Ascension Day – Sunday 12th May Pastor Adrian Kitson

The grace and mercy of the Lord of all be with you.

PRAYER: Lord of all and King of kings, speak to our listening hearts so that we may be wise to your ways and gracious to each other. Amen.

I am recalling the coronation footage of Queen Elizabeth I have seen now and again all my life. I am recalling the long-awaited coronation ceremony of her son, Charles, on May 6 last year. And of course, the coronation of the new king of Denmark, Frederik the tenth, with our Mary at his side.

Grand affairs they all were. I may get to see one more coronation in my lifetime – Prince William.

In the Jesus community, today is that grand. As Luke tells us,

And then Luke goes to this moment of coronation of not just a king for a single country but the rise to rule of this King of kings of all countries with the new country of life in and beyond even death in a new sky, sea and earth, in his hands.

Like a scene from one of my favourite movies, Gladiator, this is the King who has won the battle returning to his palace in Rome to enjoy the great victory banquet in the close confines of family and loyal subjects and to take up his calling to rule over his prized and hard won wealth and people.

But this coronation of the King of all kings is really nothing to do with military or political power, good royal blood, family line, palaces and money. This king has no sword in his hand, no golden chariot below his feet, no Olympian’s crown of greenery on his head.

This king has battle scars though. He has those scars in his hands and feet and side and on his head. He still speaks, beaths, touches, tastes, smells and relates too.

And his final act is not one of triumphant victory salute like we see when the guy kicks the goal, or the team wins the game. This raw power of powers is channelled into another physical gesture – hands raised in blessing – never -ending blessing from the Kind of kings to his small band of associates up on that hill and anyone who would come after them in however many centuries of his rule there will be.

Of course, as we know, most don’t believe any of this and we his baptised people, might struggle to trust this too.

Often seems others are ruling over us with all the usual violence, injustice and dislike that we humans have always had. Seems easy to see that we are not blessed and ruled by this Ascension King, but ruled and controlled by a lot of other power people doing whatever they like.

Makes me wonder if we are in some void, as if Jesus has left us and will return on the last day, but in between we just have to somehow make it under our own rule?

In this void, at best Jesus might have been a “good man”, like many other good men who have left their mark on history – but not present now. He is only someone to be remembered and emulated. He’s a hero at best, not a present person in our world who holds the keys of life and renewal in our suffering and dying.

Luke believes more. He believes this Ascended King does rule, for sure, and not from a distance. This is his big message here – Jesus’ ascension to rule is not about his absence but his presence.

Jesus does not float off to another cloudy place but fills this place.

How do we know?

His life and death and now his ascending to rule in grace are all grounded in a long relationship. This moment is one more in thousands of years of earthly life between God and people (the Old Testament). Everything he does is a fulfilment of what has already been given and lived out, told of in the Prophets, the Psalms and the Torah (the Scriptures).

And, he is still one of us and yet ruling over us. The gospel writers are at pains to convince us that this Jesus is still human. He did actually suffer, did actually die and was actually buried and did rise with the scares still in those hands.

And those hands are doing something that lasts in this moment of coronation – they are raised in perpetual blessing with peace, hope and love, on his people on this earth.

Why else would it be that these followers are so happy and full of thanks and praise to the Lord as they see their friend, teacher, mentor and Saviour depart?

You would expect them to again be going through that grief and loss they had been through already – fearful of a world ruled by tyrants.

Not so here.

Their joy must be because of two things:

1. Jesus continual presence, now close, widened and sure and
2. His promise of what was up ahead for them.

What is to come must be better than what was before, even though it would surely involve suffering. They are excited about what is to come with this same Jesus now expanded, now everywhere with them always in all circumstances they will face.

Luke is saying that ‘Jesus rules’.

Paul says the same many times over. Paul cannot contain his excitement either. He says:

And so, we are all in him as he is all in all.

Charles Wesley got it right back in 1740.

Charles prays:

Despite all those others ruling and trying to rule more, and our own bent on ruling our own life, we trust today that despite all the huff and puff and the real pain this causes, Jesus rules! He rules in three ways in our lives.

Jesus rules in grace. Jesus rules in power. Jesus rules in glory.

Grace

Jesus is no threat to you, unrighteous sinner. He may be a threat if you are today a self-righteousness sinner. But, either way, this blessing king invites dodgy people into his presence to make the holy and pleasing to God and to give them life, and life the very full (John 10:10).

Power

Even though Jesus rules over all human systems humans always seek self-rule! Communism, Nazism, Capitalism left unchecked, and all kinds of despotism have had a good go.

But Jesus rules in power. In this “left hand’ sphere of his rule, he rules not by grace but by law – good law, justice, ordering of human society for the good of his creation. By his moral law (10 commandments) he restricts evil and the Evil One.

He rules as he calls everyday people into vocations in commerce, government, the arts, education, medicine….

Glory

Jesus rules in glory.  His glory is hard to pick now but we get glimpses. “The glory of the Christian church is the forgiveness of sins”. Every time a sinner repents and finds the grace of God in Jesus heaven rejoices. This is a glorious thing.

Our joy is theirs today. We have a joy because we have a King.

We have a joy because he is with us and for us as us.

We have a joy because he is continually blessing us, ruling his world and creating the miracle of faith in lost and condemned sinners like us.

In the vast assembly of believes in Jesus, enjoy the coronation of your King this Ascension Day.

1. Jesus is continually present in blessing in your life, and
2. What is up ahead for you is better than what’s been so far.
3. He will be your crowing glory

Jesus rules! Amen.

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