2025-06-01 The Ascension of our Lord

Scripture Readings

Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia!

In life there’s always a lot of risk. This is why the entire insurance industry exists, right? Risk management. If you’re going to plant fields of seeds worth millions and millions of dollars, you might want some insurance against that infamous Saskatchewan hard water in the form of hail! If you’re going to let your teenagers drive your vehicle down the road, SGI better be on speed dial. If your are a West Coast crab fisherman, or a logger or roofer, some of the most dangerous jobs on earth, you better have a good life insurance plan! Think about business ventures. Starting a new company generally requires a pile of risk and time and money. The stakes are high. Will the business be successful? Will it turn a profit? Will the investors and stakeholders be happy? Will it go belly up? There’s always lots of risk with pretty much everything in life.

Think about our Lord’s Ascension. We confess in the Creed every week that we believe the Lord Jesus “suffered and was buried. And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father.” Jesus bodily ascends the seat of power and glory, as we heard in our Scripture readings. And from there we await His glorious return. But the point is He ascended, and in so doing He entrusted the Gospel message, the proclamation of salvation and forgiveness of sins to His rag-tag group of hand-picked disciples. Talk about risk! Many of these people betrayed Him, abandoned Him, denied Him, and later in the case of Saul outright persecuted Him! As they say, good help is hard to find! Slingin’ donuts at Tim Horton’s is one thing, but proclaimers and keepers of the greatest message this world will ever see, is quite another.

But this too becomes a stellar lesson about the Kingdom of God. Jesus doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called. This is a massive difference with God’s Kingdom vs. earthly wisdom and practice. You’re not going to hire people who have no experience in a specialized field. It’s just bad business and most always results in problems and costly failure. But if your goal is to build up an employee into someone of substance, to make something out of nothing, to give that person the skills and abilities needed to excel, to mentor and shape a person into a leader who can think critically and succeed, then that is an entirely different thing altogether. “45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (LK 24:45-29).

This task that Jesus gives to His disciples and bestows upon them at His Ascension isn’t simply a baton hand off with a well wish of ‘good luck boys, see ya around’! Far from it. The works that our Lord began to do on earth would continue from His heavenly throne, through the works of His people. And as a result, the Ascension not only marks the beginning of the spread of the Gospel but it also guarantees its successful end. This is due to our Lord’s gracious provision for His people. He qualifies the called with everything they need. The Confirmation Class of all time as our Lord opens the disciples’ minds to understand the Scriptures. The call that they will be His faithful witnesses to all nations, starting in Jerusalem, proclaiming forgiveness of sins in His name and cross. And, last but certainly not least, the power-from-on-high-promise of the Father that will fill them with the Holy Spirit when Pentecost happens, but more on that next Sunday.

The disciples are charged with taking their eye-witness testimony of our Lord’s crucifixion and resurrection to the next level. This message won’t be a lamp hidden under a bushel, no! They are gonna let that light shine! “8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Witnesses. People who saw the message first hand and lived it. The original Greek word for this is “martus” - from which we get our English word martyr. This is someone who’s witness for Christ cost them absolutely everything, including their earthly lives. And in fact, almost all of the disciples would do exactly this, choose death rather than shut up or deny that Christ is risen.

Simon - St. Peter - was crucified upside-down in Rome under Emperor Nero, around 64-68 AD. Upside down because he felt unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus. Tradition holds he was martyred on the site of St. Peter’s Basilica. Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross (now known as St. Andrew’s Cross) in Patras, Greece, around 60-70 AD, after preaching in various regions, including Scythia. James, son of Zebedee, big James. He was beheaded by King Herod Agrippa I in Jerusalem around 44 AD, as recorded in Acts 12:1-2, making him the first Apostle martyred. John, son of Zebedee was exiled to the island of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. Tradition claims he survived attempts on his life (e.g., being boiled in oil) and died of old age in Ephesus around 100 AD. He was the only Apostle not martyred. Philip was crucified or stoned to death in Hierapolis, Phrygia (modern-day Turkey), sometime around 80 AD, after preaching in Asia Minor. Bartholomew a.k.a. Nathanael was flayed alive and then crucified or beheaded in Armenia, around 70 AD, after missionary work in India and Armenia. Thomas was speared to death in Mylapore, India, around 72 AD, after preaching in Persia and India. Matthew the tax collector also known as Levi was martyred by stabbing or beheading in Ethiopia or Persia, around 60-70 AD. James, son of Alphaeus, little James was stoned or clubbed to death in Jerusalem or Persia, somewhere around 62 AD. Thaddaeus (Jude, son of James) was martyred by arrows, clubs, or axes in Persia or Armenia, around 65-70 AD. Simon the Zealot was crucified, sawn in half, or beheaded in Persia, Armenia, or Samaria, around 65-70 AD, with traditions varying widely on the location. Matthias (the replacement for Judas Iscariot) was stoned and then beheaded in Jerusalem or Colchis (modern-day Georgia), around 80 AD, though details are sparse.

This is some grizzly stuff. Do you think the Apostles thought anything like this would ever befall them?! They probably thought they would die peacefully in bed with their family gathered around in their old age. But instead we have these truly horrific ends of Martyrdom. In the world’s eyes this is the ultimate case of Jesus betraying His followers! None of them had a mega-church with their own private plane and a beach house in Malibu … not even one in Manitou! But honestly, the blessed deaths and martyrdom of the Apostles’ become the supreme testimony of the Gospel message. Why would any of these men, and the countless Christian martyrs since, readily give up their earthly lives in these horrific ways for a fake-news message??? They have nothing to gain. Not money. Not fame. Not power or glory. Nothing. The only way it makes sense is if the message of the Gospel is true and the single most important thing any of us can ever believe.

The blood of Christ our Lord and that of His followers is not shed in vain. It is none other than the very seed of the church. And from that seed grows forgiveness, life and salvation. It literally gives life to the world. And we don’t forget that at the same time, our Ascended Lord is reigning on His throne. Nothing can change this. As we carry out the mission that Jesus calls us to, spreading the gospel and loving our enemies, we can be certain that Christ will conquer every foe. Even if the enemies of Christ and the church appear to be winning, their defeat is guaranteed. The risk is more than managed because our King of kings and Lord of lords is ascended and reigning forever more. Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! For Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!