Lectionary Reading Easter 7 24 May
Collect for Sunday after Ascension: Almighty and Everlasting Father, you raised our Lord Jesus Christ to your right hand on high. As we rejoice in his exaltation, fill us with your Spirit, that we may go out into all the world and faithfully proclaim his gospel. He lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen
Read. Acts 1:6-14 “When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight”. { Acts 1:9 } There are several records of Jesus’ departure from the disciples after his resurrection, the season we call the Ascension. In the verse used above the translation follows the Greek closely by saying Jesus was “lifted up”, reminding us that God is at work here, Jesus is not flying up like Superman. Something much more measured is happening here. At Jesus’ birth, John reminds us that the Word became flesh, Jesus became a human being, and as such we can say that God came and lived among us, and shared our earthly life as one of us. Here in Acts we read that Jesus has been lifted back into God’s presence: Though in God’s presence Jesus is still the Word made flesh. Now, therefore in the ascension, man (Jesus), now shares life with God. As the veil in the temple was torn in two, opening the way into God, so now the risen man steps into the Holy of Holies and exists in God’s space.
Jesus, now King of the Kingdom and head of his body the Church, directs his disciples to be about kingdom business. The major part of Jesus ministry was to inaugurate the kingdom of God; in Luke’s opening to the book of Acts he notes that the resurrected Jesus continued to spend his time teaching about the kingdom. When the Spirit is poured out on the disciples they too are to be witnesses to the kingdom’s challenge. Thinking of this event my mind starts to go in two directions! We can rejoice that the man Jesus now has taken his place in that place of authority and so is able to advocate on our behalf. Hebrews reminds us “ Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need”. Hebrews 4:14-16 In other words someone who knows just what it is like to live with the pressures and temptations that we face each day speaks to God on our behalf. We can have great confidence then that through Jesus, God understands and we need have no hesitation in bringing our needs to God. “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us”. Romans 5:1 This peace operates in real time, in other words right now; why; Because Jesus right now stands before God praying on our behalf. No matter how you feel about it, right now Jesus advocates on your behalf.
The other direction in which my mind is moving is that as Jesus’ work on behalf of God’s kingdom continues, so our efforts should be always to uphold the principles that under-pin the kingdom. In God’s kingdom God is reigning and as such our lives should be lived out under God’s reign, doing those things of which God would approve. In case we wonder what that will look like we need look no further than Luke 4: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favour has come.” {Luke 4:18-19} Jesus died to establish once again God’s rule over all creation. For those who belong to Jesus Christ, that rule is already established. Thus we therefore live recognising the rule of God, despite all the brokenness and mayhem we experience. Yes we live in a fallen world but as Christians we also live in a world already under God’s control. While God’s rule maybe hidden yet we who follow Jesus Christ know that we are only alive when we live our lives for him. So Paul can say with confidence “Through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. [Galatians 2:19-20]. Living in God’s Kingdom we obey God’s direction and look forward to the day when Jesus will return as Lord and king.
Prayer: Holy Lord, we thank you that you have glorified your Son and received him to sit at your right hand where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit. We thank you that in Jesus we can look forward to a glorious future when all your people will gather together to praise your name and honour all that you have done. We thank you for the hope we have which keeps us looking ahead to that time when in Jesus all things will be under his control. Help us to play our part in the ministry which will bring justice and truth across all the earth. Help us to live out our lives always guided by your commands and in every way bringing glory and honour to your name. This we pray through Jesus our Saviour. Amen
Read. Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35 Who among us does not long for justice and fairness in life, not only for ourselves but for those around us. In this psalm that is what the psalmist is looking for, the wicked are punished and the righteous are rewarded with joy filled lives. If only life were that simple. Thankfully the psalmist does not stop with that vain hope but goes on to do two things. Firstly to praise God and recognise that God is the ruler of all things: “He gives the desolate a home and leads the captives out and into prosperity”. Secondly the psalmist looks back to the giving of the Law at Sinai for through the Law a land of opportunity and promise came into being. For the Israelites the Law was not simply a set of commands which had to be obeyed, it was an opportunity to live out a life which would bring not only each person but the whole nation into a bountiful relationship with God. Rain in abundance and the flocks sheltered in safety would be an ancient picture of tranquillity and plenty. The concluding verses of the psalm remind us of how this dream of hope is underpinned: The God in whom the psalmist trusts is Lord over all the earth; here is the God who has cosmic influence and the picture the psalmist paints is of a one whose authority surpasses every kingdom. Finally the psalmist holds firmly to the belief that it is this God who empowers the whole nation and keeps alive the hope that justice and mercy, kindness and freedom will prevail.
Prayer. O Lord, you are high and lifted up and yet so very close to all your people. Though you rule in might, still you are attentive to the voice of all who call upon your name. Teach us all to live in the goodness of your grace, walking always in obedience with you. By your word teach us to live our lives desiring only to honour you, looking always to use the opportunities that life brings to demonstrate your loving kindness. Our Lord Jesus came to restore that which was lost and to establish again your covenant of love, may we as true disciples look always to you for the direction our lives should take: We ask this filled with the assurance that empowered by the Holy Spirit we will hear again and again that voice which says, “This is the way, walk in it”. To you be all honour and glory, Father, Son and holy Spirit, now and always. Amen
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