Wesley's Hymn for Ascension Day

Hail the day that sees Him rise, Alleluia!
To His throne above the skies, Alleluia!
Christ, awhile to mortals given, Alleluia!
Reascends His native heaven, Alleluia!

There the glorious triumph waits, Alleluia!

Lift your heads, eternal gates, Alleluia!

Christ hath conquered death and sin, Alleluia!

Take the King of glory in, Alleluia!

Circled round with angel powers, Alleluia!

Their triumphant Lord, and ours, Alleluia!

Conqueror over death and sin, Alleluia!

“Take the King of glory in! Alleluia!”

Him though highest Heav’n receives, Alleluia!

Still He loves the earth He leaves, Alleluia!

Though returning to His throne, Alleluia!

Still He calls mankind His own, Alleluia!

See! He lifts His hands above, Alleluia!

See! He shows the prints of love, Alleluia!

Hark! His gracious lips bestow, Alleluia!

Blessings on His church below, Alleluia!

Still for us His death He pleads, Alleluia!

Prevalent He intercedes, Alleluia!

Near Himself prepares our place, Alleluia!

Harbinger of human race, Alleluia!

Master, (will we ever say), Alleluia!
Taken from our head to day, Alleluia!
See Thy faithful servants, see, Alleluia!
Ever gazing up to Thee, Alleluia!

Grant, though parted from our sight, Alleluia!

Far above yon azure height, Alleluia!

Grant our hearts may thither rise, Alleluia!

Seeking Thee beyond the skies, Alleluia!

Ever upward let us move, Alleluia!

Wafted on the wings of love, Alleluia!

Looking when our Lord shall come, Alleluia!

Longing, gasping after home, Alleluia!

There we shall with Thee remain, Alleluia!

Partners of Thy endless reign, Alleluia!

There Thy face unclouded see, Alleluia!

Find our heaven of heavens in Thee, Alleluia!

Prayer for 7th Week of Easter: Sunday after Ascension Day

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Christ Our Passover: A prayer for each day of the Easter Season

based on 1 Cor. 5:7-8; Rom. 6:9-11; 1 Cor. 15:20-22

Alleluia.

Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us; *

therefore let us keep the feast,

Not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, *

but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Alleluia.

Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; *

death no longer has dominion over him.

The death that he died, he died to sin, once for all; *

but the life he lives, he lives to God.

So also consider yourselves dead to sin, *

and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Alleluia.

Christ has been raised from the dead, *

the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

For since by a man came death, *

by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.

For as in Adam all die, *

so also in Christ shall all be made alive. Alleluia.

Easter 7: What is the Church and Where is Heaven

Acts 1:6-14

On Ascension Day we looked at and celebrated the fact that we have a King.  A King whose authority over all powers on earth and in the spiritual realm has been shown by His being raised from death and then raised to the very right hand of God in Heaven, the God who has now given to Him, to Jesus, all authority in Heaven and on Earth.  That was our Ascension Celebration – we have a King.

Our reading today reminds us of Thursday’s Ascension and then says: “They went back to Jerusalem where they gathered frequently as a group.”  Then there’s a list of that little group which makes interesting reading:

first, there are the apostles, but of course there’s one missing – we just have 11 names;

secondly we are told they gathered “with the women.”  This is a group of women who supported Jesus’ ministry financially and in Luke 8 verse 1 we are told… After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means ;

thirdly, we’re told that there is Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers …… the group includes Jesus’ brothers. This is interesting, because in John 7:5 we are told that during Jesus’ ministry, “not even His brothers believed in Him.” and in Mark 3 we're told his family came to "take charge if him because people were saying he was mad" and they seem to agree. Now...they are part of the faithful group of followers at His Ascension. The death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus change everything.....maybe even for you.......today.

So here they all are, in Jerusalem.  Part of this strange group of people.  And what are they doing …… they are waiting.  Jesus said to them before His Ascension – go and wait in Jerusalem.

They weren’t really sure what they were waiting for –Yes, Jesus had said, and last week we looked at His saying, “I will send the Parakletos, the Comforter, the Intercessor, the Helper, the Advocate” – but they didn’t really know what they were waiting for. You feel that way as well sometimes, don't you, waiting....but not sure what for.

We know in retrospect that what they were waiting for was the birth of the Church.  That is what happened at Pentecost.  The Church was born – that is what we will celebrate next Sunday, Pentecost.  It is the birthday of the Church.  But in preparation for Pentecost, as part of our waiting, in a sense, I want to ask – what is the Church, what do you understand by “The Church”, what is this "thing" whose birthday we celebrate next week? I've touched on some of these ideas over the Easter season, but it's time now to draw them all together.

For many people, the church is something they “go to.”  So……many of us and many children today grow up with this idea, that Church is somewhere you go to in the same way you go to the shops.  Let me ask you again: “What is the Church?”  Some of us have children and grandchildren....they might ask: “What is the church Grandpa/ma?” How would you answer? For many, the church has become defined as a place where certain things happen, like preaching and communion, and Bible Study.....so you might answer that it's a place where certain things happen.  Let me ask you again: “What is the Church?”

Again, in many people’s thinking, it is something you attend or belong to, much as you would a service club like Rotary or Lions with its programmes and activities.

What is the Church?  For too many, it is a “Place where……we go....or a place where certain things happen....or an organisation we belong to” 

But the Church for whose birth that little group was waiting in Jerusalem, the Church whose birthday we celebrate next week at Pentecost, the Church as it is described in the New Testament, was never a “place where” but rather it is a “people who are.”  

Not a “place where” but a “people who are…”

You and I sometimes “go to the doctor” don’t we.  But we can’t use the same language for the Church and I want to encourage you to never again say, “I’m going to church” (and children and grandchildren.)  You see, we go to the doctor, which is fine, but we are not the doctor, are we?  We all know that.  Now the problem with “going to church” is that we in fact ARE the Church.  It is not possible for you to go to it because you are it.  Yes, we go to worship, but we cannot with integrity “Go” to Church.

The Church is not “a place where” but a “people who are” and on Thursday we celebrated that we are a people who are the place where heaven and earth come together, where heaven and earth intersect. The Kingdom of God is now within us, said Jesus. Jesus sees people living the eternal kingdom way now in a fallen, sin-wrecked world that is in desperate need of hope and redemption.

Think of the street where you live – You are the church there.

Think of the place where you work – You are the church there.

Think of the place where you play sport – You are the church there.

Think of the pub or club you go to – You are the church there.

Jesus actually envisions a new kind of humanity (we looked at that on Thursday), a kingdom of God society.

What the disciples, the women, Mary and Jesus’ brothers were waiting for was the birth of a people who would be Christ’s presence and witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, Alberton and to the ends of the earth.

The Church is God’s instrument through which the Holy Spirit moves and through which God expresses His love to the world – and the Church is you and me, so let me say that last sentence this way – You and I are God’s instrument through which the Holy Spirit moves and it is through you and me that God wants to express His love for the world, the people around us.  

Jesus’ last words to that little group were a call to be such witnesses after they had waited for and then received the Holy Spirit.  They are His call, His command, the plea of His heart to you and to me …… to be witnesses, filled with the Holy Spirit, who we now don't have to wait for,....witnesses in both word and deed as He has taught and shown.

This is the central task of the church, which is……the people of God, but it can only be accomplished with power from the Holy Spirit which is what they were waiting for, but what you and I just need to ask for, and then use.  

We are the Church……Let us be the Church.

Prayer and Hymn for Ascension Sunday

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son
Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven:
Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to
strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior
Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Hail the day that sees Him rise, Alleluia!

To His throne above the skies, Alleluia!

Christ, awhile to mortals given, Alleluia!

Reascends His native heaven, Alleluia!

There the glorious triumph waits, Alleluia!

Lift your heads, eternal gates, Alleluia!

Christ hath conquered death and sin, Alleluia!

Take the King of glory in, Alleluia!

Circled round with angel powers, Alleluia!

Their triumphant Lord, and ours, Alleluia!

Conqueror over death and sin, Alleluia!

“Take the King of glory in! Alleluia!”

Him though highest Heav’n receives, Alleluia!

Still He loves the earth He leaves, Alleluia!

Though returning to His throne, Alleluia!

Still He calls mankind His own, Alleluia!

See! He lifts His hands above, Alleluia!

See! He shows the prints of love, Alleluia!

Hark! His gracious lips bestow, Alleluia!

Blessings on His church below, Alleluia!

Still for us His death He pleads, Alleluia!

Prevalent He intercedes, Alleluia!

Near Himself prepares our place, Alleluia!

Harbinger of human race, Alleluia!

Master, (will we ever say), Alleluia!

Taken from our head to day, Alleluia!

See Thy faithful servants, see, Alleluia!

Ever gazing up to Thee, Alleluia!

Grant, though parted from our sight, Alleluia!

Far above yon azure height, Alleluia!

Grant our hearts may thither rise, Alleluia!

Seeking Thee beyond the skies, Alleluia!

Ever upward let us move, Alleluia!

Wafted on the wings of love, Alleluia!

Looking when our Lord shall come, Alleluia!

Longing, gasping after home, Alleluia!

There we shall with Thee remain, Alleluia!

Partners of Thy endless reign, Alleluia!

There Thy face unclouded see, Alleluia!

Find our heaven of heavens in Thee, Alleluia!

Ascension Day: He Ascended into Heaven

Acts 1:1-11 & Luke 24:44-53

It is forty days since we met here early, early in the morning, or perhaps at 08:30am or at 06:30pm and celebrated Easter 2014.  And that was 47 days after we met here on the 5^th March on Ash Wednesday.  We’ve journeyed through 40 days of Lent, 7 days of Holy Week and 40 days of Easter.

The Ascension is explicitly described only in Luke, but is hinted at in Mark and John, and Matthew draws out its meaning in another way.  All of them of course, describe the Resurrection, again each in their own unique way. Just as we can't discuss Resurrection without Good Friday, so too we can't discuss Ascension without Resurrection.

The Resurrection, in short, is presented by the evangelists not as a “happy ending” after an increasingly sad and gloomy tale, but rather as the event that demonstrated that Jesus’ execution really had dealt the death blow to the dark forces that had stood in the way of God’s new world, God’s Kingdom of powerful creative and restorative love, arriving “on Earth as in Heaven.”

The Resurrection declared that the cross was a victory, not a defeat.  It therefore announces that God has indeed become King on Earth as in Heaven. 

To understand the Ascension requires that we recall what I said a few weeks ago about Israel’s Temple theology.  The Temple was the intersection between Heaven and Earth.  To meet with God, you went to the Temple.

Now, however, the place where Heaven and Earth meet is a person, Jesus Himself, who is equally at home in either or both of the twin halves of God’s good creation....heaven and earth.

Luke’s Ascension story is that Heaven and Earth are now joined in the person – in the risen body- of Jesus Himself.

The One who sits in Heaven is the One who rules on earth. With the authority of a king, He therefore sends out His followers, equipped by His own Spirit. (On Ascension Sunday we will notice that if Ascension locates a part of “Earth” in “Heaven”, Pentecost sends the breath of Heaven to Earth.)  But, as I was saying, the one who sits in heaven sends us out to celebrate His sovereignty over the world and to make it a reality through the founding of communities rescued by His love, renewed by His power and loyal to His Name.

Jesus’ followers, equipped with His Spirit, are to become in themselves, individually and together, little walking temples, rescued ourselves from sin through Jesus’ death, and with the living presence of God going with us and in us.

With His Ascension, Jesus has come to His rightful place, at the right hand of the Father, our Father, claiming the allegiance of every creature in Heaven, on Earth and under the Earth.  But He has come to that place and maintains it by, and only by, His humility and self-giving love.

So when the disciples, at the start of Acts, ask Jesus whether this  is the time for Him to “restore the Kingdom to Israel” His answer is not, as we might think as we read it, a “no”……it is a “Yes”…but as so often with Jesus and His Kingdom it is a “yes but.”

He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

And that witness, is not a matter of “telling people about your new religious experience” of or informing them that there is now a new possibility of a much better outer-worldly destiny (Heaven) than anything our bleak world has to offer…but you just have to wait until you die before you can get there.  No!  The “witness” of Jesus’ followers is the message that there is now another King, Jesus (Acts 17:7   "They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.”), and He is the true Temple (John 2:19    Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”) .  He is ruling the world as the one who was crucified.  His subjects, servants, followers (in other words, us) are the fuller version of the same thing, so that the dwelling of the living God is now spreading increasingly across and around the world.

In Luke 17:21, Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of God and said people won't say, “Here it is” or “There it is” because the Kingdom of God is within you.

And so at His Ascension the disciples ask, “Are you going to restore the Kingdom” and His answer seems to say no, but it actually says, “Yes, I am……but that Kingdom is now in you.  Where you are……there the Kingdom is.” And He says that to you and to me.

This was really nothing new to the disciples, because Jesus had often said to them – when you go somewhere tell people that the Kingdom of God has come near.  In Luke 10 when Jesus sent out 72 of the disciples, He said to them if you are welcomed there, eat and drink and teach and heal.  But if you are not welcomed, go into the streets and say “even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you.  Yet be sure of this: The Kingdom of God has come near.  It will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.”

The disciples (remember there were at least 500 of them) had heard it before, but still on Ascension Day they were hoping for something else.........

Are you going to restore the Kingdom – and Jesus, on his day of Ascension, leaves them and you and me with this answer from the gospels: The Kingdom of God is in you.  You will be my witnesses to the presence of this Kingdom, and it will spread from Jerusalem across and around the world. And this Kingdom will spread and grow, not by coercive or violent power, the way of the Caesars/rulers of the world, but by the rule of love, the way of Jesus and his disciples. That was the message of the first Ascension Day....that is the message of this Ascension Day. And just as the disciples discovered that they were the means by which the LORD was restoring the Kingdom that they longed to see restored, so on this Ascension day hopefully we see that we are the means by which the LORD is restoring the Kingdom that we longed to see restored, that we pray for whenever we pray Your kingdom come.

With the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, He has shown us a new way to be human.

The ascended and enthroned Jesus invites/commands us to be fully human as He was, to be the place where Heaven and Earth meet in Alberton (or wherever we are) and therefore to be the place where God’s Kingdom comes and God’s will is done.

Let us pray

This sermon was inspired

by  Tom Wright's

How God became King

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