The Ascension Of Our Lord
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VII, Cycle A
Object:
Seasonal Theme
Jesus out of the grave and alive and with us.
Theme For The Day
Jesus ascended to begin a new way of relating to his disciples all over the world that our witness might be powerful.
First Lesson
Acts 1:1-11
Beginnings Of The Church
This companion volume to Luke written to the same Theophilus now takes up the beginnings of the church and the presence of the Holy Spirit. In the preface (1:1-5) the gospel is summarized and Luke claims Jesus stayed forty days with the apostles teaching them about his kingdom. The Holy Spirit will come upon them soon. So on the Mount of Olives, the eleven listed in verse 13 come together and experience instructions from Jesus and then his ascension.
The instructions make it clear that this is to be a worldwide church empowered by the Holy Spirit (v. 8). That same source of power enabled them to be witnesses in larger and ever expanding concentric circles, first Jerusalem, then all of Judea and Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth (v. 8). A witness as used here would be a martyr and one whose witness was as much deed as words. It was someone who could say he/she knew this was so.
Only Luke tells the story of the Ascension. As well as here it is in Luke 24:50-53, the Gospel reading for today. There had to be some definite ending to Jesus' time on earth in this day of belief of heaven being just above the clouds. So there needed to be proof he had returned to his glory.
From Luke's account in the Gospel for the day, we can add a wonderful kicker to the story, "and returned to Jerusalem with great joy" (Luke 24:53). In addition to the above, we learn in this passage that we should not speculate when the second coming will happen and that God does have a plan for our universe. So the second coming is really an invitation to make ready for the coming and be ready for it ourselves.
New Testament Lesson
Ephesians 1:15-23
The Marks Of The Church
In this letter of Paul from prison, he begins by listing out the marks of the church: the love of Christ and the love of Christ's saints (v. 15). Then Paul prays for the church that it might have wisdom and revelation and full knowledge of God. He wants for the church a new hope. He wants a new realization of God's power for the church which was proved by the resurrection.
The metaphor in verse 18, "the eyes of your heart," is similar to the Hebrew thought often used in the Old Testament. It is more than some mystic communion of the inner person with God. It is a transformation of the whole person by being opened up to receive God's grace given by Christ. This is the hope and the inheritance named also in verse 18.
Then in verses 22 and 23, Paul calls the church its greatest title: "The body of Christ." So here in these very last verses in this chapter are two thoughts: 1) The church is the complement of Christ, and 2) God's plan for our world is in the hands of the church (v. 23b).
The Gospel
Luke 24:44-53
Ascension
This passage does not agree with the Acts account but was written at different times for no doubt different reasons. Acts has the Ascension forty days after Easter and this has it on Easter night. Nevertheless there are some things here the two accounts do agree on: Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy (vv. 44-47). Here was a definite ending of Jesus' physical bodily presence. Now he was free of time and space limitations. It was also the new relationship with Jesus and the disciples. Nothing could separate them anymore (Romans 8:38, 39). And now they knew for sure they had in heaven one who knew them and would receive them home again.
Notice they did not leave grieving but "with great joy." Sure of what they now knew and with this beginning of a new relationship with the Christ, there was cause for great joy. Then Luke ends his life of Jesus where he began it, in the temple. The mission begins.
Possible Outline Of Sermon Moves
Because these are the readings for "The Ascension of our Lord," we must preach on that account found both in the Acts and Luke readings.
A. A few years ago I took United Airlines' slogan, "The Friendly Skies," and used it for the sermon title and main focus.
1. Since Jesus returned to heaven we no longer need to fear death or judgment. He has worked our forgiveness and prepared a place and waits for our arrival. So for us the skies are no longer scary but very friendly. And from those same friendly skies our Jesus is now not limited to Palestine but available to everyone everywhere!
2. Because of his ascension he now counts on us to be his witnesses to the entire world of just how friendly the skies are for all who believe in him and are baptized. We are given special power from those friendly skies to be effective witnesses (v. 49).
3. The flight plan put forward by The Old Testament is now completed. Jesus has fulfilled exactly what was promised God would do for God's people (vv. 44, 45).
4. Then you can close with the fact these disciples did not grieve Jesus' ascension but celebrated it with joy. Perhaps it was in the temple they were most confident they had above them skies which were friendly.
B. If you do not use the above sermon, try one about the marks of the church according to Paul in the Ephesians account compared with what are the marks of your local congregation.
It might go like this.
1. Saint Paul wrote a beautiful letter called Ephesians, which tells us what he believed were the characteristics of the church then. Let's see if we are living out our ministries in a way which is true to the marks:
a. Where the people love the Savior Christ. Is this the central focus of our worship and service here?
b. Where the people love on God's behalf other people. Do our ministries reflect God's love for all sorts and kinds of people in our community? And do we love each other?
c. Perhaps the greatest mark of the church is when it is recognizable as Christ's body. When other people speak of our congregation, do they think of it as the risen Christ in their neighborhood?
d. The church is where hearts are enlightened with wisdom and hope. Do those who come here find hope for their lives and new wisdom about all God has done for them? And us.
2. Give your own witness as to how all these marks are present here. And after each one pray that it might be so.
Prayer Of The Day
Help us to leave here tonight as those first disciples left your ascension -- with joy. And show us the way to receive your power which will make our witness contagious in our lives. We celebrate you are there, Jesus, to help us now and prepare for us in eternity. In the name of the resurrected and risen Christ. Amen.
Possible Stories
Dick said at Our Primary Purpose, a treatment center: "I don't lecture; I just tell them how it was with me being drug-dependent." They understood and wanted that same help. Dick said to them, "I don't have to be alone anymore." So is Christians' interpersonal witness: we don't lecture. We just tell them about our relationship with God. And the more we witness, the more we own the gospel and we don't have to be alone anymore either.
In Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra, the messenger tells Antony, "The nature of bad news infects the teller." And so too of the good news. Reason enough to preach! In order that the preacher might more strongly believe and the witness be effective.
In the movie Starman, an alien crash-lands right into the life of a widow. He hears her use the word "love" and asks her to define it. She replies, "Love is when you care more for someone else than you do for yourself." Jenny came very close to defining God's love which we have for another.
I watched them say good-bye for the last time. They were two old evangelists far up in the bush in Liberia, West Africa, where I had transported Old Man Mopolu to see Mama "Ganna" (Amanda Gardner). She wagged her finger in his face and said, "Now, Ol' Man, don't you give up on this God business, and when we get to heaven all the people going to be there to greet us and give us a big hand clap." Might the same be said of all of us.
Jesus out of the grave and alive and with us.
Theme For The Day
Jesus ascended to begin a new way of relating to his disciples all over the world that our witness might be powerful.
First Lesson
Acts 1:1-11
Beginnings Of The Church
This companion volume to Luke written to the same Theophilus now takes up the beginnings of the church and the presence of the Holy Spirit. In the preface (1:1-5) the gospel is summarized and Luke claims Jesus stayed forty days with the apostles teaching them about his kingdom. The Holy Spirit will come upon them soon. So on the Mount of Olives, the eleven listed in verse 13 come together and experience instructions from Jesus and then his ascension.
The instructions make it clear that this is to be a worldwide church empowered by the Holy Spirit (v. 8). That same source of power enabled them to be witnesses in larger and ever expanding concentric circles, first Jerusalem, then all of Judea and Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth (v. 8). A witness as used here would be a martyr and one whose witness was as much deed as words. It was someone who could say he/she knew this was so.
Only Luke tells the story of the Ascension. As well as here it is in Luke 24:50-53, the Gospel reading for today. There had to be some definite ending to Jesus' time on earth in this day of belief of heaven being just above the clouds. So there needed to be proof he had returned to his glory.
From Luke's account in the Gospel for the day, we can add a wonderful kicker to the story, "and returned to Jerusalem with great joy" (Luke 24:53). In addition to the above, we learn in this passage that we should not speculate when the second coming will happen and that God does have a plan for our universe. So the second coming is really an invitation to make ready for the coming and be ready for it ourselves.
New Testament Lesson
Ephesians 1:15-23
The Marks Of The Church
In this letter of Paul from prison, he begins by listing out the marks of the church: the love of Christ and the love of Christ's saints (v. 15). Then Paul prays for the church that it might have wisdom and revelation and full knowledge of God. He wants for the church a new hope. He wants a new realization of God's power for the church which was proved by the resurrection.
The metaphor in verse 18, "the eyes of your heart," is similar to the Hebrew thought often used in the Old Testament. It is more than some mystic communion of the inner person with God. It is a transformation of the whole person by being opened up to receive God's grace given by Christ. This is the hope and the inheritance named also in verse 18.
Then in verses 22 and 23, Paul calls the church its greatest title: "The body of Christ." So here in these very last verses in this chapter are two thoughts: 1) The church is the complement of Christ, and 2) God's plan for our world is in the hands of the church (v. 23b).
The Gospel
Luke 24:44-53
Ascension
This passage does not agree with the Acts account but was written at different times for no doubt different reasons. Acts has the Ascension forty days after Easter and this has it on Easter night. Nevertheless there are some things here the two accounts do agree on: Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy (vv. 44-47). Here was a definite ending of Jesus' physical bodily presence. Now he was free of time and space limitations. It was also the new relationship with Jesus and the disciples. Nothing could separate them anymore (Romans 8:38, 39). And now they knew for sure they had in heaven one who knew them and would receive them home again.
Notice they did not leave grieving but "with great joy." Sure of what they now knew and with this beginning of a new relationship with the Christ, there was cause for great joy. Then Luke ends his life of Jesus where he began it, in the temple. The mission begins.
Possible Outline Of Sermon Moves
Because these are the readings for "The Ascension of our Lord," we must preach on that account found both in the Acts and Luke readings.
A. A few years ago I took United Airlines' slogan, "The Friendly Skies," and used it for the sermon title and main focus.
1. Since Jesus returned to heaven we no longer need to fear death or judgment. He has worked our forgiveness and prepared a place and waits for our arrival. So for us the skies are no longer scary but very friendly. And from those same friendly skies our Jesus is now not limited to Palestine but available to everyone everywhere!
2. Because of his ascension he now counts on us to be his witnesses to the entire world of just how friendly the skies are for all who believe in him and are baptized. We are given special power from those friendly skies to be effective witnesses (v. 49).
3. The flight plan put forward by The Old Testament is now completed. Jesus has fulfilled exactly what was promised God would do for God's people (vv. 44, 45).
4. Then you can close with the fact these disciples did not grieve Jesus' ascension but celebrated it with joy. Perhaps it was in the temple they were most confident they had above them skies which were friendly.
B. If you do not use the above sermon, try one about the marks of the church according to Paul in the Ephesians account compared with what are the marks of your local congregation.
It might go like this.
1. Saint Paul wrote a beautiful letter called Ephesians, which tells us what he believed were the characteristics of the church then. Let's see if we are living out our ministries in a way which is true to the marks:
a. Where the people love the Savior Christ. Is this the central focus of our worship and service here?
b. Where the people love on God's behalf other people. Do our ministries reflect God's love for all sorts and kinds of people in our community? And do we love each other?
c. Perhaps the greatest mark of the church is when it is recognizable as Christ's body. When other people speak of our congregation, do they think of it as the risen Christ in their neighborhood?
d. The church is where hearts are enlightened with wisdom and hope. Do those who come here find hope for their lives and new wisdom about all God has done for them? And us.
2. Give your own witness as to how all these marks are present here. And after each one pray that it might be so.
Prayer Of The Day
Help us to leave here tonight as those first disciples left your ascension -- with joy. And show us the way to receive your power which will make our witness contagious in our lives. We celebrate you are there, Jesus, to help us now and prepare for us in eternity. In the name of the resurrected and risen Christ. Amen.
Possible Stories
Dick said at Our Primary Purpose, a treatment center: "I don't lecture; I just tell them how it was with me being drug-dependent." They understood and wanted that same help. Dick said to them, "I don't have to be alone anymore." So is Christians' interpersonal witness: we don't lecture. We just tell them about our relationship with God. And the more we witness, the more we own the gospel and we don't have to be alone anymore either.
In Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra, the messenger tells Antony, "The nature of bad news infects the teller." And so too of the good news. Reason enough to preach! In order that the preacher might more strongly believe and the witness be effective.
In the movie Starman, an alien crash-lands right into the life of a widow. He hears her use the word "love" and asks her to define it. She replies, "Love is when you care more for someone else than you do for yourself." Jenny came very close to defining God's love which we have for another.
I watched them say good-bye for the last time. They were two old evangelists far up in the bush in Liberia, West Africa, where I had transported Old Man Mopolu to see Mama "Ganna" (Amanda Gardner). She wagged her finger in his face and said, "Now, Ol' Man, don't you give up on this God business, and when we get to heaven all the people going to be there to greet us and give us a big hand clap." Might the same be said of all of us.
