B, Ascension of our Lord - Acts 1:1-11 "Hidden Here"

We don’t know exactly how Jesus went into heaven; all we know is he was hidden by a cloud.  Was it a glory cloud similar to that which shrouded Mt Sinai when God spoke, or the cloud which covered the mountain of Transfiguration?  We don’t know!   What we do know is Jesus was taken into heaven to be at the right hand of the Father in glory, and once this happened the Holy Spirit would come.

Now if it was you or I who had done what Christ had done, wouldn’t we want to stay about and bask in the glory amongst those whom we had helped?  A nice little ego massage perhaps!  But it was not Jesus’ style nor was it his will to do such a thing.

In fact, his whole ministry was one of humility and hidden glory.  The spotlight was not the motivation for his ministry here on earth, rather this man from Galilee seemed to be much the same as every other ordinary person – maybe even a little weak.  His family was in the line of David but they held no priestly office.  His dad was a carpenter, a simple man no doubt, and Mary his wife kept the house.  As a matter of fact, we know little about Jesus.  Only what was needed to be revealed for the sake of our salvation is written about Jesus.  The gospel witnesses write specifically about only three years of this man’s life.

In their books, Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John, we hear Jesus commanding those he healed not to tell anyone. We hear Jesus allowing the devil to come into his presence to try and tempt him, when at any moment he could have repelled him with his divinity.  He never sought the high place at banquets and gatherings, but rather served. Think of Jesus washing his disciple’s feet or the outcasts of Jewish society amongst whom he dwelt.  When he did find himself in the position of honour, he was compassionate and humble, as he was when the woman wiped his feet with tears, perfume and her hair.  And in the extraordinary events such as the transfiguration, he asked for the disciples not to make what happened known until after he was gone.  Most of the things he did were done in humility before only a few witnesses.

In the four gospels we hear of the events of Holy Week; one week leading up to Jesus’ death and resurrection.  Weakness seems to be the theme.  He didn’t strike back when captured but submitted to the Father’s will, even though it appeared that through his death he had lost and it was all over.  The disciple were very ordinary men, he chose the weak of this world—the unschooled, the unpopular, and the ordinary—to continue his ministry, even after they had all failed in standing with him as he was condemned to die on the cross.

Under all these things God’s glory was hidden.  Under the flesh of this man was an all-powerful or omnipotent God.  He suffered death and now has risen from the dead.  The disciples witnessed these things, and then Jesus appeared only to a certain number for a certain time before ascending into heaven.  He didn’t stay with the disciples to build the church first in Jerusalem and then out in the nations of the world.  However, as the disciple stood there and watched Jesus disappear into a cloud, it was still only the beginning.  The work was not complete, and humanity had not given the glory to Christ nor recognised him for who he is.  In fact, today the work is still not complete, nor has all humanity recognised Christ as glorious Lord of all.

Ever since Christ has ascended, however, he has become powerful.  He had to rise from the earth to be omnipotent, all powerful.  His all-knowing, or omniscient, presence once only found with the disciples in Jerusalem and the surrounding districts two-thousand years ago is now present everywhere.  Jesus is present everywhere, his infinite knowledge is there for everyone, a gift for all people, to know, as he knew. And the power and glory given to him is available to all people.

The disciple’s looked up into the sky and lost sight of Jesus.  Two men in white appeared, just like two appeared with Jesus in glory at the Mountain of Transfiguration.  Was Jesus still there standing with the two men shining in glorious white clothes?  After all, his ministry had only begun and the kingdom of Israel still had to be restored (Acts1:1,6).  He was now hidden, first by a cloud just as God was hidden by a cloud when he spoke, and then by his glorious omnipresence throughout creation.  What the disciples saw at transfiguration, what Saul saw on the road to Damascus, and what John saw and recorded in the book of Revelation is the reality which is all around us now.  These two men dressed in white, representatives of the unseen realm of God, which is all around us, announce Jesus will return.  Surely their presence was also a testimony the kingdom of heaven was still near even though the King of heaven was now hidden. 

In the Lord’s Prayer we pray your kingdom come.  Has not it already come to us in baptism?  Hasn’t Christ come to us?  In the explanation of the Second Petition in the Small Catechism, Luther asks us, ‘when does God’s kingdom come?’  And then he says: God's kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us his Holy Spirit, so by his grace we believe his holy Word and live a godly life on earth now and in heaven for ever.

You see Jesus vanished out of sight, but he is still with us, he promised in his word to be with us.  He had to become hidden from the physical sight of a few so he could be physically present through the eyes of faith to many.  Jesus was not on earth for only thirty-three years and now is absent.  He is God with us today and to the very end of the age. 

It shouldn’t surprise us he is hidden from the sight of most.  Although many saw him two-thousand years ago, they failed to see him as their Saviour and rejected the things he taught them while he was with them.  He remains hidden to many today.  We do not see him face to face but we do see him.  He has sent the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to his hidden presence – in us, in the forgiven sinners we congregate with in church, in the bread, in the wine, and when we hear his word.

It shouldn’t surprise us the church still appears weak to most.  But we know it is powerful because the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to the reality that the glory of God is not hidden in a cloud but concealed within the limbs and sinews of you and me.  We need not look into the distance to see Jesus, he is here with us right now, and he is faithful to you every day regardless of your recognition of him.  Now that is powerful!

Jesus did not stay with the disciples to receive commendation for his work of salvation on the cross.  His power, once hidden in him on earth, is passed onto us by the Holy Spirit so we might do what Jesus did and continue to do even greater things because he is now with the Father (Jn 14:12).  The power which was hidden in him while he was on earth is now revealed through the Holy Spirit, given to, and hidden in us.  

How do we handle his power?  We look to Jesus as our guide?  The power he gives us is only effective if it brings glory to God.  Harnessing and restricting this power just for ourselves is like trying to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow; it never happens.  When we seek to use God’s power for our glory it vanishes like a mirage. 

Picture God looking at us from the unseen heavenly realm.  What does he see?  He sees Jesus hidden in multitudes of Christians, witnessing to the ends of the earth.  He sees the Holy Spirit encouraging his church to speak the word of God boldly, bringing glory to his holy name.  In our weak human frame he sees the ascended Jesus Christ glorified and powerful. 

All power and glory to the God the Father, his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

B, The Transfiguration of our Lord - 2 Corinthians 4:3–6 "A Transfigured View"

2 Corinthians 4:3–6 (ESV)  And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.  In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.  For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Standing on top of a mountain, on a beautiful day, one can feel invigorated by what they can see.  One may have laboured to get to the top, making the view all the more sweeter looking down from where they’ve come.  But even those who ascend by an easier mode of transport are no less stimulated by what the top of the mountain reveals.

Travelling up the mountain on foot or by vehicle, both experience a veil of types getting to the top.  Walkers walk with heads down stepping over rocks, cracks, and bush, trying not to fall.  Driving up a mountain one keeps their eyes on the road as the shrouding canopy of trees keeps the twisting road hidden as it winds its way up the mountain.  Either way there’s an expectation there’ll be visions of grandeur having arrived at the peak at where the view can be marvelled.

There are three main mountains from where we see Jesus in his ministry.  The mountain of Transfiguration is the first.  There is speculation on what mountain the transfiguration occurred.  For us the important thing is not what mountain, but that it occurred on a mountain. 

The second mountain is the mountain of Calvary, where Jesus was crucified.  And the last mountain is the mountain from where Jesus ascended.  The exact location of all three places is the focus of much conjecture, and again for us the importance is not on where the mountains are, but what happened on the three mountains and why it occurred.

Mountains were places where God met with man.  Moses received the Ten Commandments and other parts of the Law on Mt. Sinai or Horeb.  Through Elijah God overcame the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel.   From there Elijah fled to Horeb where God commissions him to anoint Elisha and promises there are seven thousand, he will leave in Israel, who have not bowed to Baal.  (1 Kings 19:18)  We also remember Noah’s Ark coming to rest on the mountains of Ararat.

Mountains were understood as the pillars on which the heavens stood.  A holy place for a Heavenly God to meet with his human hosts on earth!  A place of sacrifice where people sought God’s favour or angered God by sacrificing to false gods.   Mt. Carmel and the tradition of Baal worship on mountains comes to mind again.  Think about the mountain built on the plain at Babel to challenge God.  We also can remember God testing Abraham on Mount Moriah when he is reprieved from sacrificing Isaac at the eleventh hour.

Spectacular things happen on mountains, opening the eyes of those there, regardless of the event being very good or very bad.  It’s no different at the three mountains of the Gospel, there is much to see on these mountains!

Peter, James, and John were overcome with the brightness of God the Son on the first mountain.  At this mountain they saw but at the same time they were veiled too!  It was not until after the second mountain that the veil began to come off.  Then in the fullness of time after Jesus’ resurrection and ten days after his ascension from the third mountain was their veil fully removed at Pentecost.

Not only is there much to see on the three mountains, but there is also much to be seen from the mountains! 

On the mountain of Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John saw but only for a moment.  Yet they did not see what Jesus saw.  While they were looking at Jesus, Jesus was looking from the mountain at the whole of God’s creation groaning under the weight of humanity’s sin.  He was viewing all the kingdoms of the world and their glory that Satan earlier had tempted him to covet,  when human hunger and fleshy desire tested him in the wilderness.

Jesus looked out and saw another mountain!  He saw the mountain of Calvery on which the cross would be raised, onto which Jesus would truly be stretched out in sacrificial glory.

Peter, James, and John, could not see this mountain, nor could they understand that the Son of God was the Son of Man.  Nor did they know that to be the true and faithful Son of Man, he would die on this mountain, serving and saving humanity, in a seemingly evil event, from a truly evil event.

However, the evil intentions humanity had for Christ on the cross, God worked for our good on that Friday!  Blinded by sin and evil, we saw him put in the grave, but God had greater intentions for Jesus’ innocent sufferings, death, and descent into hell.  God raised him in glory.

But back on the mountain of Transfiguration, the three disciples did not see this glory, for they did not even understand the glory of the Son of God.  How could they have even begun to perceive the glory of the Son of Man, dying, and being raised in victory over sin and death?  All they could do was, “listen to him” as the Heavenly Father had commanded them!

The veil under which humanity stood, only began to be lifted, once the Holy Spirit came ten days after Jesus ascended from the third mountain.   At Pentecost, those formerly veiled were turned, having had the Holy Spirit shine the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

In the beginning God first said, “Let there be light.”   But sin’s darkness veiled the light of life, and instead we saw only death.   Now by the Holy Spirit the veil is removed and “God… has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6b ESV)

At first the three disciples were veiled, then in the fullness of time, having been sent as Apostles in the power of the Holy Spirit, their eyes were unveiled and turned having received the light of knowledge.  Now they could see as Jesus saw from the mountains of Transfiguration, Calvary, and Ascension.

You too now bear the light of God!  The mountain on which you see the spectacular view is the mountain of God’s Word, having been given the Holy Spirit, when you were baptised into Jesus’ death and resurrection.  You are a light for Jesus Christ, fully unveiled to shine Jesus into the darkness.  You shine the Light of Light, the very God of very God!  You are a light of the Holy Spirit, the giver of life, to illuminate the Light of Life, Jesus Christ!

We, having had the Word of Life shone in our hearts, not only have a glimpse of the transfigured glory that God promises for us eternally.  We now stand on the mountain of God’s Word with transfigured faith and see as Jesus sees, just as the Apostles saw with the eyes of Holy Spirited faith after Pentecost. 

Just as Jesus served, we too can serve bearing the image of God, for we bear the image of his resurrected Son!  Our knowledge is one of Law and Gospel, death and resurrection. 

Whether the mountain ascent is simple and easy or it’s difficult and dangerous, the view from the top is resurrection glory.

As Jesus leads you up the mountain, there will be times when the going is good and times when it’s downright tough.  Keep in mind the transfiguration of Jesus Christ as he looked out from the mountain of Transfiguration!   He set his sights on the hardships of death on the mountain of death, but endured it, seeing the joy of resurrection victory and the heavenly mountain of ascension glory.

We too live in the knowledge of the all-encompassing power of God the Holy Spirit who sustained and raised Jesus’ flesh, will also sustain, and raise us.

Therefore we, “always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.  For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” (2 Corinthians 4:10–11 ESV)

So, like Paul, who is given over to death, for the life of the Corinthians in Jesus Christ, we too, “do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16 ESV)

Paul says, “Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak,  knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.”  (2 Corinthians 4:13–14 ESV)

The vision we see from the top of the mountain is our resurrection and eternal transfiguration with Jesus.   The Holy Spirit unveils the way of Jesus through the valley of the shadow of death into the glorious cleansing day of the cross and our resurrection.  Amen.

A, Ascension of our Lord - Luke 24:44-53 "The Forty Day Bracket"

Luke 24:44-53 (ESV)  Then Jesus said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”  Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,  and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,  and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things.  And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”  And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them.  While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.  And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.

Jesus’ ministry of salvation is bracketed between two periods of forty days.  After Jesus was baptised in the Jordan by John, he received the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit drove him out into the wilderness for forty days.  It’s here he suffered want and was tempted by the devil. 

Then after his resurrection from the dead, for forty days he was caused to be seen periodically by individuals and groups, to show he was raised from the dead.  He ate fish and cooked for his apostles, to show them he was raised back to life as a glorified man, before his ascension.

The apostles were witnesses of Jesus’ way, Jesus’ truth, and Jesus’ life between these two periods of time.  Not a lot has been made known to us about Jesus in these two periods of forty days.  But from what we know, the first was a time of testing and tribulation, a foretaste of his three years of ministry culminating in his crucifixion. 

Then the next forty-day period, begins at sun-up on the day of Jesus’ resurrection, Sunday, the first day of victory, the first day of the new week of eternity.

As it was for the apostles, it is hard for us to understand Jesus’ resurrected existence.  At his appearance they were still uncertain and confused as to how this could be.  They were witnesses to his death.  And now they were witnesses to his resurrection.  On their own they were still full of doubts!

But at this time, he breathed the peace of the Holy Spirit on them (John 20:19-23).  And he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45).  Scriptures here must be understood as the Old Testament, since they were yet to write down what they witnessed of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, ascension, and the Holy Spirit’s beginning of the calling and gathering of the church at Pentecost.

Jesus makes plain the fulfilment of his way in the Law of Moses, his truth in the mouths of the Prophets, and his life in his prayers prayed in the Psalms.  He gives the apostles understanding of his submission under the word of God, as the Word made flesh, to be the victor through being the fulfilment of the Word, having been the sacrifice for our salvation.

Not only does Jesus open the minds of his apostles to the Scriptures, with the Holy Spirit, he also gives them clarity of remembrance, bringing back to mind the events of his ministry leading up to his death.

The apostles are witnesses, and all but John, were martyred for their remembrance and proclamation of it.   Therefore, it will not surprise us, that the Greek word Jesus uses for his apostles is witness or martus, hence martyr in English.

The apostles were caused to remember the fulfilment of Jesus’ resolute way to Jerusalem, where he fulfilled his purpose in the great reversal at the cross.  They were caused to remember Jesus on the Mountain of Transfiguration when they saw a glimpse of the glory into which he was raised after the resurrection.  They were caused to remember his conversation with Moses and Elijah, the great law man and prophet of the old covenant, discussing his exodus after completing the way of the Law and the glorification or unhiding of his truthfulness unto death, and then his resurrection and ascension to the right hand of God our Father.

Like Jesus, we now walk in the forty-day lifetime of tribulation set out for us in this life.  But as we do Jesus walks with us, within us, and gives us his Holy Spirit so we can carry our crosses to the cross.  Just as the Holy Spirit rested upon him as he walked the way of the cross.

But we also walk in the resurrection to eternal life, having had the Holy Spirit rest on us in baptism, enabling within us the reality of the resurrection from the dead and the forgiveness of sins.  Like Jesus was not always seen after the resurrection, but caused to be seen by the Holy Spirit after he was raised by the Spirit, we too do not see the full reality of the resurrection into which we have been baptised.  But we see glimpses of it through faith as we hear the Word of God, just as Peter, James and John had a transfigured glimpse of it.

Jesus’ ascension at the end of his forty-day glorification, after his resurrection, is a reminder to us of our resurrection and glorification.   So, like the apostles, we live with this revelation unhidden by the Holy Spirit in the Word of God.   We too having received the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.  The Spirit wills us to continue our perseverance in Jesus’ way, truth, and life, worshipping God and returning to our daily callings where we face testing and trials. 

The Holy Spirit rested upon Jesus as he served humanity with his submission.  Therefore, like Jesus, we know the Spirit will lead us in service of others and worship of God.  

Therefore, we also patiently wait and know the Holy Spirit will one day bring us into the eternal temple, to worship face to face before our Father and our Saviour Jesus Christ.  Amen.     

C, Ascension of our Lord - Luke 24:49 "Clothed with Power from on High"

Luke 24:49 (ESV) “And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Forty days after the Resurrection, the Apostles see Jesus ascend.  One minute he is seen, the next he is hidden. 

It might be easy to picture that Jesus is gone.  But he was not gone, just hidden.

The Apostles’ minds had been opened so they understood the Old Testament Scriptures, they would go on to preach and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  And it would be written down for all generations to hear and see that Jesus is still present in faith but hidden from sight.

Today it’s hard to know what the Apostles would have felt seeing Jesus ascend.  They lived with the joy of his resurrection, but after the resurrection Jesus was present in a different way than when he walked and lived with them for three years on earth.  They knew all would be different.

We too face change.  Things are different today from yesterday, and tomorrow we can expect change too. 

Our environment changes constantly, as we also change.  Our knowledge changes with age, and so does our health.  People around us change, and expectations change too.

Keeping focus on God in the midst of change is challenging.  What can we learn from the disciples who witnessed the greatest change that God brought about since the beginning of creation?

Saint Paul speaks to the Ephesians about what they can expect from God in this change he has brought about, saying, “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,  so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.  In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 1:11–13 ESV)

Paul includes himself with those who were the first to hope in Christ, proclaiming an inheritance and predestination having heard the Gospel and believed.

From this we can learn that the Apostles’ hope was complete trust in God, despite his ascension.  Paul goes on to pass on this hope, saying, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” (Ephesians 1:18 NIV84)

In our lives of change and aging we are easily distracted from the hope to which he has called you!  As death of routine, rituals, and perceived reality rolls on, the eye is drawn from faith, hope, and love to fear, death, and self-preservation of fleeting pleasures.

But the those who first witnessed Jesus ascend from their sight into heaven, went on to love many, live in faith, and be steadfast in hope despite being martyred for the Gospel.  How?

Their inheritance was the inheritance of the cross.  They knew what happened to Jesus would happen to them.  Faith would carry them to their death and hope would deliver them through it into the resurrection to eternal life.

And this inheritance was a seen destination prior to its reception.  They were pre-destined. They knew where they were going before they went there.  They knew Jesus was the way, the truth, and the life.  Finding the way had absolutely nothing to do with their knowledge of good or evil.

It was quite the opposite actually!  They did not find a way!  In fact, they were told to wait!  These weaklings who had deserted the cross, with minds opened to their weakness and God’s power at the cross, did as they were told by Jesus just before he ascended.

Jesus says, “behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49 ESV) 

And so, they waited and then they were clothed with power from on high, as the Holy Spirit led them from Pentecost to the ends of the earth.  And you too as the Holy Spirit leads us to the end of this earth!

As things seem to change for the worse in our world.  Be clothed with the Holy Spirit!

Let him clothe you with faith, hope and love.

Let him clothe you with Jesus Christ, granting you a continual climate change within, tempering the tempest of a tumultuous heart, that’s tempted to lose faith in God, and place it back in fleeting pleasures that lead to hopelessness and coldness of heart.

Let the Holy Spirit lead you and bind you to the cross of your salvation, knowing fear will be replaced with faith, death will be overcome in hope, and the death of selfish pleasures will be replaced with steadfast love.

Jesus will come the same way he left.  This is promised in his word.

In the blink of an eye all will be overcome.  Clothed with the Holy Spirit we will see the bridegroom arrive.  And finally, the clothes of faith, hope, and love that covered our unchangeable sinfulness, will be uncovered to reveal the unchanging, eternal, naked glory of Jesus Christ, recreated in all of us.  Amen.  

B, Ascension Sunday – Acts 1:1-5 “O Theophilus”

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Theophilus is the person to whom the doctor, Luke, writes. Is Theophilus a real person? Or is he an archetypal fictitious character representative of all who have a fondness for God? After all this is the meaning of the name, Theophilus. The first thing we can observe is that this conversation stands out from others in the bible because Luke and Theophilus are Greeks and not Hebrew. So firstly we note this is a record from the gentiles and therefore it's focus differs somewhat from the Jewish perspective.

You can hear the two words that make up the name, Theophilus. Theos is the Greek word meaning god or divine being. From it we get words like theology, meaning "words about God", theocentric, "God-centred", or theocracy, "a form of government where God is recognised as the supreme authority.

And Philos means, friend, neighbour, associate, or someone to whom one is endeared, or of whom one is fond. Words like philosophy, meaning "fond of wisdom", Philadelphia meaning "brotherly love", paedophile "lover of children", or philanthropist "fond or friend of humankind" all are derived from Philos.

So Theophilus is one who is fond of God – a friend of God. He could have been a specific person with this name or Luke may have been writing to those who were Gentile Christians.

If he was writing to a single person we might ponder the situation Theophilus finds himself in at this time. Luke has written him two letters. In the first, the Gospel of Luke, Luke writes…

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. (Luke 1:1–4 ESV)

Here we find the purpose of Luke writing to Theophilus. He addresses this person as "most excellent", a noble, dignified, or very honourable person. But this soul is not just highly esteemed; this character is also a student — one who's being taught. So Luke writes, so Theophilus may have certainty concerning what's been taught.

Part two is the book of Acts. In it Luke continues the account of what happens when Jesus is no longer present in sight but through faith in the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the pivotal point of Luke's narrative is Jesus' glorious ascension to the right hand of the Father. We hear…

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." (Acts 1:1–5 ESV)

The key is hinted at from the outset of Luke's second letter. Luke had written both of his letters to Theophilus sometime after these events had happened. The book of Acts could have been written as late as, or even later than, 70 AD, when we consider the last of the events in Acts occurred in about 63 AD. But the hint comes in Luke's first line to Theophilus — that Jesus had only "begun" to do and teach. Jesus' ascension was not the end but only a time of transition. The student Theophilus was living in the times after the transition and was still being taught by Jesus, but now in a special way.

He is encouraged in the faith because Jesus was alive from the grave. He had risen from the dead and was seen for forty days, before being "taken up" from them. In fact being taken up to a heavenly place is Greek thinking. But rather, in reality, Jesus was lifted up to a certain place and then hidden. We would better understand Jesus as being enthroned in heaven or glorified to the right hand of the Father. He is still present but unseen in the heavenly realm outside of time and our minds being bound by time find that difficult to understand.

This is all good news for Theophilus, because he still has access to God, through the work Jesus began while on earth and now continues out of sight in heaven and in us. The second part of Luke's narrative lays out how Jesus continued this work. Jesus was now to be revealed, unhidden, by the Holy Spirit whom he and the Father would send to continue the teaching so certainty in Jesus' promises would continue.

The teachings are in fact these letters from Luke, among others, and the certainty in the teaching which comes through hearing the accounts of Jesus' work on earth and in heaven is faith. Faith was given to give sight to Theophilus to further increase the certainty that God was still with those who were friends of God — that God had not abandoned them. This teaching was to be made most effective when the Holy Spirit would use it through the mouths of Apostles to reveal Jesus Christ to his faithful ones. In other words that God was still faithful to those in whom he had placed faith through the message of Christ preached by man and revealed by the Holy Spirit.

So if Theophilus was in fact an individual to whom Luke wrote this would have been very reassuring. But if Theophilus was a name to address all the followers of God then it is equally reassuring for all who are one in their fondness of following Jesus Christ, now revealed from the hidden realm of heaven as being the faithful head of the one true hidden church on earth.

Whether Theophilus was in fact an individual or a church of gentiles is really not worthy of our concern! However, what is worthy of our meditations and thoughts is this: Am I Theophilus? Am I a friend of God, am I letting Jesus Christ be my friend?

Do you believe Jesus Christ continues his work in heaven before the Father for you? Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, that he brings you to Jesus and Jesus to you through the teaching of the gospel? Do you believe when you received the Holy Spirit he made you one in the great congregation, that's seen and unseen? See that Jesus seeks to continue his work in and through you!

You are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, living around the world and called into glory out of this life. They are hidden for the most part, but in prayer they're encouraging you to endure in letting Jesus carry you through this life.

Aren't you one of the witnesses too? Called to join Jesus in his work and pray for those who are friends of God so their certainty may be strengthened? As well as those who are not friend of God in the hope they too will share in the great victory?

Friends of God, friends in Christ, we are in the first chapter of our lives and there is another to come. When this chapter of your life is closed, O Theophilus, be confident the second eternal chapter of heaven will continue. So let the Holy Spirit give you the eyes of faith, hold fast to the teachings of Christ, and encourage this in me through your prayers too. For Jesus' sake! Amen.

C, Ascension - Acts 1:1-11 "Hidden Here"

We don’t know exactly how Jesus went into heaven; all we know is he was hidden by a cloud. Was it a glory cloud similar to that which shrouded Mt Sinai when God spoke, or the cloud which covered the mountain of Transfiguration? We don’t know! What we do know is Jesus was taken into heaven to be at the right hand of the Father in glory, and once this happened the Holy Spirit would come.

Now if it was you or I who had done what Christ had done, wouldn’t we want to stay about and bask in the glory amongst those whom we had helped? A nice little ego massage perhaps! But it was not Jesus’ style nor was it his will to do such a thing.

In fact his whole ministry was one of humility and hidden glory. The spot light was not the motivation for his ministry here on earth, rather this man from Galilee seemed to be much the same as every other ordinary person – maybe even a little weak. His family was in the line of David but they held no priestly office. His dad was a carpenter, a simple man no doubt, and Mary his wife kept the house. As a matter of fact, we know little about Jesus. Only what was needed to be revealed for the sake of our salvation is written about Jesus. The gospel witnesses write specifically about only three years of this man’s life.

In their books, Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John, we hear Jesus commanding those he healed not to tell anyone. We hear Jesus allowing the devil to come into his presence to try and tempt him, when at any moment he could have repelled him with his divinity. He never sought the high place at banquets and gatherings, but rather served. Think of Jesus washing his disciple’s feet or the outcasts of Jewish society amongst whom he dwelt. When he did find himself in the position of honour he was compassionate and humble, as he was when the woman wiped his feet with tears, perfume and her hair. And in the extraordinary events such as the transfiguration, he asked for the disciples not to make what happened know until after he was gone. Most of the things he did were done in humility before only a few witnesses.

In the four gospels we hear of the events of Holy Week; one week leading up to Jesus’ death and resurrection. Weakness seems to be the theme. He didn’t strike back when captured but submitted to the Father’s will, even though it appeared that through his death he had lost and it was all over. The disciple were very ordinary men, he chose the weak of this world—the unschooled, the unpopular, and the ordinary—to continue his ministry, even after they had all failed in standing with him as he was condemned to die on the cross.

Under all these things God’s glory was hidden. Under the flesh of this man was an all-powerful or omnipotent God. He suffered death and now has risen from the dead. The disciples witnessed these things, and then Jesus appeared only to a certain number for a certain time before ascending into heaven. He didn’t stay with the disciples to build the church first in Jerusalem and then out in the nations of the world. However, as the disciple stood there and watched Jesus disappear into a cloud, it was still only the beginning. The work was not complete and humanity had not given the glory to Christ nor recognised him for who he is. In fact today the work is still not complete, nor has all humanity recognised Christ as glorious Lord of all.

Ever since Christ has ascended, however, he has become powerful. He had to rise from the earth to be omnipotent, all powerful. His all-knowing, or omniscient, presence once only found with the disciples in Jerusalem and the surrounding districts two-thousand years ago is now present everywhere. Jesus is present everywhere, his infinite knowledge is there for everyone, a gift for all people, to know, as he knew. And the power and glory given to him is available to all people.

The disciple’s looked up into the sky and lost sight of Jesus. Two men in white appeared, just like two appeared with Jesus in glory at the Mountain of Transfiguration. Was Jesus still there standing with the two men shining in glorious white clothes? After all, his ministry had only begun and the kingdom of Israel still had to be restored (Acts1:1,6). He was now hidden, first by a cloud just as God was hidden by a cloud when he spoke, and then by his glorious omnipresence throughout creation. What the disciples saw at transfiguration, what Saul saw on the road to Damascus, and what John saw and recorded in the book of Revelation is the reality which is all around us now. These two men dressed in white, representatives of the unseen realm of God which is all around us, announce Jesus will return. Surely their presence was also a testimony the kingdom of heaven was still near even though the King of heaven was now hidden.

In the Lord’s Prayer we pray your kingdom come. Has not it already come to us in baptism? Hasn’t Christ come to us? In the explanation of the Second Petition in the Small Catechism, Luther asks us, ‘when does God’s kingdom come?’ And then he says: God's kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us his Holy Spirit, so by his grace we believe his holy Word and live a godly life on earth now and in heaven for ever.

You see Jesus vanished out of sight, but he is still with us, he promised in his word to be with us. He had to become hidden from the physical sight of a few so he could be physically present through the eyes of faith to many. Jesus was not on earth for only thirty-three years and now is absent. He is God with us today and to the very end of the age.

It shouldn’t surprise us he is hidden from the sight of most. Although many saw him two-thousand years ago, they failed to see him as their Saviour and rejected the things he taught them while he was with them. He remains hidden to many today. We do not see him face to face but we do see him. He has sent the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to his hidden presence – in us, in the forgiven sinners we congregate with in church, in the bread, in the wine, and when we hear his word.

It shouldn’t surprise us the church still appears weak to most. But we know it is powerful because the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to the reality that the glory of God is not hidden in a cloud but concealed within the limbs and sinews of you and me. We need not look into the distance to see Jesus, he is here with us right now, and he is faithful to you every day regardless of your recognition of him. Now that is powerful!

Jesus did not stay with the disciples to receive commendation for his work of salvation on the cross. His power, once hidden in him on earth, is passed onto us by the Holy Spirit so we might do what Jesus did and continue to do even greater things because he is now with the Father (Jn 14:12). The power which was hidden in him while he was on earth is now revealed through the Holy Spirit, given to, and hidden in us.

How do we handle his power? We look to Jesus as our guide? The power he gives us is only effective if it brings glory to God. Harnessing and restricting this power just for ourselves is like trying to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow; it never happens. When we seek to use God’s power for our glory it vanishes like a mirage.

Picture God looking at us from the unseen heavenly realm. What does he see? He sees Jesus hidden in multitudes of Christians, witnessing to the ends of the earth. He sees the Holy Spirit encouraging his church to speak the word of God boldly, bringing glory to his holy name. In our weak human frame he sees the ascended Jesus Christ glorified and powerful.

All power and glory to the God the Father, his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

B, Easter 7/Ascension - Luke 24:50-51, Acts 1:10-11 "Where and What is Heaven?"

Texts

Luke 24:50-51 When Jesus had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.

Acts 1:10-11 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

Sermon

Where is heaven? One would assume heaven is up there! But is it up there? We might picture heaven as a place where angels strum harps lying in white puffy clouds. But every time I've been in a jet flying through the clouds, I've never seen an angel! In fact to my recollection I've never heard of any tragedy where an angel, with its fairy wings, has been sucked through the jet engines of a jumbo doing seven-hundred kilometres per hour.

But the language of the bible speaks of heaven as a place to which a person has to travel upward to enter. Jesus was taken up; so was Elijah. In the creed we say, Jesus ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God. Where did Jesus go? Where did the chariot drop off Elijah? When they ascended at what place did they stop?

In the New Testament the word used for heaven is the root Greek word meaning mountain. To go to the top of a mountain you have to go up; and entry into heaven is seen in the same sense – up is the way to heaven.

Mountains are important places in the ancient and biblical worlds. Think of the times when heavenly experiences happened on mountains. Moses on Mt Sinai in the cloud with God; pagan shrines built to gods on mountains, and the Israelites copying them when they worshipped Baal against the will of God. People even tried to build a mountain at Babel. Jesus, too, utilised mountains. He prayed up mountains, taught from mountains; he spent a significant period of his time on mountains during his earthly ministry. In ancient times mountains were where earth met heaven. Mountains were seen as the pillars which held up the sky and stopped it from crashing to the ground.

We can climb to the top of a mountain and have a mountain top experience—a heavenly experience—but is heaven there? We can fly in aircraft in the clouds but is heaven seen their either? In our technological age we send astronauts higher than the clouds and still no heavenly realm is to be seen there either; even further out into space unmanned ships are sent in search of signs of life, have they found the Son of God at the right hand of the Father? Maybe they haven't travelled out far enough! But even at the ends of infinite space would they find heaven? The answer is no!

It's easy to come to the conclusion that heaven doesn't exist because we can't find or see it. And so if it doesn't exist because we can't see it, then some conclude Jesus Christ the Son of God never really rose from the dead nor did he ascend into heaven.

In our age this hopeless notion is common. So if God or heaven doesn't seem to exist, in hopelessness we seek heaven as a concept of perception; heaven becomes a state of mind. The 'where is heaven?' question now is replaced by, 'what is heaven?'

One only has to turn on the radio or television to see how heaven is portrayed in music and the media. What is heaven? Heaven is a divine type of ice-cream, maybe a McCain Pizza, or maybe 'heaven is in your eyes, or in your heart' as music artists sing. In fact modern music hopes in a heaven, but sadly this heaven has more to do with the gratification of one's sexual desires. Heaven for many is an individualistic concept understood and bound in the realm of sensory experiences.

So what is heaven and where is it? In the church we struggle with these questions too. The way heaven is understood and perceived goes along way in explaining the differences between denominations within Christendom.

Many other churches go to great lengths to make their teachings logical and rational, defining heaven as a spatial location. So they claim Jesus is in that spatial heavenly place, and therefore, he cannot be in the bread and wine of Holy Communion, making the sacrament only a remembrance feast. That sounds logical. For them heaven is a precise location where Jesus is with the Father. Jesus and the Father are there and not here with us.

However, their logic is thrown into confusion with texts such as Matthew 1: 23 and 28:20 where Jesus is named Immanuel meaning "God with us", and where he says "I will be with you to the very end of the age". At this point one has to make a decision between 'logic and rationality' or 'the Word of God'. If Jesus is at the right hand of God in heaven then what does Jesus mean when he says, 'this is my body and this is my blood, given and shed for you'. As you can see there is a problem. Is Jesus with us or is he up there with the Father in heaven?

Jesus is with us, we know this is true because he said so. If he is with us and he is in heaven, then heaven must be with us. Perhaps the Kingdom of Heaven is nearer than most realise? So what is heaven? Is it just a concept; are we already living in heaven? After all God is everywhere!

The problems with these questions are the questions themselves. The 'what is' and 'where is' questions are questions of rational and logical minds. Heaven as a place or a location lasting for an eternity is a concept that opens up a Pandora's Box of questions. In fact heaven as a location in space is something that will never be proved by science or any other rational logical faculty.

However, when the questions are asked from the point of view of faith, then they take on a whole different perspective. You and I believe in heaven, not a heavenly meal or a heavenly interlude with the opposite member of sex. No! The heaven in which we believe is not born of the fruits of the flesh. Our belief in heaven is given to us in faith by the one who rules there. Heaven is where God is, it's a realm outside logic; it can't be found with the naked eye or reason. For the time being heaven and the King of Heaven are seen only through faith.

In the Nicene Creed we confess heaven and earth as places made by God; we also confess that he made all things visible and invisible. Heaven is invisible to our eye. It is not a place in the spatial sense. Nor is it revealed to us through our own efforts, understanding or senses. Jesus has ascended into heaven and he is hidden from our sight. Heaven too is hidden from our sight but only for now.

Jesus has ascended from our sight into the glorious reality around us, which our sinful eyes will not ever see. But right now we are called to see — through the eyes given by the Holy Spirit, the eyes of faith — ourselves made holy by the blood of Jesus, dressed in glorious royal white robes in the eternal presence of God.

Amen.

A, Ascension of our Lord - Acts 1:1-11 "Hidden Here"

We don’t know exactly how Jesus went into heaven; all we know is that he was hidden by a cloud. Was it a glory cloud similar to that which shrouded Mt Sinai when God spoke, or the cloud which covered the mountain of Transfiguration? We don’t know! What we do know is that Jesus was taken into heaven to be at the right hand of the Father in glory, and once this happened the Holy Spirit would come.

Now if it was you or I that had done what Christ had done, wouldn’t we want to stay about and bask in the glory amongst those whom we had helped? A nice little ego massage perhaps! But it was not Jesus’ style nor was it his will to do such a thing.

In fact his whole ministry was one of humility and hidden-ness. The spot light was not the motivation for his ministry here on earth, rather this man from Galilee seemed to be much the same as every other ordinary person – maybe even a little weak. His family was in the line of David but they held no priestly office. His dad was a carpenter, a simple man no doubt, and Mary his wife kept the house. As a matter of fact, we know little about Jesus. Only what was needed to be revealed for the sake of our salvation is written about Jesus. The gospel witnesses write specifically about only three years of this man’s life.

In their books, Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John, we hear Jesus commanding those he healed not to tell anyone. We hear Jesus allowing the devil to come into his presence to try and tempt him, when at any moment he could have repelled him with his divinity. He never sought the high place at banquets and gatherings, but rather served. Think of Jesus washing his disciple’s feet or the outcasts of Jewish society amongst whom he dwelt. When he did find himself in the position of honour he was compassionate and humble, as he was when the woman wiped his feet with tears, perfume and her hair. And in the extraordinary events such as the transfiguration, he asked for the disciples not to make what happened know until after he was gone. Most of the things he did were done in humility before only a few witnesses.

In the four gospels we hear of the events of Holy Week; one week leading up to Jesus death and resurrection. Weakness seems to be the theme. He didn’t strike back when captured but submitted to the Father’s will, even though it appeared that through his death he had lost and it was all over. The disciple were very ordinary men, he chose the weak of this world—the unschooled, the unpopular, and the ordinary—to continue his ministry, even after they had all failed in standing with him as he was condemned to die on the cross.

Under all these things God’s glory was hidden. Under the flesh of this man was an all-powerful or omnipotent God. He suffered death and now has risen from the dead. The disciples witnessed these things, and then Jesus appeared only to a certain number for a certain time before ascending into heaven. He didn’t stay with the disciples to build the church first in Jerusalem and then out in the nations of the world. However, as the disciple stood there and watched Jesus disappear into a cloud, it was still only the beginning. The work was not complete and humanity had not given the glory to Christ nor recognised him for who he is. In fact today the work is still not complete, nor has all humanity recognised Christ as glorious Lord of all.

Ever since Christ has ascended, however, he has become powerful. He had to rise from the earth to be omnipotent, all powerful. His all-knowing, or omniscient, presence once only found with the disciples in Jerusalem and the surrounding districts two-thousand years ago is now present everywhere. Jesus is present everywhere, his infinite knowledge is there for everyone, a gift for all people, to know, as he knew. And the power and glory given to him is available to all people.

The disciple’s looked up into the sky and lost sight of Jesus. Two men in white appeared, just like two appeared with Jesus in glory at the Mountain of Transfiguration. Was Jesus still there standing with the two men shining in glorious white clothes? After all, his ministry had only begun and the kingdom of Israel still had to be restored (Acts1:1,6). He was now hidden, first by a cloud just as God was hidden by a cloud when he spoke, and then by his glorious omnipresence throughout creation. What the disciples saw at transfiguration, what Saul saw on the road to Damascus, and what John saw and recorded in the book of Revelation is the reality which is all around us now. These two men dressed in white, representatives of the unseen realm of God which is all around us, announce that Jesus will return. Surely their presence was also a testimony the kingdom of heaven was still near even though the King of heaven was now hidden.

In the Lord’s Prayer we pray your kingdom come. Has not it already come to us in baptism? Hasn’t Christ come to us? In the explanation of the Second Petition in the Small Catechism, Luther asks us, ‘when does God’s kingdom come?’ And then he says: God's kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us his Holy Spirit, so that by his grace we believe his holy Word and live a godly life on earth now and in heaven for ever.

You see Jesus vanished out of sight, but he is still with us, he promised to be with us in his word. He had to become hidden from the physical sight of a few so that he could be physically present through the eyes of faith to many. Jesus was not on earth for only thirty-three years and now is absent. He is God with us today and to the very end of the age.

It shouldn’t surprise us that he is hidden from the sight of most. Although many saw him two-thousand years ago, they failed to see him as their Saviour and rejected the things he taught them while he was with them. He remains hidden to many today. We do not see him face to face but we do see him. He has sent the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to his hidden presence – in us, in the forgiven sinners we congregate with in church, in the bread, and in the wine, when we hear his word.

It shouldn’t surprise us that the church still appears weak to most. But we know it is powerful because the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to the reality that the glory of God is not hidden in a cloud but concealed within the limbs and sinew of you and me. We need not look into the distance to see Jesus, he is here with us right now, and he is faithful to you every day regardless of your recognition of him. Now that is powerful!

Jesus did not stay with the disciples to receive commendation for his work of salvation on the cross. His power, once hidden in him on earth, is passed onto us by the Holy Spirit so that we might do what Jesus did and continue to do even greater things because he is now with the Father (Jn 14:12). The power that was hidden in him while he was on earth is now revealed through the Holy Spirit and given to us.

How do we handle that power? We look to Jesus as our guide? The power he gives us is only effective if it brings glory to God. Harnessing and restricting that power for ourselves is like trying to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow; it never happens. When we seek to use God’s power for our glory it vanishes like a mirage.

Picture God looking at us from the unseen heavenly realm. What does he see? He sees Jesus hidden in multitudes of Christians, witnessing to the ends of the earth. He sees the Holy Spirit encouraging his church to speak the word of God boldly, bringing glory to his holy name. In our weak human frames he sees the ascended Jesus Christ glorified and powerful.

All power and glory to the God the Father, his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

C, Ascension of our Lord - Luke 24:50-51 & Acts 1:10-11 "Where and What is Heaven?"

Texts

Luke 24:50-51 When Jesus had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.

Acts 1:10-11 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Sermon

Where is heaven? One would assume heaven is up there! But is it up there? We might picture heaven as a place where angels strum harps lying in white puffy clouds. But every time I’ve been in a jet flying through the clouds, I’ve never seen an angel! In fact to my recollection I’ve never heard of any tragedy where an angel, with its fairy wings, has been sucked through the jet engines of a jumbo doing seven-hundred kilometres per hour.

But the language of the bible speaks of heaven as a place to which a person has to travel upward to enter. Jesus was taken up; so was Elijah. In the creed we say, Jesus ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God. Where did Jesus go? Where did the chariot drop off Elijah? When they ascended at what place did they stop?

In the New Testament the word used for heaven is the root Greek word meaning mountain. To go to the top of a mountain you have to go up; and entry into heaven is seen in the same sense – up is the way to heaven.

Mountains are important places in the ancient and biblical worlds. Think of the times when heavenly experiences happened on mountains. Moses on Mt Sinai in the cloud with God; pagan shrines built to gods on mountains, and the Israelites copying them when they worshipped Baal against the will of God. People even tried to build a mountain at Babel. Jesus, too, utilised mountains. He prayed up mountains, taught from mountains; he spent a significant period of his time on mountains during his earthly ministry. In ancient times mountains were where earth met heaven. Mountains were seen as the pillars which held up the sky and stopped it from crashing to the ground.

We can climb to the top of a mountain and have a mountain top experience—a heavenly experience—but is heaven there? We can fly in aircraft in the clouds but is heaven seen their either? In our technological age we send astronauts higher than the clouds and still no heavenly realm is to be seen there either; even further out into space unmanned ships are sent in search of signs of life, have they found the Son of God at the right hand of the Father? Maybe they haven’t travelled out far enough! But even at the ends of infinite space would they find heaven? The answer is no!

It’s easy to come to the conclusion that heaven doesn’t exist because we can’t find or see it. And so if it doesn’t exist because we can’t see it, then some conclude Jesus Christ the Son of God never really rose from the dead nor did he ascend into heaven.

In our age this hopeless notion is common. So if God or heaven doesn’t seem to exist, in hopelessness we seek heaven as a concept of perception; heaven becomes a state of mind. The ‘where is heaven?’ question now is replaced by, ‘what is heaven?’

One only has to turn on the radio or television to see how heaven is portrayed in music and the media. What is heaven? Heaven is a divine type of ice-cream, maybe a McCain Pizza, or maybe ‘heaven is in your eyes, or in your heart’ as music artists sing. In fact modern music hopes in a heaven, but sadly this heaven has more to do with the gratification of one’s sexual desires. Heaven for many is an individualistic concept understood and bound in the realm of sensory experiences.

So what is heaven and where is it? In the church we struggle with these questions too. The way heaven is understood and perceived goes along way in explaining the differences between denominations within Christendom.

Many other churches go to great lengths to make their teachings logical and rational, defining heaven as a spatial location. So they claim Jesus is in that spatial heavenly place, and therefore, he cannot be in the bread and wine of Holy Communion, making the sacrament only a remembrance feast. That sounds logical. For them heaven is a precise location where Jesus is with the Father. Jesus and the Father are there and not here with us.

However, their logic is thrown into confusion with texts such as Matthew 1: 23 and 28:20 where Jesus is named Immanuel meaning “God with us”, and where he says “I will be with you to the very end of the age”. At this point one has to make a decision between ‘logic and rationality’ or ‘the Word of God’. If Jesus is at the right hand of God in heaven then what does Jesus mean when he says, ‘this is my body and this is my blood, given and shed for you’. As you can see there is a problem. Is Jesus with us or is he up there with the Father in heaven?

Jesus is with us, we know this is true because he said so. If he is with us and he is in heaven, then heaven must be with us. Perhaps the Kingdom of Heaven is nearer than most realise? So what is heaven? Is it just a concept; are we already living in heaven? After all God is everywhere!

The problems with these questions are the questions themselves. The ‘what is’ and ‘where is’ questions are questions of rational and logical minds. Heaven as a place or a location lasting for an eternity is a concept that opens up a Pandora’s Box of questions. In fact heaven as a location in space is something that will never be proved by science or any other rational logical faculty.

However, when the questions are asked from the point of view of faith, then they take on a whole different perspective. You and I believe in heaven, not a heavenly meal or a heavenly interlude with the opposite member of sex. No! The heaven in which we believe is not born of the fruits of the flesh. Our belief in heaven is given to us in faith by the one who rules there. Heaven is where God is, it’s a realm outside logic; it can’t be found with the naked eye or reason. For the time being heaven and the King of Heaven are seen only through faith.

In the Nicene Creed we confess heaven and earth as places made by God; we also confess that he made all things visible and invisible. Heaven is invisible to our eye. It is not a place in the spatial sense. Nor is it revealed to us through our own efforts, understanding or senses. Jesus has ascended into heaven and he is hidden from our sight. Heaven too is hidden from our sight but only for now. In his word he gives us a picture of what heaven, the New Jerusalem, is like. It is no coincidence that in the last couple of weeks, in the season of Easter, we have heard readings from Revelation.

Jesus has ascended from our sight into the glorious reality around us, which our sinful eyes will not ever see. But right now we are called to see — through the eyes given by the Holy Spirit, the eyes of faith — ourselves made holy by the blood of Jesus, dressed in glorious royal white robes in the eternal presence of God.

Amen