May 17, 2026 Sermon
Sermon Title: “The Ascension”
Scripture: Luke 24:44-53 and Acts 1:1-11
(Other lectionary choices include Psalm 47 and Ephesians 1:15-23.)
Luke 24:44-53
44Then he 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, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” 45Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
The Ascension of Jesus
50Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. 51While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. 52And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; 53and they were continually in the temple blessing God.
Acts 1:1-11
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
1In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning 2until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 4While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me; 5for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
The Ascension of Jesus
6So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. 11They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Preaching on the Ascension (and today is Ascension Sunday) is a difficult thing for me. As we heard, the Ascension refers to Jesus being taken up to Heaven. First of all, do we believe it? Keep in mind that first-century listeners to Luke (who wrote Acts as well as the Gospel that bears his name) believed in a 3-story universe: Heaven is up there, earth is right here, and Hell is down below! So, if Jesus is no longer around, where did he go? He certainly didn’t go down to Hell, so he had to go to heaven, right? Anyway, that’s the framework of what we have in the Bible in the first century. I like what the Rev. Jeanne Warner says of the story about Jesus’ ascension. (She’s a Lutheran pastor in Northwest Wisconsin.) She says, “Every time I hear this telling....with the disciples standing there, staring into heaven, I laugh. No, really, I laugh. Often, right out loud....I have a picture in my mind that is anything but flattering. In my mind’s eye I envision the disciples gawking at the clouds, their heads tipped back, their eyes wide and their mouths hanging open. They look like I imagine a flock of domestic turkeys staring up at the rain must look. Not a very complimentary image, is it?” I like that! Not too flattering and also a little bit funny!
In a way, you have to sympathize with the disciples. What if you were there and witnessed his crucifixion? Here all your hopes were dashed when the Romans killed Jesus. But then you hear he was raised from the dead! And several people say they have met the Risen Christ! So, Jesus dies, is raised from the dead - great news! But then you have to deal with the Ascension! Jesus is going away again. How do you deal with that? Says the Rev. Jeanne Warner, “you have to feel for these guys.”
And think about your own faith. Let’s say you believe. But then what? We are tickled to death that Jesus defeated death and was raised. But what do we do now? If Jesus goes to be with his Father in Heaven, and we can’t go just yet, what do we do? We are TOLD what to do by those angels: get busy and spread the Good News! In the Acts version, we are told that we are witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. That pretty much says it: Get busy!
Are you ever immobilized by doubt or confusion or a sense of being all on your own? Says the Rev. Jeanne Warner, “Even though we have received the Holy Spirit at our baptisms, we balk at being bold in our witness. Even though we are part of the body of Christ, we underestimate the power of our work in the world. The story doesn’t just stop with the angels providing a V-8 style thump to the disciples’ foreheads - it continues through the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to be with and empower them through the Holy Spirit. And that, brothers and sisters, is the good news that carried them from stunned gawking at the clouds to performing deeds of faith and power that built a church.”
One more thing: in the Acts portion this morning, the disciples ask Jesus, “Is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” The Risen Christ has a GREAT answer: “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you......” That will be next week on Pentecost Sunday. But the main point is, Don't look for the end of the world anytime soon! In other words, keep on working for the kingdom, not only around here, but to the ends of the earth.
I think the early believers were wrong in expecting Jesus to come back soon. I might have thought that, had I been around then. But look! It has been over 2000 years, and the Second Coming has not happened yet! Unless I missed it and was LEFT BEHIND! The point is, DO NOT SPECULATE on when Christ will return. That’s none of our business. What IS our business is to be the hands of Christ, to minister to those who need ministering to. To heal those who need healing. To feed those who need food. Get it? As a follower of Jesus, do the things that Jesus would do if he were here in the flesh. As St. Teresa of Avila said, Christ has no feet but ours, no hands but ours. Be the church NOW and do not speculate about what comes next. God will take care of what comes next! Amen.
Pastor Skip
