Sermon for the Seventh Sunday of Easter; Ascension: May 16, 2021 jj
Rev’d Mark B. Stirdivant, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Yucaipa, California
✝ sdg ✝
The Creeds of our Church confess the Biblical truth we just read in the last chapter of Mark that forty days after Christ’s Easter conquest over death and hell, He ascended to the right hand of God, the Father. Now, the “right hand” of the Father is actually everywhere, say our Confessions; it’s the position of power and authority over all things. And from this position of power and authority, He has and ever will reign and rule as King of kings and Lord of lords. This is very comforting for us. We belong to this powerful, exalted Christ, and He made us a promise. Yet we also need to be clear about what kind of power and authority that Jesus has. With His ascension He retains as the Son of God in resurrected human flesh everything that He willingly set aside when He arrived that first Christmas. So on this day when we celebrate our Lord’s ascension into glory, it would be right and good to draw from Holy Scripture exactly how the secular or left-hand kingdom of God’s reign is related to his Spiritual or right-hand realm, and also how those two must remain distinct.
When most people think of Jesus ruling His kingdom on earth, they don’t think much farther than a place like this. Sure, the Lord can live and reign under this roof, on Sunday mornings. But ask a Christian cake decorator that has recently been through a horrific lawsuit, whether they can enjoy the freedom of religion on other days of the week in their everyday lives at work. These days the world is saying to the Almighty God, we don’t want you to reign over us. Sure, we’ll give You control of our “faith life” so to speak, but we want our so-called “real life” to ourselves. It is impossible to limit God’s influence to one particular realm. It’s not as though you were here right now to fulfill some obligation to Christ, and then when you went on your way, that time left over belonged to you to do with however you please. No, the kingdom and rule of the Ascended Lord Jesus Christ controls even our everyday, secular life, for God lies hidden even in your neighbor whom He has placed in your path to serve just as though you were serving Him.
Whether it was the pious monks and nuns of the Middle Ages, or the well-meaning preachers of personal relationships and promise-keeping in our time, godly people have often felt that their spiritual lives had to be obviously apparent and different from this world, or else they will not reach true holiness. Finding spiritual gifts was quite the rage for a while, and to be sure, people should always exercise their unique ways of serving God, but certain other talents were pushed aside as though they were not “spiritual” enough. If it wasn’t termed a “ministry” of some sort, then it wouldn’t help build God’s kingdom. And if everything became a “ministry” then what would happen to the true, Biblical Ministry of preaching the Word and forgiveness of sins? The truth is that Jesus is ruler in the Church but also He rules in the mundane, everyday secular world. He may be hidden in the imperfect, self-serving government and other sinful neighbors, but living and working as a believing Christian in regular daily life is also considered godly service, even if it isn’t specifically called a “ministry!”
But there’s another serious error – namely, when the secular and spiritual are blended so completely there’s no longer any distinction left regarding the way Christ rules each of these domains. Even though they are not separated, the secular and spiritual do have a valid distinction from each other. It’s a distinction that’s just as much needed as the difference between Law and Gospel, even though both are God’s holy and necessary Word.
Since we live in a world where Christ reigns over all things ever since His Ascension – the question we ought to be asking then, isn’t whether or not Christ is reigning, but rather: “How far into our own lives is this reign of Jesus? What difference does it make to me?” I don’t like it when a family member of mine decides to move in with someone of the opposite sex when they should be getting married first. But I don’t want to upset them or lose them, and they are the exception—they can make sure that it doesn’t ruin their relationship. And so little by little, God’s rule over us is kept farther and farther at arm’s length. We learn in Ephesians that Christ’s rule and reign extends over all things. It was permanently established by the Father when He “seated Him at His right hand… far above all rule and authority and power and dominion.” He alone is King of kings and Lord of lords—the One to whom all must give answer on Judgment Day.
But, even though He rules over all things, in every realm He carries out that rule through different “means” – and in many very different ways. His rule in the left-hand secular realm, for instance, is normally carried out through governments, as St. Paul teaches in Romans: “Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except what God established….” And in Colossians, saying: “By Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible…” He rules the world with power and the law, while He rules the Church by grace announced freely in the Gospel.
Through government God wields the sword of justice so that order might abound, for governments are ministers of God for our own good—and the government doesn’t bear the sword in vain. When it rains, when it’s dry, when the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening, and when flowers bloom and leaves sprout it’s all because of His power, which was awarded back to Jesus upon His Ascension. And yes, good governments rise and corrupt governments fall, as well as everything in between, because Christ is sitting on His throne and reigning!
He governs His Church by His grace – the grace He purchased and won for us on the cross – and upon which His Father stamped His seal of approval by raising Him from the dead and returning Him to His exalted throne. Men and women of every nation and tribe come to faith, and His children follow Him and desire to do His will because of this accomplished salvation mission. Your holy status has been achieved not as a result of your works, but because of Christ’s works for your sake. At the end of life, His elderly saints – at a ripe old age – and His young lambs- some of whose lives are swept away all too soon – when they die, they enjoy the glory of being in His presence because of Jesus.
And those who labor, struggle, and face the trials and tribulations of life, are able to do so only because of the abundance of His grace. This grace is what causes Christ to rule His Church with tenderness, kindness, and compassion – those same qualities He demands of men to love and serve their wife and family. But more important, Jesus so abundantly demonstrated that love perfectly when He gave up His life for us all. His means of handing out forgiveness is not found in laws and governments, or even special church programs, but only in Gospel Word and Sacraments. That’s what we’re here to do as a church.
Through means of His Word He reveals Himself. Jesus reminded His disciples how “all things written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” And how—so that His followers might see this— “He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” Then in the same way, Paul prays that the eyes of our hearts might be enlightened to know the hope of Christ’s calling—the riches of the glory of His inheritance of forgiveness—and the surpassing greatness of His power toward all who believe.
Every time you gather to hear God’s Word, Christ is ruling His Church and showering forgiven saints with His grace. Here is where God desires His forgiveness to be proclaimed and the promise of eternal life extended. Here is where hope is bestowed upon all who call on the name of the Lord. And each of these blessings are given by means of His Word. But there’s more! By means of simple bread and wine in Holy Communion – and by means of water in Holy Baptism – God continually showers His people with countless blessings – all for our strength and benefit – and all so that we might be ruled by His grace. You and I, dear friends, we must seek Christ not only while He can still be found, but also where He wants to found.
Recall the angels’ directions to the shepherds: “And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling-clothes, lying in a manger.” Martin Luther says in one of his Christmas sermons: “Word and Sacrament are the manger and the swaddling-clothes into which it has pleased Christ to lay Himself.” And while such lowliness might seem far too worldly to our fallen human reason, the fact is that our Lord will be found nowhere else. Dear children of God, you and I, we cannot set up boundaries regarding the rule and reign of Christ that don’t already exist in God’s Word. And, by the same token, neither can we mix up His reign in our day to day life or else we lose sight of that grace which He bestows upon His Church and Her people.
The reign of Christ “fills all in all” for He alone is the Lord—and not just over His Church, but over everything. The world He rules with power—bringing forth justice and order; and the Church He rules with grace—as He gives Himself to those who are His own with a rule that’s gentle, and brings the unspeakable gifts of forgiveness, life and eternal salvation. This is the rule of Christ in the hearts of His children—may it always be so in your life.
In the Name of the Father and of the ✝ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
