus, shall reign. He is in
control. He has taken charge. People may choose to go their own ways.
People may choose to abandon God. But Christ rules and reigns. The church may suffer persecution and
hardships, but Christ will finally reign.
Diseases may ravage our bodies. They may even claim lives before their
time. Tragedies may reduce people to
helpless invalids. But finally Christ
reigns in moments of worry, of anxiety, of fretting, of fear, of panic. It is
at these very times that we need to remember the Ascension and the fact that
Jesus reigns!
We are not fragile bubbles on the ocean of
life. We are beloved sons and daughters
of a great and gracious King. We are
safe in the promises of Eternal Life. He
gives us courage and confidence, peace and stability, if we but remember that
He reigns. In all of the ups and downs
of life, if we just remember the Ascension, the crowning event of Jesus’ life,
than His peace will comfort us. This Jesus is the One whom we have trusted in,
whom we have come to know as Lord and Savior. He reigns as King.
The Greek Orthodox Church has a beautiful way
of remembering this fact. Many of their buildings have domes and they stand
out. Often you will hear people say "Oh, there is one of those Orthodox
churches" because of its dome. The
dome is painted. Often as you look up to
the ceiling, you will see that it is painted with Christ seated on the
throne. In one of His hands there is a
cross and on the other hand there is a glove.
Every time a worshiper looks up in those buildings, they are reminded
that Jesus is not only the Savior but also the great King. A great King above all kings who keeps His
promises. May you remember the hope to which He has called you - the riches of
His glorious inheritance! Remember the salvation, the forgiveness, the life,
the certainty in Him. Never stop asking yourselves questions. Questions like - What Christian festival
assures me of the hope and promise that I have in Christ Jesus? Then remember
it is the Ascension.
Christmas emphasizes the love of God and how
He sent His Son into the world. Easter
emphasizes this One who is willing to take on all your sins and die for you
that you might have life and salvation.
The Ascension completes the plan.
For it is the Ascension that tells us that He ascended and entered
Heaven and He shall reign forever. Then
we remember that He goes there to prepare a place for us. That at the appropriate time He will come and
take us onto Himself.
It is great to be a Christian because we have
the King. The greatest King, who has made the greatest promises, has given us a
glorious inheritance. His ascension leaves us with certainty of that
inheritance. He has received the
crown. He is the King of Life. He
reigns! And because He reigns we already have the ultimate victory. Amen.
Amen!