The crucified and risen Jesus has ascended to the Father
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series V, Cycle B
Theme For The Day: The crucified and risen Jesus has ascended to the Father. His disciples are to wait for empowerment from the promised Holy Spirit.
BRIEF COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Acts 1:1--11 (C, RC, E)
The Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts are the only two books in the Bible addressed to an individual (Theophilus). In this introduction, Luke informs Theophilus that he is taking up where his gospel ended. The Gospel of Luke concludes with the witness to the resurrected Christ and Acts begins by putting to a close this forty--day string of appearances. The disciples are still anticipating a kind of earthly reign (v. 6) but Jesus tells them not to be concerned with God's chronology but to wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which would empower them for witness to the world. Having said this, he rose out of their sight. The Ascension, largely ignored by most Christians, provides a necessary transition from Jesus of Nazareth to Christ, the victorious Lord of all. Without the Ascension, the risen Christ would be left earthbound.
Lesson 2: Ephesians 1:15--23 (C, E); Ephesians 1:17--23 (RC)
This poetical passage sings the praises of the "Father of glory" for the riches of his grace and power which are made known to those of us who believe in his Son. Christ has received the scepter of divine authority and power over all the universe, because God has put all things under his feet. Christ assumes his rule, not just for his benefit, but for the sake of his Body, the Church (v. 22).
Gospel: Luke 24:44--53 (C); Luke 24:49--53 (E)
The risen Christ interprets to his disciples how his ministry, especially his death and resurrection, is a fulfillment of the scriptures. Christ proposes that forgiveness of sins be offered to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. He reminds them that they are witnesses of all these things but that they should wait until they have received the promised Spirit from on high. Christ led his disciples to Bethany and while he lifted his hands in blessing, he ascended to the Father. The disciples responded to these events with unsurpassed joy and praise, as they worshipped continually in the temple.
Gospel: Mark 16:15--20 (RC)
The original Gospel of Mark ends with verse 8, no resurrection appearances or ascension. Our text, therefore, is not part of the original ending to Mark but it is part of the traditional conclusion. In these verses, Jesus commissions his disciples to preach the gospel to the whole creation. Those who believed and were baptized would be saved. The preaching of the gospel would be accompanied with certain signs - casting our demons, speaking in other tongues and so forth.
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 47 (C, E, RC) - "God has gone up with a shout..." (v. 4).
Prayer Of The Day
Exalted Lord, as we have celebrated your victory over sin and death, so we lift up our praises to You as the Lord of All, the Sovereign of all time and eternity. Our hearts are at peace because the One who has been raised as ruler of all creation was once lifted up on a cross. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Acts 1:1--11
Forty--day feast follows forty--day fast (v. 3). Luke states that Jesus appeared to his followers during a forty--day period, providing "many convincing proofs" that he was alive. Thus, we have a forty--day Easter season. A forty--day feast follows a forty--day fast, representing the forty days when Jesus was tempted by Satan. For the Christian, times of abstention and loss give way to feasting, fullness and celebration.
Let's not get ahead of God. Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were empowered by the Holy Spirit (v. 4). Had they not been warned to wait, they might have shoved out of port on their mission without any wind for their sails. There remains a very real danger of getting ahead of God and doing more damage than good. The Spirit of God provides both the direction for ministry and the power. To act without the Spirit's presence provides a sure prescription for failure and frustration.
Going international (v. 8). Even after the resurrection, the disciples were still thinking in terms of a Jewish state for the kingdom of God (v. 6). God had a better idea. God was transforming them from a Jewish sect to an international religion, moving from Jerusalem to Judea, the surrounding region, through Samaria, home of the partly Jewish Samaritans, and into the farthest reaches of the gentile world. Why isn't Galilee mentioned? Some have suggested that Galilee was already Christian. The resurrected Christ was re--forming the church from the particular to the universal, from the national to the international.
They had a martyr complex (v. 8). The risen Christ informed his followers that they were going to be his "witnesses." The Greek behind this translation means both witness and martyr. So when I say that they had a martyr complex, I don't mean to say that they possessed some macabre desire to die for their faith but that they were highly motivated to witness to their living Lord. If that should mean death, they would gladly pay the price. Unfortunately, a large segment of the church has lost its martyr complex.
Lesson 2: Ephesians 1:15--23
Power transmission (vv. 19--20). God's power, the energy of the Holy Spirit, was always there. That power was felt at various times, as the Old Testament reveals, but only a few select people were transmission lines for God's power. Also, most of the people did not know how to make God's power work for them. Luke asserts that God "put that power to work in Christ," when God raised him from the dead. The Lord finally put that power to work for all believers at Pentecost. The risen Christ and his living Spirit are the transmission lines to make God's power work for each of us. Through faith, we plug into that power.
Power for us (v. 19). This passage extols God's power and glory to the utmost but this is not purposeless power, aimed to make our knees buckle in dread. No, Paul characterizes this as "power for us who believe." God graciously employs his power for our benefit; God's power is for us.
Gospel: Luke 24:44--53
Spiritual power and worldly power. There are two basic types of power - spiritual power and earthly power. Spiritual power is what Jesus referred to when he told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power from on high (v. 49). Spiritual power comes as a gift of God; the closer we are to God, the more committed our lives, the more spiritual power God bestows. Worldly power, in contrast, comes to those who have the greatest strength and the strongest will to power. Such power is seized from others, imposed through violence, threats and intimidation. Those who crave worldly power seek it to satisfy their own ends but the person who has spiritual power aims to serve the neighbor. Spiritual power does not seek to affect change by external force but by inspiring people to inward renewal. Worldly power addicts believe that there is only so much power to go around and so they seek to hoard it; those who possess spiritual power know that the more God's power is shared, the more it increases. We find both kinds of power being exercised in the church but when the Spirit of God gains full reign, spiritual power predominates.
Benediction (v. 50). As Jesus was blessing his loved ones, his disciples, he was lifted out of their sight. The last vision which the disciples had of their Lord was of him blessing them. That image would linger indelibly in their mind. That's why we end our worship services with a blessing. The Christ ascended into heaven so that he might grant his blessing to all his people, of every nation, race and tribe, down through the ages.
Blessed to be a blessing. Luke relates the reaction of the disciples after Jesus ascended to heaven. They worshipped him and were continually in the temple blessing God (vv. 52--53). When a person is blessed of God, that same person becomes a blessing to God and to others.
PREACHING APPROACHES WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
Lesson 1: Acts 1:1--11
Sermon Title: A Time For Waiting And A Time For Working
Sermon Angle: Jesus commanded his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they had received the promise of the Father (v. 4), the Holy Spirit. In life, there is a time of waiting and a time for working. This principle proves especially relevant for the spiritual life. We must have times of recreation through rest, prayer, worship and meditation to permit our bodies to catch up with our soul and to give opportunity for the Spirit to invade our existence with power. Once we've waited for God's Spirit to fill us, we are ready to go to work with vision and energy.
Outline:
1. The disciples were told to wait for God's promised visitation (v. 4).
2. The Christian life alternates between times of waiting and times of working.
- If we work without waiting for the Lord, we will work aimlessly and without power.
- Waiting allows God's Spirit to catch up with our body.
Sermon Title: Where Is Jesus Going?
Sermon Angle: The disciples were obviously excited to see their Lord again after they thought they had lost him forever. Understandably, they wondered concerning the significance of his resurrection. Thus, they asked: "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" (v. 6). They were thinking that Christ's reappearance meant that things were going to be as they were. Jesus didn't answer them directly. Rather, he pointed them to the future, when God would do something new in their midst. Then, as Jesus rose up from the earth and receded into the clouds, two angels appeared and asked them why they were gazing into heaven, because Jesus was going to return to the earth someday (v. 11). Though this passage does point to the parousia at the end of history, it remains a fact of faith that Jesus did return on Pentecost. This suggests that Jesus cannot now be experienced in some otherworldly frame, but that he can be perceived in our midst here on earth. Consequently, Jesus directs us to not build our house of faith in the past, because God is moving ahead to a new destination. Secondly, the Lord does not want us to scan the heavens for his presence but look for him in the lowly and the earthly. Where is God going? He's going ahead but he has not left his people behind.
Outline:
1. Where does the risen Christ lead us?
2. He will not lead us back to where we were (restore the kingdom) (vv. 6--8).
3. He directs us away from the speculation about the otherworldly. (Why do you stand looking up to heaven?)
4. He leads us to encounter him through his Holy Spirit and the gospel.
Lesson 2: Ephesians 1:15--23
Sermon Title: The Seal Of The Son
Sermon Angle: Movies such as The Omen make much of the mark of the beast, designating the anti--Christ. This passage speaks of the seal of the Son, which is the Holy Spirit (v. 13). The Spirit is compared to earnest money, the pledge of our inheritance of the kingdom. We were marked with that seal in our baptism.
Sermon Title: Everything You Wanted To Know About God's Power
Sermon Angle: Verses 19--22 speak eloquently of God's power. While the title of this sermon is misleading, our text does inform us concerning God's power. In these verses, no less than four different Greek words are translated by the word "power." The chief word for power, which summarizes the meaning of the other three words, is dynamis, translated "I am able." This passage extols a God who is able and a God who enables his own to win the victory of life.
Outline:
1. Many sermons deal with the love of God but few consider the power of God.
2. I can't really tell you everything you want to know about the subject but our text informs our thinking.
3. The power of God is power for us - guided by grace and love (v. 19).
4. The power of God is power in Christ (v. 20) who is risen, ascended and possesses all authority.
5. The resurrection and Ascension reveal a dynamite God. (He is able - explain the meaning of the word dynamis.).
- God was able to raise Jesus from the dead and lift him to heaven.
- God is able to raise us to newness of life.
Gospel: Luke 24:44--53
Sermon Title: Final Blessing
Sermon Angle: Luke relates a precious aspect of the ascension story lacking in his account in Acts 1; he states that Jesus was blessing his disciples as he was ascending into heaven. It was his final blessing. How important that was. Most of them had failed their Lord miserably. They had failed to understand his teachings. When the heat was turned up, they melted down. The blessing by Christ told them that they were loved and forgiven. That blessing they would carry with them through life; that blessing would empower them. Like those first disciples, we need Christ's blessing; we must know that, in spite of our spiritual cowardice and weakness, he still loves us. In a like manner, children desperately crave the blessing of their mother and father. Children need this final blessing before their parents make their final exit.
Outline:
1. The last image of Christ carried by his disciples was of his arms extended in blessing of them.
- This blessing showed that he loved, forgave, and approved of them.
2. Christ's blessing empowered them to turn the world upside down.
3. Many of us lead a tortured existence because we have not received the blessing we have sought from an important person in our life. (Give example.)
4. Give your blessing to those who look up to you. ( You never know when it might be your final blessing.)
5. We have been blessed by the Lord of all existence that we might bless God (v. 53) and others.
__________
Jessica Savitch was the first woman to attain the status of a national news anchor. The story of her tortured life was revealed in the made--for--television movie Almost Golden. Jessica was a gregarious little girl who adored her father, who had always affirmed her. She basked in the light of his blessing until kidney disease took her father from her. From this loss, she never fully recovered. A high school sweetheart introduced her to broadcasting and eventually she co--hosted a musical show for teens; this brought her into the spotlight, where she received the recognition she so desperately sought. She set her goal to become a national news anchorwoman by the age of thirty, a goal in which she eminently succeeded. Yet, the faster she ran, the more she achieved, the more tortured and insecure her life became. Jessica had several failed relationships with men. She was beaten by her lover and one of her husbands committed suicide. She got hooked on booze and cocaine. Her career collapsed suddenly, like a house made of playing cards, when she did her newscast stoned and was fired. Jessica finally surmounted her drug problem and seemed to be getting back on track when the car she was riding in overturned into a Pennsylvania canal on a dark and rainy night.
Jessica Savitch exemplifies the thousands who are driven by the profound need to receive a blessing from their father, mother or other significant person in their life. No matter how high she soared, it was never high enough. How tragic and driven life can be when we fail to realize the blessing of our Father in heaven. That blessing calms our anxious hearts with the assurance that we are accepted just as we are.
Sermon Title: Clothing For The Upwardly Mobile
Sermon Angle: Newspaper columnists and advertisers seek to inform the upwardly mobile how they might dress--up, in order to rise above the ordinary into the rare atmosphere of the super--achievers. Appearances and clothing do seem to play a significant part in attaining success in this world. Clothing is important for spiritual upward mobility, too. Jesus told his followers to wait in Jerusalem until he had clothed them with power from on high (v. 49); such clothing would enable them to ascend to the highest heavens, as well as rising above things here on earth. Without the Spirit of God, we are naked and powerless. The Holy Spirit remains the only clothing needed by the spiritually upward mobile.
Outline:
1. We are told that clothing makes the man or the woman.
2. Our clothing does express who we are or would like to become.
3. Jesus told his disciples to wait until they were clothed with his Spirit of power.
4. This clothing empowers us to rise above the ordinary and ascend into the very presence of God.
__________
You will recall that every time Clark Kent transformed himself into Superman, he would go into a telephone booth and strip off his ordinary business suit, revealing his official Superman costume. He could only stop locomotives and lift skyscrapers when he was properly clothed in the outfit that revealed his true identity. As Christians, we can do no mighty deed unless we are properly clothed with the Spirit of God, which discloses our true spiritual selves and supplies the power to do wondrous things.
BRIEF COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Acts 1:1--11 (C, RC, E)
The Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts are the only two books in the Bible addressed to an individual (Theophilus). In this introduction, Luke informs Theophilus that he is taking up where his gospel ended. The Gospel of Luke concludes with the witness to the resurrected Christ and Acts begins by putting to a close this forty--day string of appearances. The disciples are still anticipating a kind of earthly reign (v. 6) but Jesus tells them not to be concerned with God's chronology but to wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which would empower them for witness to the world. Having said this, he rose out of their sight. The Ascension, largely ignored by most Christians, provides a necessary transition from Jesus of Nazareth to Christ, the victorious Lord of all. Without the Ascension, the risen Christ would be left earthbound.
Lesson 2: Ephesians 1:15--23 (C, E); Ephesians 1:17--23 (RC)
This poetical passage sings the praises of the "Father of glory" for the riches of his grace and power which are made known to those of us who believe in his Son. Christ has received the scepter of divine authority and power over all the universe, because God has put all things under his feet. Christ assumes his rule, not just for his benefit, but for the sake of his Body, the Church (v. 22).
Gospel: Luke 24:44--53 (C); Luke 24:49--53 (E)
The risen Christ interprets to his disciples how his ministry, especially his death and resurrection, is a fulfillment of the scriptures. Christ proposes that forgiveness of sins be offered to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. He reminds them that they are witnesses of all these things but that they should wait until they have received the promised Spirit from on high. Christ led his disciples to Bethany and while he lifted his hands in blessing, he ascended to the Father. The disciples responded to these events with unsurpassed joy and praise, as they worshipped continually in the temple.
Gospel: Mark 16:15--20 (RC)
The original Gospel of Mark ends with verse 8, no resurrection appearances or ascension. Our text, therefore, is not part of the original ending to Mark but it is part of the traditional conclusion. In these verses, Jesus commissions his disciples to preach the gospel to the whole creation. Those who believed and were baptized would be saved. The preaching of the gospel would be accompanied with certain signs - casting our demons, speaking in other tongues and so forth.
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 47 (C, E, RC) - "God has gone up with a shout..." (v. 4).
Prayer Of The Day
Exalted Lord, as we have celebrated your victory over sin and death, so we lift up our praises to You as the Lord of All, the Sovereign of all time and eternity. Our hearts are at peace because the One who has been raised as ruler of all creation was once lifted up on a cross. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Acts 1:1--11
Forty--day feast follows forty--day fast (v. 3). Luke states that Jesus appeared to his followers during a forty--day period, providing "many convincing proofs" that he was alive. Thus, we have a forty--day Easter season. A forty--day feast follows a forty--day fast, representing the forty days when Jesus was tempted by Satan. For the Christian, times of abstention and loss give way to feasting, fullness and celebration.
Let's not get ahead of God. Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were empowered by the Holy Spirit (v. 4). Had they not been warned to wait, they might have shoved out of port on their mission without any wind for their sails. There remains a very real danger of getting ahead of God and doing more damage than good. The Spirit of God provides both the direction for ministry and the power. To act without the Spirit's presence provides a sure prescription for failure and frustration.
Going international (v. 8). Even after the resurrection, the disciples were still thinking in terms of a Jewish state for the kingdom of God (v. 6). God had a better idea. God was transforming them from a Jewish sect to an international religion, moving from Jerusalem to Judea, the surrounding region, through Samaria, home of the partly Jewish Samaritans, and into the farthest reaches of the gentile world. Why isn't Galilee mentioned? Some have suggested that Galilee was already Christian. The resurrected Christ was re--forming the church from the particular to the universal, from the national to the international.
They had a martyr complex (v. 8). The risen Christ informed his followers that they were going to be his "witnesses." The Greek behind this translation means both witness and martyr. So when I say that they had a martyr complex, I don't mean to say that they possessed some macabre desire to die for their faith but that they were highly motivated to witness to their living Lord. If that should mean death, they would gladly pay the price. Unfortunately, a large segment of the church has lost its martyr complex.
Lesson 2: Ephesians 1:15--23
Power transmission (vv. 19--20). God's power, the energy of the Holy Spirit, was always there. That power was felt at various times, as the Old Testament reveals, but only a few select people were transmission lines for God's power. Also, most of the people did not know how to make God's power work for them. Luke asserts that God "put that power to work in Christ," when God raised him from the dead. The Lord finally put that power to work for all believers at Pentecost. The risen Christ and his living Spirit are the transmission lines to make God's power work for each of us. Through faith, we plug into that power.
Power for us (v. 19). This passage extols God's power and glory to the utmost but this is not purposeless power, aimed to make our knees buckle in dread. No, Paul characterizes this as "power for us who believe." God graciously employs his power for our benefit; God's power is for us.
Gospel: Luke 24:44--53
Spiritual power and worldly power. There are two basic types of power - spiritual power and earthly power. Spiritual power is what Jesus referred to when he told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power from on high (v. 49). Spiritual power comes as a gift of God; the closer we are to God, the more committed our lives, the more spiritual power God bestows. Worldly power, in contrast, comes to those who have the greatest strength and the strongest will to power. Such power is seized from others, imposed through violence, threats and intimidation. Those who crave worldly power seek it to satisfy their own ends but the person who has spiritual power aims to serve the neighbor. Spiritual power does not seek to affect change by external force but by inspiring people to inward renewal. Worldly power addicts believe that there is only so much power to go around and so they seek to hoard it; those who possess spiritual power know that the more God's power is shared, the more it increases. We find both kinds of power being exercised in the church but when the Spirit of God gains full reign, spiritual power predominates.
Benediction (v. 50). As Jesus was blessing his loved ones, his disciples, he was lifted out of their sight. The last vision which the disciples had of their Lord was of him blessing them. That image would linger indelibly in their mind. That's why we end our worship services with a blessing. The Christ ascended into heaven so that he might grant his blessing to all his people, of every nation, race and tribe, down through the ages.
Blessed to be a blessing. Luke relates the reaction of the disciples after Jesus ascended to heaven. They worshipped him and were continually in the temple blessing God (vv. 52--53). When a person is blessed of God, that same person becomes a blessing to God and to others.
PREACHING APPROACHES WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
Lesson 1: Acts 1:1--11
Sermon Title: A Time For Waiting And A Time For Working
Sermon Angle: Jesus commanded his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they had received the promise of the Father (v. 4), the Holy Spirit. In life, there is a time of waiting and a time for working. This principle proves especially relevant for the spiritual life. We must have times of recreation through rest, prayer, worship and meditation to permit our bodies to catch up with our soul and to give opportunity for the Spirit to invade our existence with power. Once we've waited for God's Spirit to fill us, we are ready to go to work with vision and energy.
Outline:
1. The disciples were told to wait for God's promised visitation (v. 4).
2. The Christian life alternates between times of waiting and times of working.
- If we work without waiting for the Lord, we will work aimlessly and without power.
- Waiting allows God's Spirit to catch up with our body.
Sermon Title: Where Is Jesus Going?
Sermon Angle: The disciples were obviously excited to see their Lord again after they thought they had lost him forever. Understandably, they wondered concerning the significance of his resurrection. Thus, they asked: "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" (v. 6). They were thinking that Christ's reappearance meant that things were going to be as they were. Jesus didn't answer them directly. Rather, he pointed them to the future, when God would do something new in their midst. Then, as Jesus rose up from the earth and receded into the clouds, two angels appeared and asked them why they were gazing into heaven, because Jesus was going to return to the earth someday (v. 11). Though this passage does point to the parousia at the end of history, it remains a fact of faith that Jesus did return on Pentecost. This suggests that Jesus cannot now be experienced in some otherworldly frame, but that he can be perceived in our midst here on earth. Consequently, Jesus directs us to not build our house of faith in the past, because God is moving ahead to a new destination. Secondly, the Lord does not want us to scan the heavens for his presence but look for him in the lowly and the earthly. Where is God going? He's going ahead but he has not left his people behind.
Outline:
1. Where does the risen Christ lead us?
2. He will not lead us back to where we were (restore the kingdom) (vv. 6--8).
3. He directs us away from the speculation about the otherworldly. (Why do you stand looking up to heaven?)
4. He leads us to encounter him through his Holy Spirit and the gospel.
Lesson 2: Ephesians 1:15--23
Sermon Title: The Seal Of The Son
Sermon Angle: Movies such as The Omen make much of the mark of the beast, designating the anti--Christ. This passage speaks of the seal of the Son, which is the Holy Spirit (v. 13). The Spirit is compared to earnest money, the pledge of our inheritance of the kingdom. We were marked with that seal in our baptism.
Sermon Title: Everything You Wanted To Know About God's Power
Sermon Angle: Verses 19--22 speak eloquently of God's power. While the title of this sermon is misleading, our text does inform us concerning God's power. In these verses, no less than four different Greek words are translated by the word "power." The chief word for power, which summarizes the meaning of the other three words, is dynamis, translated "I am able." This passage extols a God who is able and a God who enables his own to win the victory of life.
Outline:
1. Many sermons deal with the love of God but few consider the power of God.
2. I can't really tell you everything you want to know about the subject but our text informs our thinking.
3. The power of God is power for us - guided by grace and love (v. 19).
4. The power of God is power in Christ (v. 20) who is risen, ascended and possesses all authority.
5. The resurrection and Ascension reveal a dynamite God. (He is able - explain the meaning of the word dynamis.).
- God was able to raise Jesus from the dead and lift him to heaven.
- God is able to raise us to newness of life.
Gospel: Luke 24:44--53
Sermon Title: Final Blessing
Sermon Angle: Luke relates a precious aspect of the ascension story lacking in his account in Acts 1; he states that Jesus was blessing his disciples as he was ascending into heaven. It was his final blessing. How important that was. Most of them had failed their Lord miserably. They had failed to understand his teachings. When the heat was turned up, they melted down. The blessing by Christ told them that they were loved and forgiven. That blessing they would carry with them through life; that blessing would empower them. Like those first disciples, we need Christ's blessing; we must know that, in spite of our spiritual cowardice and weakness, he still loves us. In a like manner, children desperately crave the blessing of their mother and father. Children need this final blessing before their parents make their final exit.
Outline:
1. The last image of Christ carried by his disciples was of his arms extended in blessing of them.
- This blessing showed that he loved, forgave, and approved of them.
2. Christ's blessing empowered them to turn the world upside down.
3. Many of us lead a tortured existence because we have not received the blessing we have sought from an important person in our life. (Give example.)
4. Give your blessing to those who look up to you. ( You never know when it might be your final blessing.)
5. We have been blessed by the Lord of all existence that we might bless God (v. 53) and others.
__________
Jessica Savitch was the first woman to attain the status of a national news anchor. The story of her tortured life was revealed in the made--for--television movie Almost Golden. Jessica was a gregarious little girl who adored her father, who had always affirmed her. She basked in the light of his blessing until kidney disease took her father from her. From this loss, she never fully recovered. A high school sweetheart introduced her to broadcasting and eventually she co--hosted a musical show for teens; this brought her into the spotlight, where she received the recognition she so desperately sought. She set her goal to become a national news anchorwoman by the age of thirty, a goal in which she eminently succeeded. Yet, the faster she ran, the more she achieved, the more tortured and insecure her life became. Jessica had several failed relationships with men. She was beaten by her lover and one of her husbands committed suicide. She got hooked on booze and cocaine. Her career collapsed suddenly, like a house made of playing cards, when she did her newscast stoned and was fired. Jessica finally surmounted her drug problem and seemed to be getting back on track when the car she was riding in overturned into a Pennsylvania canal on a dark and rainy night.
Jessica Savitch exemplifies the thousands who are driven by the profound need to receive a blessing from their father, mother or other significant person in their life. No matter how high she soared, it was never high enough. How tragic and driven life can be when we fail to realize the blessing of our Father in heaven. That blessing calms our anxious hearts with the assurance that we are accepted just as we are.
Sermon Title: Clothing For The Upwardly Mobile
Sermon Angle: Newspaper columnists and advertisers seek to inform the upwardly mobile how they might dress--up, in order to rise above the ordinary into the rare atmosphere of the super--achievers. Appearances and clothing do seem to play a significant part in attaining success in this world. Clothing is important for spiritual upward mobility, too. Jesus told his followers to wait in Jerusalem until he had clothed them with power from on high (v. 49); such clothing would enable them to ascend to the highest heavens, as well as rising above things here on earth. Without the Spirit of God, we are naked and powerless. The Holy Spirit remains the only clothing needed by the spiritually upward mobile.
Outline:
1. We are told that clothing makes the man or the woman.
2. Our clothing does express who we are or would like to become.
3. Jesus told his disciples to wait until they were clothed with his Spirit of power.
4. This clothing empowers us to rise above the ordinary and ascend into the very presence of God.
__________
You will recall that every time Clark Kent transformed himself into Superman, he would go into a telephone booth and strip off his ordinary business suit, revealing his official Superman costume. He could only stop locomotives and lift skyscrapers when he was properly clothed in the outfit that revealed his true identity. As Christians, we can do no mighty deed unless we are properly clothed with the Spirit of God, which discloses our true spiritual selves and supplies the power to do wondrous things.
