The Ascension of our Lord

 The Ascension of our Lord – May 29, 2025

Psalm 47; 2 Kings 2:5-15; Acts 1:1-11

St. Luke 24:44-53

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

The Ascension of our Lord is one of the chief feasts of the Christian Church and ought to be considered as standing right beside Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter. Every time we confess the Apostles and Nicene creeds; we confess that Christ ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. It is the capstone of Christ’s activities for your salvation. Tonight, we seek to answer two questions regarding Christ’s ascension: 1) to where did He ascend; and 2) why did He ascend.

The Ascension of Christ took place in an actual upward motion, a gradual rising up of Christ, until a cloud received Him and He passed from human sight.[1] We can’t say much about His motions after being received into the cloud because Scripture doesn’t reveal any details on this point. As for where Christ ascended, we can give two answers. The first answer is to the paradise of the redeemed, that place where those who are His dwell with Him forever. St. Paul speaks of this place in Philippians 1 when he says, I have a “desire to depart and be with Christ.”[2] Christ also speaks of this place when He tells the thief on the cross, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”[3] This is the place we usually call “heaven,” though it is also called the “intermediate state” since it is somewhat temporary, being replaced by the new heavens and the new earth in the Resurrection on the Last Day.[4]

Of all that could be said about this intermediate state, the part that overlaps with the Ascension is that Christ dwells with those in glory as both God and Man. He ascends to the Father in His flesh and so dwells with His beloved in that same flesh. He still bears the marks in His hands, feet, and side as a testament to the saints in glory that their victory over sin has been won in His risen flesh. His flesh in glory is also a promise of the resurrection in that those who are His will follow in His train. “We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”[5]

The second answer to the question of where Christ is going is the right hand of the Father, but this is not so much a place as it is an office. Christ “ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.”[6] “The right hand of the Majesty on High”[7] is that office of Christ as Lord and Messiah over all creation. In a sense, Christ’s ascension is His coronation into the full use of His authority over all heaven and earth as both God and Man. Christ is King. He is the ruling Monarch of the universe, seated on His throne of power, as He reigns over all. On Pentecost, St. Peter preaches from Psalm 110, “the Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool,” applying these words not to David but Christ, saying “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” [8]

This leads us directly into our second question for this evening, why did Christ ascend? In the first place, it was to assume His seat on the throne of God’s power at the right hand of the Father, that is, to assume His office as King of the heavens and earth.

In the second place, it was to transition from His local presence to His illocal presence. That is, He is no longer in one place at a time such that we can draw a line around His body, but is present in all places. If Christ had not ascended to the Father, even if He was present in all places at all times, which is His divine right, our human minds would find it incomprehensible. Imagine, for a moment, that Christ was still present, in His local body, sitting in every pew. There would still be space in between each of these bodies and would lead our minds to wonder, ‘Is Christ in those spaces, too?’ Or our imaginations would run wild, beginning to think that there were multiple Christs, some better than others. And when we recede into our own minds, because we could see Christ standing next to us, we would begin to wonder if He could really know our hearts and minds, if He really understood the depth of sin hiding in my heart or the pain and sorrow I feel deep in my soul.

By removing His local presence, Christ is, in fact, demonstrating His glorious final words of promise, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”[9] As He becomes hidden to our eyes of flesh, He becomes abundantly clear to our eyes of faith.

He is especially present for us sacramentally in His Word and Sacraments. The flesh of Christ cannot be separated from His Word and the Word cannot be separated from His flesh. He is the Word that was in the beginning, was with God, and is God.[10] So, too, are His Body and Blood given from this altar and the altars of every faithful congregation throughout the world. We needn’t be deceived by our eyes because His Body is not visibly present in other places. We can firmly believe His Words because He has said, “This is My Body,” and where His Word is, there is His flesh.

In the third place, Christ told His disciples that He would go before them to prepare a place for them in the house of His Father.[11] This promise is fulfilled in the Ascension. Christ ascends to the Father in His flesh, meaning that a man sits on the right hand of the Father. He ascended in His flesh to make way for the flesh of all His beloved in the heavenly mansions of His Father. His flesh paved the way for your flesh to dwell eternally with Him. Through His ascension, He is elevating the flesh of man.

Finally, Christ ascends to the Father to prepare His Church for His return. Now ‘return’ is not the most accurate way to describe what Christ will do on the Last Day because it implies that He has been absent throughout the time between the Ascension and the Last Day. A better word is His ‘revealing’ or ‘revelation’ on the Last Day. I hope by now you understand that Christ is not absent after His ascension, rather His mode of presence has simply changed. And He has promised to reveal Himself on the Last Day just as He was removed from the sight of the disciples at the ascension. He ascended into a cloud and will reveal Himself descending on a cloud. By ascending in this manner, He has given the world the very sign by which we will know His return. He will not be born again, lowly and in a cattle stall, but will descend on a cloud to the sound of heavenly trumpets. All eyes (those of flesh and those of faith) will see Him descend and every knee will bow before the King of all Creation.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Acts 1:9.

[2] Philippians 1:23.

[3] St. Luke 23:43.

[4] Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1.

[5] 1 John 3:3.

[6] Ephesians 4:10.

[7] Hebrews 1:3.

[8] Acts 2:34-36; Psalm 110:1.

[9] St. Matthew 28:20.

[10] St. John 1:1.

[11] St. John 14:2-3.

Rogate (Easter 5)

 Rogate – May 25, 2025

Psalm 66; Numbers 21:4-9; James 1:22-27

St. John 16:23b-33

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

On the night when He was betrayed, our Lord told His disciples that the time was coming when He would no longer speak to them in figurative language but would plainly tell them about the Father.^[1] In these words, Jesus is prophesying concerning the Church and the Apostolic office. After the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord, He sends the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles that they would remember all that He taught them and that they would go into the world proclaiming what Jesus has done. Hence the duty of the Apostles is not to teach in figurative language, leaving their hearers to interpret what is said. Rather, they are given to teach, to unfold the Scriptures, that their hearers would understand who God is and how He has won salvation for them.

This is the primary duty of the Apostolic office – to teach. Men called into this office are not to teach according to their own words or according to stories from their own experience. Jesus says that He will speak in plain language. Men in the office of pastor are speaking the very words of Jesus, even if arranged differently and spoken according to the voice of the man called to this specific pulpit.

This is the first of our Lord’s lessons today, but it is not His primary lesson. The primary lesson concerns prayer. In that very same day that the Apostles are called to teach Christ’s words plainly, all Christians are given to ask your heavenly Father as a dear child asks his dear father. You are the beloved children of God and have been given the right and privilege to call the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth your Father. It is a false humility to believe that God does not want to hear your prayers. It is false humility to believe that God is too busy to hear your concerns, worries, desires, or questions. This is a false humility because it is treating God as though He doesn’t care about you in the very name of respecting His Omnipotence.

When a person experiences lack—perhaps he grew up poor or fell on hard times in middle age—and then prospers, he tends to overcompensate by becoming miserly. He will hoard money or possessions for fear that poverty is always hiding around the next turn of the clock’s hands. He convinces himself this is only preparation but will soon find himself dying surrounded by great possessions and nothing to show for it.

The same is true of prayer, of doctrine, of Scripture. A man might memorize the entirety of the bible but if he never tells his neighbor of Christ or comes to believe that he knows everything there is to know about God, it is as much a waste as the man surrounded by possessions. St. James implores us today to be doers of the word and not hearers only.^[2]

The man who is baptized into Christ but fails to pray every day, every moment, finds himself in the same position. He has been given the access to ask the Almighty God for comfort, blessing, help, mercy, guidance, faith, salvation, strength, food, clothing, house, home, and everything else you could imagine and fails to pray because he thinks God is too busy for him. The fault is not in God, but in man. Perhaps the fault is that you are too busy, too frugal, too scared of God.

You have been given unfettered access to the Father, to ask of Him anything in the Name of Christ and the Father has promised to answer your prayer. The frightening part is that He has not promised the manner or time in which He will answer that prayer. This is frightening because it is now out of your control. In general, man views prayer either as a last ditch effort, something to try when there is no other option, or, as a list of demands to be met according to my will and schedule. This is not humility. It is hubris. It is pride. It is sin.

The disciples’ response to Jesus is confusing. By inference, when Jesus says there will be a time when He no longer uses figurative language, He means that He is still using figurative language. Yet the disciples claim that Jesus is now speaking plainly.^[3] Are they speaking from faith, trusting the words of Jesus even if they do not fully understand Him? Or are they like a child listening to the conversation of adults and pretending to follow along? The latter seems to make more sense, especially based on the following verses, where Jesus asks, “Do you now believe,” as if to say, “Really? Do you believe these words? After everything I’ve said and done, after everything you’ve seen, it is these confusing words I’ve just spoken that have opened your ears?”

But even if this is true and the disciples are only trying to put on a veneer of maturity, it is a pious veneer that we ought to imitate. They are not denying their sin or their failure to understand all our Lord’s teachings. They are trying to prove their devotion. This is the child who not only listens to the adult conversation but tries to contribute. They don’t know the depth of the topic at hand and so long as they are engaging appropriately (not yelling, interrupting, or insisting), they are trying to show that they are mature enough to handle adult conversation. They are trying to say, “I’m just like you.”

The disciples are trying to engage Jesus. They are trying to put into practice the type of prayer that He has just explained to them. They are trying to engage Jesus in conversation the same way that He has been teaching them for the last three years. Afterall, they will soon be the teachers of the Church. Their words are wrong, and they are rightly rebuked. They do not fully grasp what Jesus is saying because they can’t. It is not until the Holy Spirit descends upon them on Pentecost that all the words of Jesus will be brought to their remembrance. It is not until they see the words of our Lord through His resurrection that they can understand any of it.

What then of you and your prayers? “Blessed are they who believe and have not seen.”^[4] You believe and have not seen. You stand on the other side of the resurrection. You stand on the other side of Pentecost. You stand in that time promised by Jesus, when the Father will hear your prayers and grant to you anything you ask for in the Name of Jesus. You stand in this blessed time so act like it.

Do not view prayer as a list of demands. View prayer as the unloading of a burden. View prayer as a morning stretch to remove the knots and kinks accumulated in your sleep. View prayer as a weekend phone call with your Father, who loves nothing more than to hear your voice. Pray for the simple things. Pray for the complex things. Pray for everything and everyone. Pray for 15 seconds under your breath. Pray for 30 minutes before bed.

Get into the habit of praying for everything, at all times. “Lord, keep my mind focused on the service today. Amen.” “Lord, guide my memory as I take this math test. Amen.” “Dear Jesus, protect our family as we drive to Minnesota to visit family. Steer the hands of our fellow drivers and grant to us a pleasant and relaxing trip. Amen.” “Lord, soften my heart to forgive my sister. Amen.” “Send the Holy Spirit to fill my mouth with those blessed words to grant faith unto my son, who has gone astray. Amen.” The point is, pray; and pray in the Name of Jesus.

What does this mean? It means to pray according to the will of God.^[5] It means first seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness and then trusting God to deliver all things needful.^[6] Prayer in the Name of Jesus means recognizing that you do not know everything, but your Father in Heaven does, and He knows what you need before you even ask.^[7]

Prayer in the Name of Jesus also recognizes that you are a sinner, coming before the Lord of Lords to beg for the honest desires of your heart. God will not hear the prayers of the unrepentant sinner, but He and all the angels in heaven rejoice over the repentance of a single sinner.^[8]

The disciples are like children who desperately desire to be included in the conversation of adults. They use words they do not understand, and they claim to be tracking along with everything being said. Yet they do not understand. They do not have the knowledge nor experience to participate in the conversation.

Let us be honest in that no matter our age, we are prone to the same. As adults, we are afraid to admit our ignorance. We are afraid that someone might know something we don’t. We would rather hide than ask. We would rather make them be quite so they don’t reveal our ignorance. We would rather fall back on the familiar than learn something we don’t know. This is childish and such childish behavior not only harms your relationships with other people but hinders your ability to grow in wisdom and knowledge. Biblically speaking, knowledge is that which you gain from reading the Scriptures while wisdom is that which you gain from living according to them. When scripture speaks of the wisdom of the aged, it does not refer to the number of years in your life. If refers to the experience you’ve endured and the wisdom gained either from living according to God’s Word or having been rebuked for betraying His Word.

Whenever Christ commends the faith of someone, it is always tied to his boldness and perseverance. The centurion boldly confesses that Jesus can heal his son with a simple word because he is not worthy that the Christ come under his roof.[9] The Syrophoenician woman will not let Jesus turn her away when He has promised to deliver us from evil, no matter what the disciples or even Jesus’ own actions seem to be telling her.[10] This is the faith in which we pray to the Father in the Name of Jesus.

Ignorance is not a sin. Refusal to learn is. Hiding from God, His Word, and His gifts is a sin stretching all the way back to Adam and Eve. They hid in the garden for shame over their sin. Refusing to ask because of your pride or shame is no different than sewing fig leaves to cover your nakedness. Repent of such sins and pray that God would embolden your spirit by His Holy Ghost and kindle in you a desire for knowledge and wisdom.

Jesus says there will come a day when He will no longer pray to the Father for you, but you will ask the Father directly.^[11] Christ is speaking of the Last Day, when you will no longer bear any sign of your former sinfulness but will converse with God face-to-face in glory. At that time, you will have no need for Christ to mediate or the Holy Spirit to translate our groanings.

Until that day, we do need Christ to be our Mediator. We do need the Holy Spirit to make intercession for our groanings, because we do not know what we should pray for as we ought.^[12] We need the guidance of our fathers in the faith and pastors sent by God to direct our knowledge and wisdom.

God begins the conversation of prayer because without His Fatherly guidance, we know nothing of what we are to do. And then, when it is your turn to respond, it is only through the Blood of Jesus that the Father hears your prayers. It is only when the Spirit takes the aches of your soul and translates them according to the will of God that your Father in Heaven hears your pleas and answers them.

This is a great comfort because it means your prayers do not need to be beautiful on their own. Your prayers do not need to be fanciful, memorized, or somehow “correct” in every detail. Is there a time for pre-written, thoroughly rehearsed, rhetorically beautiful prayers? Absolutely. They serve to teach us how to pray just as hearing your mother speak taught you English. But whether they are pre-written or created on the spot, prayer needs to be from your heart, sincere, without any hint of hypocrisy or doubt. Your prayers boldly come from a sinner who has been saved by the Blood of Jesus and now asks his Father for all that which is needful.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] St. John 16:25.

[2] James 1:22.

[3] St. John 16:30.

[4] St. John 20:29.

[5] The rest of the sermon is inspired by the 8 rules of Christian prayer outlined in Wilhelm Loehe, Seed Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians, translated by H.A. Weller (Kansas City, KS: Emmanuel Press, 2010), 1-2.

[6] St. Matthew 6:33.

[7] St. Matthew 6:8.

[8] 2 Timothy 2; St. John 9:41; St. Luke 15:10.

[9] St. Matthew 8:5-13.

[10] St. Matthew 15:21-28.

[11] St. John 16:26.

[12] Romans 8:26.

Cantate (Easter 4)

 Cantate (Easter 4) – May 18, 2025

Psalm 98; Isaiah 12:1-6; James 1:16-21

St. John 16:5-15

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

This morning’s portion of the farewell discourse of our Lord reveals a significant stumbling block to the faith of the Apostles. We tend to look at the life of the Apostles and envy them since they had the privilege of walking with Jesus during the time of His local presence, that is, when He was present with them in such a way that you could distinguish His knee from His elbow.

But today we see that while the Apostles did experience Christ’s local presence, they also had to experience life in the Church after Christ ascends to the Father. They knew both types of Christ’s presence and they had to endure the transition from one to the other. They had grown accustomed to Christ’s local presence and it is now time for Jesus to prepare them for the time when He would no longer be present in that way.

Thus, Jesus says, “It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment…when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth.”[1] Enduring the transition from Christ’s local presence to His Ascension, as we know the Apostles did, was not on the basis of their reason, knowledge, understanding, or strength. It was by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth. Based on these Words of Jesus, what is this work of the Holy Spirit and how does He accomplish it?

From the Small Catechism, we know that the work of the Holy Spirit is to “call, gather, enlighten, and sanctify the whole Christian Church on earth and keep it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.”[2] The statement of Jesus that the Holy Spirit will “convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment,” is another way to say the same thing.

The first thing to know is this word “convict” might be a bit confusing. It sounds like a strictly negative thing. When a person is convicted in court, it usually means that he is guilty. When a person is found innocent, we say he is “acquitted.” That is not how Jesus is using the word “convict.” He is using in the same way we might speak of someone’s conviction, that is to say, they are absolutely convinced of something. The Holy Spirit will convince – persuade beyond any doubt – the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment.

The Holy Spirit convinces the world regarding sin because the world does not believe in Jesus. The first work of the Holy Spirit in any heart is to convince you that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. If you are not a sinner, you have no need of Jesus. If you have no need for Jesus, then you do not believe in Him and have no part in Him.

This work of the Holy Spirit does not stop once you are a Christian. Reach your hand up to your chest and feel if you are still alive. If you are, you are still a sinner and thus still need forgiveness. You are still in this world, even if you have received the second birth of Holy Baptism. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to confront you with your sin, to convict you of sin, so that you would have reason to trust the words of promises of Christ.

This is, in fact, the primary use of God’s Law – to show you your sin. The Holy Spirit brings the Word of God’s Law into your ears so that you would be terrified of your sins and flee to the Risen Savior. To ignore this work of God is to refuse to be convinced, convicted, by the Holy Spirit. But refusal to be convinced by the Holy Spirit will only last so long. Refusing to see your sin for what it is will only last until you depart this life or Christ reveals Himself on the last day. Then, all will be made plain, and you can no longer hide from your own sinfulness.

The second work of the Holy Spirit described in the text is to convict—or convince—the world of righteousness. This is a reference to what I said about the Apostles that is also true of all people. “I cannot, by my own reason or strength, believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but [it is] the Holy Ghost [who] has called me by the Gospel.”[3] You can provide all the logical, historical, and archaeological proofs of the resurrection and yet no one is converted by them. These proofs might soften the conscience, but they will never convert the heart. Conversion is strictly the working of the Holy Spirit. And not only conversion, but retaining the faith, that is, staying a Christian, is only the work of the Holy Spirit. Only by the grace of God, delivered by the Holy Spirit, does anyone remain a Christian unto salvation.

The Holy Spirit works through means to bring you the faith and to keep you in it. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. The Holy Spirit brings you pastors to preach and teach the Word of God. He gives you mothers to read the Word of God to you. He gives you fathers to teach you the catechism that you would understand what the Word of God says. He works in the Word of God combined with water that your sins would be buried with Christ and then you would rise as a new creation.

The sustaining of your faith is chiefly worked out by continuing to hear the Word of God and by receiving that Word of God combined with bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper. The Holy Sacrament is for the forgiveness of sins and the strengthening of body and soul to life everlasting. It is the food to sustain you on your way. It will sustain your faith. These means of grace are the ways in which the Holy Spirit convicts the world of righteousness.

The third work of the Holy Spirit our Lord describes today is to convict the world of judgment because the ruler of this world is judged. On the one hand, this means that the Holy Spirit convinces the hearts of man that sin is wicked, and that this world is passing away. Without the Holy Spirit, man can conclude that there is something wrong with this world and it needs correction. Only by the illumination of the Holy Spirit, can man see that what is wrong with this world is his sin and that this sin has been judged by God. By this illumination, man can see that all who belong to this world, who cling to the kingdom of the ruler of this world, have already been judged in the death of Jesus and will receive the inheritance of their father, the devil.

But this conviction regarding judgment has a second side. On the other hand, it is the Holy Spirit who enlightens the hearts of Christians to see that they too have already been judged. Those who are in Christ have nothing more to fear from the judgement of God. The verdict was passed and the sentence carried out on Calvary. All that is left is to receive the inheritance promised to you in Holy Baptism. This judgment is the acquittal of the righteous, who have received and continue to receive the Holy Spirit and all His blessings. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.”[4]

And although such a judgment is done and over, yours by faith, it does not remove the very real possibility of refusing the judgment. St. Paul said there is now no condemnation to those in Christ, not that there is no sin. It is entirely within the power of the Christian to turn to God the Father and say, “I do not need your declaration of innocence because I am innocent according to my own conscience.” While it would be helpful if such a verbal declaration was necessary for one to lose his faith, it is not. Declaring you know better than the Word of God, as in transgenderism, is such a declaration. Rejecting the Words and means of the Holy Spirit, as in women’s ordination, Unitarianism, and Anabaptistry, is such a declaration. Living contrary to the Word of God, as in fornication, is such a declaration.

Our Lord’s description of how the Holy Spirit will accomplish these things is quite interesting. “When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”[5]

The simplest understanding of these words is something I’ve already said—the Holy Spirit works through means. He works through the means of the Word and Sacraments. What’s more is that we learn that the Holy Spirit does not add anything to the Word of God that Jesus Christ has already brought within Himself (for He is the Word of God). The Holy Spirit does not testify to Himself nor reveal new messages for man. He speaks only that which He has heard from the Son and the Father. He proceeds from the Father and the Son. He is the herald of the great King of Kings, not authorized to add-to or subtract-from the Word of the King.

But we know that the Word of the Spirit is truth because He is the Spirit of Truth. This describes the inspiration of Holy Scripture. It describes that God has ordained that human men would be the means through which He worked to put His Word into writing that it may be proclaimed to man throughout time. We can be certain of the truth of the Holy Scriptures because it was communicated by God Himself, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, and He is the Spirit of Truth.

But why utilize human authors? Why a human means? First, it is entirely consistent with every way that God works in man. He works through the means of this world. Even the concept of communicating in language such that man can understand it is a means of this world. Second, it is in keeping with the Incarnation. Christ took on the flesh of man to redeem the flesh of man. Therefore, it is fitting that He would “enflesh” His Word in the words of man. And, just as Jesus Christ is True God and True Man, so too are the Words of Scripture the pure Word of God and written by Inspired human hands.

The four Gospels do not compete or contradict but there are occasions where they describe something differently. This is the mark of the human authors who are describing events from different perspectives. Even these perspectives have been used by the Holy Spirit to communicate the different facets of the faith.

Third, the Holy Spirit works through present means to deliver this faith to you. This is the Office of the Holy Ministry. God did not leave the Church alone after the Ascension nor the death of the Apostles. He established the Office of the Holy Ministry that men might stand in the stead and by the command of Christ to bring you His Word and Sacraments – the means of grace. He has placed men into the Office for the sake of loving and caring for the present needs of the Church – to preach and teach the faith but also to forgive and retain sins. These are activities of the Holy Spirit as He guides the whole Christian Church into all truth.

How is it then, that we know when we are hearing the Holy Spirit and when we are hearing the doctrine of demons or the teaching of men? The Spirit of Truth will glorify Jesus. If the Scriptures are glorifying Jesus, they are the Word of God. If the pastor is glorifying Jesus, he is speaking on the authority of the Holy Spirit and standing in the stead of Christ. If, however, he is telling tales, building himself a following, or submitting to the human authority of the pope, he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He is a hireling. He is not speaking by the Holy Spirit because the Spirit of Truth glorifies Jesus.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] St. John 16:7-8, 13.

[2] Small Catechism II 3.

[3] Small Catechism II 3.

[4] Romans 8:1a.

[5] St. John 16:13-14.

Jubilate (Easter 3)

 Jubilate – May 11, 2025

Psalm 66; Isaiah 40:25-31; 1 Peter 2:11-20

St. John 16:16-22

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

The primary application of Christ’s words this morning concerns the apostles, however, Christ also intended them for you and for the Church of every age. His words have two main parts: 1) “a little while, and you will not see Me;” and 2) “again a little while, and you will see Me.”[1]

In the immediate application, Christ is speaking to His apostles concerning His death and resurrection. He spoke these words on Maundy Thursday, the night of His betrayal. It would only be a little while before He was taken from them, handed over to the Jews and Pilate, then hung on a cross until He died. Because of these events, the apostles wept and lamented while the world rejoiced in the death of Christ. Satan and his brood claimed victory over God when Christ breathed His last, believing they had overcome the Church and her head. The apostles wept because they still thought of the Kingdom of God as an earthly kingdom, whose victory would be defined by growth, property, and riches. Now that their King was dead, the death of the kingdom was sure to follow.

Christ’s words to His apostles even hold true after the resurrection. It was only a little while that He remained with them before they did not see Him after the ascension. Almost immediately after Pentecost, the enemies of Christ began to wage war on the Church. Persecution and martyrdom followed. It became the policy of the Roman Empire to stamp out the “Christian Pagans” who followed the words of the Crucified Christ. All but one of the apostles would meet a martyr’s death, along with countless others. The weeping and lamenting of the Church did not end.

There is an idea among some Christians that before Christ returns, the Church will conquer the earth. What that means is that the Church will gain prestige on the earth such that all false teachers and unbelievers will at least be brought under the temporal authority of the Church, and Christianity will govern the world. This will usher in a golden age where righteousness and blessedness will rule the world and then Christ will return. This thinking is sometimes summarized in the phrase, “We win down here.” It is also called Post-Millennialism.

But we don’t need to believe in such a radical departure from God’s Word to be deceived by the same thoughts. More locally, we are tempted to believe that if only we could get a few more members, we wouldn’t need to worry about finances. Or, more money in the church will mean less problems. Or, more people in the pews (or even more names on the roster) means a more faithful congregation. Or, more light-hearted hymns, easier liturgy, less doctrine, more events, or anything similar will solve the problems of the church.

Such thoughts might have practical value. More money in the offering plate means making decisions about repairs to the church are less difficult. More people in the pews means more hearts are being converted by the Gospel of Christ. Yet placing your trust or value in any of these endeavors is contrary to God’s Word. He has promised that the Church will always be outnumbered by the unbelieving.[2] The Church will always be despised by the world. Finances will always be a struggle for the faithful. There will always be weeping and lamentation among us.

Personally, and as an institution, we will always be weeping and lamenting because we are the body of Christ, the body that was betrayed, smitten, afflicted, and bore a cross to the mountain of Calvary.[3] Most of the world will always be on the side of our persecutors. The tares will remain until the harvest which is the return of Christ at the end of time.[4] Seasons of feast and famine will continue to turn but the feasts will seem shorter and the famines will grow longer. The faith of those precious to us will turn cold. Your body will continue to decay until it is returned to the dust from which it came.

Days of peril, violence, and persecution will increase. The preaching of false Christs will echo more loudly in your ears. Just this week, a new man ascended to the throne of the antichrist who, from what I’ve read, could be even more damaging to Christians than his predecessor. Idolatry, Atheism, Infidelity, perverted Science, false philosophy, worldly pride, heresy, schism, and turmoil from within and from without have marred the prosperity of the Church and will continue until Christ returns. A little while and you will not see Christ, and during this time there will be weeping and lamenting. Open your eyes to the state of the world and it is impossible not to see the fulfillment of Christ’s words.

But there is another, brighter side to Christ’s words. “And again a little while, and you will see me.” That is to say, it will only be a little while before you will see Christ. The suffering of this present time is nothing compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us when Christ returns.[5] What may last a lifetime on this side of glory, 70, 80, 90 years or more, is a blink of an eye compared with the eternity Christ has promised to His beloved disciples. “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, creeps in a petty pace from day to day, to the last syllable of recorded time,” yet all our yesterdays pale in quantity and quality when compared to the joy of Christ’s eternal presence with you.[6]

The apostles were confused by Christ’s words because they could not imagine joy outside of being with Christ. Yet He was taken from them precisely to fulfill their joy, to fulfill their salvation. It was necessary that He fall victim to the betrayal of Judas and the death of the cross that they would see Him again. And then, after a little while, it was necessary that He ascend to the Father, that He would prepare a place for them in eternity. It was also necessary that He ascend so that the Apostles would go out into all the world, proclaiming salvation in the Name of Christ. The unavoidable agony of birth was necessary so that the joy of a child would follow.

And though we might focus on the “little while,” what comes after that little while is of greater importance. You will see Christ! That doesn’t mean He is absent right now. He is not gone. He is present with us. He has promised His Church to be present always, even to the end of the age, and especially wherever two or three of His disciples are gathered.[7] And yet He is not manifest in such a way that we could draw an outline of His body. So too is Christ’s True Body and True Blood present in the Holy Supper and yet you cannot discern a thigh from a forearm in the Eucharist.

To the disciples’ great relief and joy, they did see Christ again when He rose from the dead. They saw Him in the flesh, shared meals with Him, were absolved by Him, talked with Him, and heard more of His teachings. By the time of His ascension, the Apostles could stand, watching Him depart, yes with some apprehension but a greater understanding that what the Lord has promised them will come true.

In that same joy, we can trust the Word of Christ that no one can take His Word, His joy, from us. The sins of man can harm you in body and soul. He can take your life, but He can’t take Christ from you. He can’t take the promise of eternal joy with Christ away from you. This world can take your confidence, your health, your home, even your life, but no one can take the joy of Christ from you.

The joy of which I speak is not the same as “happiness” or even an emotion at all. It is the sure and certain promise that you have been declared right with God. As a pledge of this certainty, Christ has given you His Word, His seal in Holy Baptism, and fed you on His own flesh and blood. ‘There is not a fortune that will not be scattered and disappear. There is not a kingdom or nation that won’t fall into the obscurity of history. There is not a home that won’t crumble into nothing. Even prophecies shall fail, tongues cease, and knowledge vanish away.[8] But there is one thing which shall live on unharmed amid all changes, undamaged by disaster and calamity. The dampness of the tomb cannot extinguish it. God has stamped His own immortality on it. It is lit for everlasting years. It is the joy which the believer has in Christ Jesus.  That, no man can take away.’[9]

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] St. John 16:16.

[2] St. Matthew 13:3-9.

[3] St. John 15:18-20.

[4] St. Matthew 13:24-30.

[5] Romans 8:18.

[6] Cr. Macbeth, Act V, Scene 5.

[7] St. Matthew 18:20; 28:20.

[8] 1 Corinthians 13:8.

[9] Joseph August Seiss, Lectures on the Gospels, Volume 2 (Philadelphia, PA: Lutheran Bookstore, 1888), 591-592.