Visiting About the Holy Trinity

Sermon for the Feast of the Holy Trinity, and the Visitation
May 31^st, A + D 2026
John 3:1-17 and Luke 1:39-45
Our Redeemer and Our Savior's Lutheran Churches
Custer and Hill City, South Dakota

Video of the Readings through the Sermon availableHERE.

 Audio of the Sermon is avalable HERE.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

   What is God like?  And what does God think about me?  About us?  These are important questions, which people often ponder at different moments of their lives.  Today, on Holy Trinity Sunday, the Christian Church offers a comprehensive and definitive answer, using the Athanasian Creed. 

   Not everyone likes creeds.  In the late summer of 2000, shortly after the Warners arrived in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where I attended seminary, we were headed to Peace Lutheran Church for the first time.  I had been assigned to do my field work at Peace, assigned to help out at this local congregation as part of the seminary’s program for preparing men to be pastors.  As we drove past the side of the church toward the parking lot, we saw a bare-foot young man with long wavy blond hair, wearing what looked like off-white pajamas, sitting cross-legged on the sidewalk, in what I think is called the lotus position.  That was different.  Later, after we had gone into the nave, he came in and sat down in the front pew. 

   Someone went up to give him a bulletin, and showed him the service we would be following in the hymnal.  Everything seemed fine, until the pastor led us in the Nicene Creed.  "I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.  And in Jesus Christ…   

   Just then, there was an off-white flash down the center aisle, headed toward the exit, as the young man ran out of the sanctuary.  A couple of people tried to catch up to him, but he was gone.  Apparently, he did not like what the Creed declared about God. 

   Today we have a happy coincidence, the Feast of the Holy Trinity falling on May 31^st,
which is also a day assigned to remember the Visitation, that day when the newly pregnant Mary went to visit her also pregnant cousin Elizabeth, up in the hill country of Judah. 

   I always enjoy any excuse to review the Christmas story in the summer time, so I added the Luke reading for the Visitation to our Holy Trinity readings.  Along with the Athanasian Creed, we have heard a wide variety of expressions about who God is and what He thinks about us.  They are all true and helpful, but they might also raise some questions, because they are very different from each other.  

   Creeds are specific, formal, precise expressions, worked out by theologians of the Early Church.  Creeds offer summary statements about God, man, the Church and the Gospel.  They serve to defend the faith against error, those lies of Satan that are always trying to corrupt the Truth of Christ. 

   Creeds are definitive: God is this way, and not another.  True religion is this way, not that way.  I’ve always suspected this was why our barefoot visitor ran out of Peace Lutheran Church that Sunday in 2000 – he did not agree with nor appreciate the definitiveness of the Nicene Creed.  Which is too bad, because the Creeds, even the long and convoluted Athanasian Creed, are Good News, because they tell the one true story of who God is, and not only what He thinks of us, but also what He has done and is doing to save us. 

   Creeds attempt to summarize the central message of the Bible, and so, along with defending against error, they are very useful for teaching the faith.  But they were never intended to replace God’s Word, which is far richer and more varied, and strikes us in so many different ways.  The LORD speaks to us in varied ways, because He knows how we are, and what we need in order to trust in Him. 

   Like our reading from Isaiah 6, the prophet’s vision of God enthroned in His heavenly temple, the Holy, Holy, Holy LORD, reigning in glory, surrounded by spectacular beings.  Trying to picture what Isaiah describes will make you dizzy.  The scene is fantastical, full of creatures we can barely imagine.  Isaiah’s vision is awesome, but also fearful:  Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips, …for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!  Isaiah, the honest sinner, fears for his life, because God’s holy glory is too great.  And yet, the vision is also hopeful. 

   Guilt removed and sins atoned for, a burning purification delivered from the altar of heaven to Isaiah’s lips, the prophet is not destroyed.  Instead, he is forgiven, and then hears that the Lord is seeking to assign a task: The LORD asks, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?"   The forgiven prophet is filled with life and hope.  God needs to send a representative?  Sounds great!  Here am I, send me, please! 

   If you read on you’ll discover that Isaiah is exhibit one for why you should be careful what you volunteer for.  Because the initial message Isaiah is given to proclaim to God’s people is one of condemnation and hardening, not mercy or deliverance.  Not at first.  In the end, of course, Isaiah is a preacher of the sweetest good news, a messenger of joy and restoration.  But only after he first gives the sternest warnings about the punishment Israel’s unfaithfulness had earned.  Sin must be named and dealt with, so that God’s grace and mercy can be revealed and received.    

   Isaiah sees the Glory of God, which is deadly to sinners, but he is saved from destruction freely, by pure grace.  It is good and right that this salvation experience should make one eager to serve the LORD’s purposes in His mission.   

   Our reading from Romans chapter 11 is doxological, that is, it is the highest praise of God, praise made by proclaiming God’s character.  It fits well as a response to the wonders Isaiah saw, for Paul’s doxology is lofty, superlative, beautifully glorifying God.  Such high praise, like Isaiah’s volunteerism, is a proper response to God’s glory and mercy.  God is great, amazing, and God’s people rightly shout this wonder from the rooftops. 

   But interestingly, our reading from Romans 11 comes after a long section where Paul teaches about election, and falling away.  About the hardening of many biological children of Israel, and the mystery that Gentiles through faith in Jesus are grafted into the Olive Tree that is the true and eternal Israel, namely, the Christian Church.  Many sons of Abraham reject their inheritance and are cut off because of their unbelief, while many Gentiles are grafted in by grace, through faith. 

   And yet, because salvation of both Jew and Gentile is by faith in the promises of Jesus, there is always hope in this life, always opportunity for anyone who has not heard, or who has wandered away.  By repentance and faith, the Spirit is always able to re-establish, or plant for the first time new living branches into the trunk of the true Isarel.  And so Paul proclaims:  Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! … For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

   Our John 3 reading is secretive, a meeting at night, because the pharisee Nicodemus fears being seen talking with Jesus.  Patient but also direct, Jesus reveals the wonderful gift of Baptism, heavenly re-birth by water and the Spirit.  Jesus tolerates the spiritual blindness of this supposed teacher of Israel, as He pointedly but patiently reveals the blind spots of Nicodemus, and leaves him with more truth than he can grasp.  I suspect Nicodemus went home with more questions than he started out with.  But Jesus is teaching for the long term, and eventually the Holy Spirit would bring Nicodemus out of hiding to confess his faith in Jesus as the Christ, a confession revealed when he helped Joseph of Arimathea honor Jesus by burying His crucified body.  Finally seeing Jesus lifted up on a Roman cross helped Nicodemus grasp the Good News that God loved the world in this way, by giving His Son to die for our sins.  

   Finally, the biggest outlier today: the heartwarming exchange between Mary and Elizabeth, and between the babies in their wombs, Jesus and His cousin, John the Baptist.  How different from the heavenly throne vision, or the doxology of Paul, or the secret meeting between Jesus and Nicodemus.  Karla found a picture for the bulletin that captures the joy of these two women, who have been caught up in God’s plans in a most intimate and wonderful way.  The fearsome glory of Isaiah and the stern, detailed, fact-declaring Athanasian Creed seem very far from the happiness and homey-ness of the Visitation.   

   And yet, the same unchanging God is in the midst of all we have heard this morning. 

   The LORD God, mighty general of the heavenly armies, is also the infant growing in the womb of Mary, whose visit caused the ‘in-utero’ John the Baptist to leap for joy. 

   God is also the dying Son, lifted up on a Roman cross by the will of the Father, in order to draw all men to Himself. 

   Without the careful, detailed facts of the Creeds, the weakness of human understanding would soon twist or cast aside one aspect of God or another.  And, without the full counsel of God, without a full picture of Who He is and what He thinks of us and does for us, we sinners will fall away. 

   To just focus on the sweetness of Mary’s pregnancy may seem nice for a while, but the Baby in her womb does not yet take away our guilt. 

   To only emphasize the majesty and power of God, will leave us without hope, stuck at Isaiah’s “Woe is me.”   We also need to hear of the LORD’s willingness to come to us humbly, teaching in the night, hiding in a manger, rejected by the powers that be.  To only speak of the Holy, Holy, Holy Lord who is unsearchable and inscrutable would be to leave the needy sinner without the faith to sing: God’s own child I gladly say it, for I am baptized into Christ.    

   And so, we discover the strand that binds together all the various words about God we have heard this morning: that strand is His mysterious love.  A mystery is a truth that, with the Spirit’s help, we can believe, but we cannot quite fully understand.  Our feeble minds can be brought to recognize the truth of mystery, and embrace it, but there are aspects which are beyond our full understanding.  But we love the mysteries of the Bible, for they reveal and deliver God’s love to us.    

   Mysteries like the fact that God is One, and yet He is also Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three distinct persons, constantly loving each other, with love to spare for His favorite creature, which is us. 

   Or that the all-powerful God was conceived and born of the Virgin Mary, helpless and vulnerable, even as He ruled over all things. 

   Or that the One who is outside the created universe, the eternal LORD, chooses created things to reveal and deliver His love to us, removing guilt and sin with burning coals, and even with plain water, combined with God’s Word. 

   Or that the Holy, Holy, Holy One who deserves far more praise and honor than we could ever express, also loves to hear our prayers, also loves to draw us into His arms and comfort us like a mother, no, even better than a mother could ever love her baby. 

   Mysterious love.  Indestructible hope for dying sinners.   

   To the Mysterious Love, to the one True God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be all the glory, and to you be the mercy, forgiveness and joy, today, and forever and ever, Amen.      

The Reason You Were Baptized

Sermon for the Day of Pentecost
April 24^th, A+D 2026
Our Savior’s, Our Redeemer, 
Emmanuel and First Lutheran Churches
Hill City, Custer, Creighton and Wall, South Dakota

Audio of the Sermon is available HERE. 

 In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

      Why did you get baptized?  In Jerusalem, on the Day of Pentecost in the year 33 A+D, 3,000 souls were baptized.  We often refer to this as the Birthday of the Christian Church, and it was certainly a big re-birth day, a spectacular born-again and born-from-above day.  So, what about your re-birth day?  Why did you get baptized?  There are a number of different ways we could answer. 

     Do you remember your baptism?  Perhaps not, because I bet most of you were baptized as infants, God be praised.  If so, then one good answer to “why did you get baptized?” is this: “Because my parents loved me.”  A very good and true answer.  Baptism is the most wonderful gift one can receive, and parents who bring their babies to Jesus are doing a tremendous good work, even if they do not fully realize it.  We should understand Baptism, for ourselves and for our children.  God never intended His holy washing to be separated from His Holy Word and Faith.  But, just because we do not understand everything exactly right does not change what God does in Holy Baptism.  Because, at its core, Baptism is God’s Work, not ours. 

     Were you baptized as an older child, or as an adult?  God be praised.  If you were, then it probably seemed more like your decision, and in a surface sense, it was.  When I have had the privilege of administering baptism to an adult or older child, we certainly talked all through what the Bible teaches about Baptism and the Gospel, and the candidate for Baptism did have to come to Church and walk up to the font and get baptized.  They decided to go through with it. 

    But, at the same time, even an adult Baptism is something God does to us.  That is to say, forgiving sins and re-creating souls always requires the Holy Spirit to act, albeit through the Word and through His ministers.  And even more, all the things that led you to decide to seek and go through with being baptized were orchestrated by the Lord.  There is an old hymn that gets it right: I sought the Lord, but afterward I knew, He moved my soul to seek Him, seeking me.  It was not I that found Thee, Savior True.  No, I was found by Thee.

     Why did you get baptized?   Because the LORD confused the languages at Babel, and forced mankind to fill the earth.

 

     The confusion of languages at Babel was in part a preventive measure by God.  Mankind was getting organized and very cocky.  Much like when the LORD expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden and posted the angel with the burning swords to guard the way to the Tree of Life, so also, God confused the languages and scattered the people at Babel to prevent them from cutting themselves off from God, permanently.  These descendants of Noah had agency and intelligence, but it was all taking them in bad directions. 

     They directly disobeyed God’s instruction to fill the earth, and instead gathered into one great city on the plain of Shinar.  Then they decided to make a name for themselves, and to build their own tower to ascend into heaven. 

      Their efforts were humanly impressive, but God knew better what they needed, what we needed.  By scattering them, the Lord was working out His better plans for them, and us.  He came down and confused their language, which led them to move apart from each other.  He scattered these new language-groups to the ends of the earth, to become every nation to which Jesus would send His Apostles.  Your Baptism is part of God’s plan to extend His Gospel to all peoples.  Your baptism is part of His comprehensive, merciful, eternal plan.  

 

     Why were you baptized?  Because God knew you needed it.  The people on the plains of Shinar were not bigger sinners nor more pitiable fools than we are today.  We are blessed to know the fullness of God’s plan of salvation.  We know the Good News of the Resurrection, and we are blessed to have received Baptism.  But still, look at us. 

      I pray that the Word of Christ and His amazing mercy are guiding and shaping you a bit more every day.  But, certainly a lot of sin and foolishness still persist within the Church.  We know that more than anything else, God’s Word and loving our family and friends directly, face to face are the things that ought to fill our days.  But still, we allow so many distractions to crowd out God’s higher callings, His higher blessings.  Addiction to work, recreation, entertainment, gossip, politics, (but I repeat myself), fashion and displays of wealth, the list of lesser things that fill the time of Christians goes on and on.  We may not imagine that we can build our own tower into heaven, but are we pursuing a false heaven-on-earth through wealth, comfort, pleasure or distraction?

      We all want to make a name for ourselves, and that’s o.k. in earthly terms.  The world needs successful people.  But do we remember that the Good Name we truly need has already been placed upon us at the font?  The temptation to seek a good name in our accomplishments is at least as old as Babel, but today the internet especially tempts us with the illusion that we can curate a certain image, a good name, through our screens.  And we can make a name for ourselves, but it will not be a very good name in God’s eyes.  It will not be a life-giving, everlasting Name.  Remember, dear friends, that a TRULY GOOD NAME is what God wants for you, the best name, His Name, placed upon you by the Holy Spirit.  Through the washing of water and the Word, God has graciously re-defined who you are and what your future will be. 

 

     You were baptized because of Peter’s preaching, his proclamation of Christ on Pentecost, of which we’ve only heard the first bit this morning.  Peter goes on to tell how God’s Son came to win salvation, through the treachery of His own people, and the cruelty of a Roman Cross.  “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ!  Cut to the heart by this Word of the Cross, Peter’s hearers cry out: “Brothers, what must we do?”  And Peter replied, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.   ³⁹ For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 

    This is the promise that has reached you and me, in our day.  Peter preached this message because of Jesus’ command and promise, declared at the end of Matthew’s Gospel, to “make disciples of every nation, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And lo, I am with you, to the very end of the age.  (Matthew 28:19-20) So, we can also say that you were baptized because of 2,000 years of the Holy Spirit’s faithful work through the Church of Christ, where our Lord is always present to teach, correct, invite, forgive and bless.  

      You were baptized.  (By the way, if by chance there’s anyone here who has not been baptized, after the service, let’s talk).  You were baptized, and you are baptized.  That is to say, Holy Baptism happens on a certain date in a certain place, and it is an ongoing reality, the beginning of the work of God in you.   

     You are baptized, and that matters.  For salvation, and more.  You know, of course, that Baptism is not for doing and forgetting, but rather it is incorporation into the life of Christ’s Church on earth.  Baptism is given by God as the beginning of a new life, in and through Christ.  As Luther answers his own question about Baptism:

     What does such baptizing with water indicate, what does it mean for our lives?  It indicates that the old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.

     Where is this written? St. Paul writes in Romans chapter six: “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:4)

    Baptism makes you God’s own child, and brings you into His new life, through His Church, and for your daily Christian walk.  

 

     One more question:  Why should you live like a Baptized Child of God?

      First, because you are not out of danger yet.  We still live in a very fallen world, and we are still very much sinners.  To live as an idolater, to ignore God and His Commandments, is corrosive to saving faith.  If we ignore God and His Word long enough, we can fall away.  We can cut ourselves off from Christ, completely, as the people of Babel were trying to do.  Seeking to live as a Christian will guard us against uncontrolled sin, and also leads us to return to Christ daily to be forgiven and renewed.   If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  But, if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9)  Forgiven and cleansed, just like we were the day we were baptized.    

     Second, you live like a baptized child of God because the Christian life is the good life.  Not always easy, but truly good.  Even when following Christ leads to struggles, or persecution, or rejection by friends and even family, still, the good life is the life lived close to Jesus. 

     Do not believe the lies of the world and Satan, nor the lies of your own weak flesh.  Sinful living is not better.  It always wounds, hurting you, and others.  It always disappoints, and leads you away from God and His blessing.  The best life possible in this fallen world is the life lived in Christ, led by His Spirit, seeking to please our Father. 

     Third, you live like a baptized child of God because you want to.  This is who you are, in Christ, who God has made you to be.  Your new heart, the new creature God has made you to be, wants to follow Jesus closely.  So go ahead.  Hear Him more.  Pray more.  Worship more.  Serve more.  It will be great.     

     That part of you that does not want to live as the Baptized?  That is your sinful flesh, and sadly it will be with you until you die, or Christ returns.  And so the baptized life is a struggle, but it is the good struggle.  So repent, and flee to Jesus.  By God’s grace, you are struggling, your are wrestling, you are in the fight.  Embrace it.  Be who you are by your baptism into Christ.  Stay strong, by staying connected to Jesus, through His Word.  For the baptized life is properly life in the Word, from the Word, and by the Word. 

     Now, I know that actually letting God’s Holy Word direct you day by day, hour by hour, might seem frightening.  God will tell you to do things that you would prefer not.  But, fear not, the same God who has baptized you is also eager to walk with you, picking you up when you fall, keeping you safe, teaching you, and helping you grow.  

     Why were you baptized? 

Because your parents, or grandparents, friends or family, loved you, and wanted you to receive the very best. 

Which is also to say that you were baptized because the Church of Jesus is faithful to her calling to baptize and teach, until Jesus returns on the clouds. 

Which is also to say that you were baptized because God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit loves you. 

     God has loved you, perfectly, in the life, death, resurrection and ascension of His Son, Jesus Christ.

     The Triune God continues to love you, through Word, Water, Wheat and Wine. 

     Receive His love. 

     Rest in the peace of His Forgiveness. 

     Go forth to live as His child in this world.  

     And the Peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, unto life everlasting, Amen.    

The Truth, Wisdom and Joy of the Ascension of Jesus

Sermon for the Ascension of Our + Lord (Observed)
May 17^th, A+D 2026
Our Redeemer and Our Savior’s Lutheran Churches
Custer and Hill City, SD
Based on Acts 1:1-11

Audio of the sermon available HERE.

Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed, Alleluia!               

Christ IS Risen.  But wait, there’s more.  The God-Man, the eternal Son of the Father and also the Son of Mary, has ascended to the Father’s right hand.  And that is the Good News of the Ascension.  Your Savior, the One who has lived and died and risen from the dead, for you, has also ascended into heaven, for you.  By His being seated at the right hand of the throne of God, He secures and prepares a place for you.  He is your entry ticket into God’s glory, forever and ever, Amen. 

   That’s really great news.  But wait, there’s more.  A lot more.  Maybe you understood all the background of what I just proclaimed.  Or maybe not.  Every believer is alive in Christ, and God wills that we living Christians grow in faith and love, and in understanding, wisdom and holiness, as long as we are pilgrims on this earth.  And so today, because these first 11 verses of the Book of Acts contain so much truth and Good News, we will do well to walk through them, verse by verse. 

Verse 1:  In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,

   This could take a while.   After all, Luke starts our text with “In the first book, O Theophilus…”  Understanding the Book of Acts starts with understanding the Gospel of Luke.  But, it shouldn’t take me more than an hour to summarize Luke… 

   O.k., who am I kidding?  We could spend an hour just digging into who this Theophilus that Luke addresses might be, let alone covering the basics of the whole Gospel.  Suffice it to say that Luke tells the story of the salvation of sinners, from Adam on, the salvation revealed and won by Jesus Christ.  Luke especially focuses on the Temple, as Jesus, our High Priest and our Sacrifice, won the salvation of the world through His own death and resurrection, opening the way into the Heavenly Temple of God for all who trust in Him. 

   This is what Jesus began to do and teach in Luke’s first book.  Now, in the Book of Acts, Luke will talk about Jesus ongoing work.  “Acts” is short for “The Acts of the Apostles.”  But a better name for this book is “The Ongoing Acts of Jesus Christ, through His Apostles, empowered by the Holy Spirit.”  Maybe that is a bit long for a book title.  But we should know that a major take away from verse 1 is that Jesus Christ is still active, still doing and teaching, in His Church. 

Verse 2: until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

   “Until He was taken up.”  The Ascension of Jesus is a hinge.  Before, all of Salvation History was condensing toward this point, when Jesus would complete His work and return to His rightful place at His Father’s right hand, only now as the scar-bearing Man, who is also God.  Jesus sits down because His task is finished.  He has done all that is needed to save sinners and bring them into His Father’s eternal kingdom.  Now, after Jesus’ Ascension, this work, which was condensed down to One Man dying on a Roman Cross and then bursting out of the tomb on the Third Day, this work can now begin to expand.  Jesus commanded exactly this task, to His chosen Apostles, who would be further taught and guided by the Holy Spirit.  We move from the 2^nd Article of the Creed to the 3^rd, as Jesus extends His salvation mission outward, through His Apostles, through His Church, by sending us His Holy Spirit. 

Verse 3:  To them he presented himself alive after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

     The Crucifixion and the Resurrection of God’s Son Jesus, Good Friday and Easter,        is THE thing in Christ’s Church, always.  Jesus, who had died on a Roman cross and placed into a tomb, presented Himself alive to the Eleven Apostles, and later to Saul the persecutor, who would be transformed into Paul the Missionary Apostle. 

   Why is this so important?  Because, while the Cross and Empty Tomb are always the main thing, God in His wisdom chose to communicate and deliver the victory of Calvary through eye-witnesses, who could both attest to the truth of the Resurrection and also proclaim its significance. 

   That is, the Apostles would proclaim the teaching of Christ, which reveals that in Jesus, God has reconciled the world to Himself, making it possible for sinners to be brought back into the Kingdom, back into the family of God, to live in His glory and blessing, forever. 

   The Apostolic Church is not a fable about an unbroken line of Roman bishops, passing down their unique authority from generation to generation.  No, the Apostolic Church is the body of believers gathered, redeemed and sanctified by the Word of Christ, His true teaching, which is maintained and empowered by the Holy Spirit.  The Apostolic Succession is the faithfulness of God, keeping His bishops, pastors and people alive in Christ, through His faithful Word, which was recorded and taught to us by the Prophets and Apostles.

     This is why Jesus stayed 40 days before He ascended.  Not 35, not 51, but 40.  Jesus was connecting the way God taught and prepared His Kingdom in the Old Testament with the New Testament fulfillment and expansion of the same.  The number forty is always associated with times of instruction or purification, times of preparation for God’s people. 

   In the time of Noah, cleansing the world of wickedness required 40 days and 40 nights of rain.  Moses spent 40 days on Mt. Sinai, receiving the LORD’s Torah, His instruction.  Israel required 40 years in the wilderness to prepare a new generation to enter the Promised Land.  And so also, keeping the tradition, the Risen Lord Jesus spent 40 days, giving His final face to face teaching, before ascending into heaven.  Verses 4 and 5:  And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

   These verses introduce the next phase of God’s Church building plan, and Baptism is at the heart of it.  Jesus had taught Nicodemus (John 3) that being born again, born from above, the rebirth by water and the Spirit, was required.  He also taught the Eleven explicitly about the coming of the Holy Spirit, who would lead them into all truth. (John 16) 

   John the Baptist prepared the way.  But the full blessing of Christian Baptism could not be delivered until after the Son had achieved the full reconciliation of sinners to God, through His shed blood.  Miraculous and spectacular at its inauguration on Pentecost, Holy Baptism is elsewhere in the Book of Acts described as outwardly simple and not obviously impressive.  But the promises God makes about Baptism are heavenly, life-changing, the washing of rebirth and regeneration, able to save our souls.  (Titus 3, 1 Peter 3) 

   “Not many days.”  That turned out to be 10 days, the Lord arranging for the next big Holy Day to be back on the first day of the week.  But the Eleven do not know it will be 10 days.  “Not many days” reminds us that God’s people are called to faith and patience, and submission to God’s plan, even when we cannot understand it, even when we really hate waiting.   

Verse 6: So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"

   Luke records one final foolish error by Jesus disciples, and one more face-to-face correction Jesus had to make for them.  There may have been more, the New Testament never claims to give an exhaustive account of everything Jesus said to His followers.  John in his Gospel teaches us that if they were to record all that Jesus said and did, “even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25)  But this last minute, fairly gentle correction that Luke does record is extra important. 

   “My kingdom is not of this world.” So our Lord explained to Pontius Pilate. (John 18:36)  Christ Jesus also said essentially the same thing in other words to the Twelve, the Pharisees, and to the crowds, many times.  We earth-and-time-bound sinners naturally look to what we know and see, and then we imagine that God’s kingdom is going to be a really nice version of something we already comprehend. 

 

     Not even close.  God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, (Ephesians 3:20) and He is going to do just that for His faithful.  Life with God in heaven will be altogether different, and infinitely better, than we can grasp today.  The reality of sin distorts everything in our world, but in God’s new heavens and new earth, there will be no sin.  No pain, no strife, no sadness, no tears, no death. 

   As we believe but do not fully understand the mystery that the One true God is also Three distinct persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, so also we can understand the words that the Holy Spirit speaks about the nature of the world to come.  But fully grasping what heaven will be like is literally beyond our imagination.  Christians are called to trust the Word, and look forward with eagerness to living face to face with Christ, and all the good that will bring.  It will be better than anything we know.

    But living with a heavenly focus is hard for us.  Our puny minds and hearts quite naturally lead us to imagine God’s Kingdom as some earthly good, just a lot better.  The Apostles assumed that the earthly kingdom of Israel, as it was in its glory days under King David, would be re-established by Jesus.  And the Eleven would hold all the key leadership roles.  But Jesus never taught that.  His Kingdom is not of this world.  The Kingdom of Christ on earth is like yeast mixed into dough, invisible, but still causing life to bubble up, through the whole mass of this fallen world. (Matthew 13:33)  And so, we Christians are pilgrims and aliens on earth; our true citizenship is in heaven.  We make our way by faith through our lives in this world, always looking forward to the next.   

   Yes, on the Last Day, the New Israel will be visibly glorious, reflecting the face of the One in Whose presence we will live.  But until then, we have this treasure in jars of clay.  (2 Cor. 4:7)  The glory of the Church on earth is the victorious suffering of Jesus, delivered to sinners through the Word, and in Baptism and the Holy Supper.  We can adorn this Gospel with grand buildings, wonderful music and beautiful artwork.  And that’s good and right, as long as we remember and confess that true beauty, true and eternal glory, are always hidden in this world.  Glory is hidden, at least in part, so that guilt-ridden sinners might be enticed to approach and receive the medicine of immortality, the gift of forgiveness, and so be able to look forward to the heavenly Kingdom that is coming.     

    And so Jesus responds to the Apostles Kingdom restoration question this way:

Verses 7 and 8:  "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.   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."

   The earthly glory for the Eleven, and so also for the Church they built, is found in bearing witness, in extending the Church to every tribe and nation, to the ends of the earth.  They were given authority, and power, but hidden power, the power of God’s Word, which the Holy Spirit uses to convert sinners into children of God. 

   Such hidden power all too often attracts the world’s scorn and rejection.  In response, the Church and her Christians are necessarily humble about themselves, but proud and bold about Jesus.  For we know that truly there is nothing more powerful, or more important, in all the world, than the Good News of His free gift of salvation. 

   God grant us that we always find joy in the glorious task of understanding better and proclaiming more clearly the Glory of Christ, His Life, His Suffering and Death, His Resurrection, and His Ascension to the Father’s right hand.  We should definitely proclaim this message to each other, all the time, to encourage one another.  God knows we need encouragement.  We should also share it with unbelievers, as God gives us opportunity.  For this is the message, the only message, that will carry us, and all who hear and believe, into heavenly glory, for eternity. 

Verse 9: And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

  How far did Jesus travel when He ascended into heaven?  He moved up a little, enough to be enveloped by the cloud.  But did He rise far away, or just leave their sight?  Is He still close by? 

 

    Jesus is always close by His Church, even as He sits down at the right hand of God in heaven.  And just exactly where is God’s right hand?  Is it far away in outer space somewhere?  No, not at all.  God is not bound by the spatial realities of the universe He created.  As Paul spoke on Mars Hill in Athens, “in [God] we live and move and have our being.”  (Acts 17:28)

   The right hand of God is the place of His power, and God’s power is present everywhere.  And so now, in the mystery of the Incarnation, God’s Son taking human flesh into His being, Jesus seated at the right hand of the Father is also present everywhere, God and Man forever united in His person.  And so at the end of Matthew’s Gospel, just before ascending, Jesus promised: Behold I am with you always, to the very end of the age.   [Matthew 28:20]

   But wait, there’s more.  God, and so also Jesus, is everywhere.  But how do we earthbound mortals find and gain access to Him? And is this a good thing?  Is it safe for sinners to approach His throne? 

    It is true that the omnipresence, the “everywhere-at-once-ness” of Jesus, can certainly be a Word of Law to us sinners.  We cannot hide from Him.  If we go to the deepest depth of the sea, or climb the highest mountain, O Lord you are there.  We cannot hide, for even the darkness is light to You. (Psalm 139)  And as sinners, we are rightly concerned about coming into the Holy presence of God.  For the Lord hates sin. 

    But, we do not despair, because we know the secret of safely approaching God.  Which really isn’t a secret.  We Christians should shout from the rooftops that we know where we can go to meet God and receive His blessings.  Certainly, we seek to invite other sinners to join us.  We go to those places and moments where Jesus has promised to be present to bless.  For whoever hears the Words of the Apostles hears the Voice of Jesus.  (Luke 10:16)  Wherever two or more Christians gather in the Name of Jesus, He is with them, to discipline, and also to bless. (Matthew 18:15-20)  And Jesus promises, “This is My Body, this is My Blood, given and shed for you, for the forgiveness of sins.”

    The Holy Spirit is the One who gathers and gives life to the Church in countless local gatherings.  And wherever the Holy Spirit is, there also is Jesus.  And the Father too, for Jesus and the Father are One. 

   God rejoices to see His gathered children, and is eager to rain down blessings upon them.  The first blessing is always renewed forgiveness and reconciliation for repenting sinners, which is followed by joy and celebration, purpose and wisdom and community, and every good thing that God loves to shower upon His Church. 

  [10] And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, [11] and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

   This picture on the front of our bulletins, which is of one the paintings that hang in the entryway to Our Redeemer, is this a painting of the Ascension of Jesus, or is it of His Return on the Last Day? 

   Well, I think it is probably meant to show the Ascension.  But, as the two men in white robes teach us today, Jesus’ Final Return will look a lot like His Ascension.  He was received into a cloud, and He will return, riding on the clouds, visible to the whole world at one time.  Christ will return in glory to cast Satan and all who believe his lies into outer darkness, but also to inaugurate the joyous, sinless, perfect eternal Kingdom for all those baptized believers who eagerly await His coming. 

   When will that Day be?  It’s not for us to know, as Jesus taught the Eleven.  So, please remember, dear friends, any teacher who claims to know when Jesus will return should be rejected immediately.  He or she does not know what they are talking about, and will certainly twist and distort the rest of Jesus’ teaching.

   Instead, God grant us to take great joy and comfort from Jesus’ Ascension, and let us live from His Word of Grace, letting it dwell in us richly, until the day He takes us home individually, or when He appears one last time, to gather us all to His side. 

Amen, Come Lord Jesus, Amen.