The ‘C’ word
“He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.” (Ephesians 4:10)
Today I’d like to talk about the ‘C’ word. Many people don’t want to hear it and certainly don’t want to say it. For others the ‘C’ word is the object of ridicule and scorn. The mere thought of the ‘C’ word conjures up images that are offensive: a cold, harsh and boring environment full of hypocrites and a ‘know it all’ up the front in a white dress telling us what we should be doing and how we should be living. I’m talking about ‘church’ which today is largely viewed as an oppressive and irrelevant institution, out of touch with society.
Thursday is Ascension Day, the celebration of Jesus’ ascending into Heaven. After He suffered and died on the Cross to pay the penalty of everyone’s sin, Jesus descended into Hell as part of His triumph over the kingdom of darkness. In the text above, the apostle Paul says that the One who descended ascended higher than all the heavens, to be at God the Father’s right hand in all majesty. He ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.
The fullness of God in Christ is present everywhere. But God chooses to be present in specific ways, for the sake of our conscience. How would we know if it was God who was really speaking to us, really forgiving us… not our own thoughts, or somebody else’s, or a voice in our head? So God in Christ is personally present through His Word to personally proclaim to us the free gift of forgiveness of sins and to strengthen our faith and produce good fruit in us. He’s present in baptism to forgive and cleanse us and join us to Himself, thereby sharing His own life with us. He’s present in Holy Communion so that we don’t just receive bread and wine but Jesus’ own body and blood to make us holy from the inside out and purify us from all our sins.
As the stained glass window shows, the last thing Jesus did before He visibly departed from His disciples was to bless them: "When He had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He left them and was taken up into heaven” (Luke 24:50-51). Luke also explains that before Jesus ascended: “…He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem…I am going to send you what My Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high (vv45-46).
That’s why God wants everyone to go to church—no matter who they are and what they’ve done and what their situation is—but because the risen, ascended Christ is personally present to deliver forgiveness, blessing, wisdom and empowerment. Jesus ascended higher than all the heavens. Nothing is outside of His control even when life seems out of control for you. Nothing is impossible for Him to forgive. Christ is not distant and removed and His church is anything but irrelevant for our world today. What a gift the ‘c word’ is! Will you come? Jesus will, with lifted arms, ready to bless.
Pastor Tim
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Lutheran Schools across Australia last week celebrated National Lutheran Schools Week. The theme for the week was Humility which is one of the ten values of Lutheran Schools. The other nine values are: Love, Justice, Compassion, Forgiveness, Service, Courage, Hope, Quality and Appreciation. These values help teach children about the character of God and guide the way in which Lutheran Schools operate. The definition that Lutheran Education Australia provides for Humility, as detailed in ‘A Framework for Lutheran Schools’, follows:
