The cost of gas has gone up again. It’s predicted to keep rising until it hits $1.40 per litre this summer. How does that make you feel? Does your stomach churn as you calculate the cost of driving to work? Are you rethinking that summer camping trip? Do you fear what other costs will go up as a result of increased oil prices? These feelings, while natural, are not God pleasing. Why not? Because gas isn’t the only thing that’s gone up, so has Christ. He has ascended into heaven. This fact will change our outlook from one of gloom to bright optimism no matter what a barrel of oil costs. Today the Sons of Korah encourage us to live with an ascension attitude as we cheer the great things Christ has accomplished, and as we count on Christ’s continuing rule for our benefit.
Forty days after he rose from the dead, Jesus took his disciples to a hill outside the town of Bethany, not far from Jerusalem. There he floated up into heaven. From the book of Acts (1:10, 11) we get the impression that the disciples felt like children who had just lost their helium balloons. They kept studying the sky intently perhaps hoping that Jesus would come right back with thousands of angels in tow to usher in the end of the world. Angels did appear but only to assure the disciples that Jesus would come back in time. In the meanwhile, however, the disciples were to return to Jerusalem and await the promised coming of the Holy Spirit. In his gospel, Luke tells us that the disciples returned to Jerusalem - not shuffling like a team that just lost in a penalty shootout, but rejoicing like one that just won the championship (Luke 24:52). Why? Because by God’s grace the disciples had come to understand the nature of Jesus’ ascension. On their way back to Jerusalem they may have even sung Psalm 47. It would have been most fitting if they did. Listen again to the opening words of this psalm. They will help us understand the nature of Jesus’ ascension and what it means for us. “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. 2 How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth! 3 He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet. 4 He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved…5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets. 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises” (Psalm 47:1-6).
If you picture Jesus’ ascension as his retirement, I want you to get rid of that image. Instead I want you to picture a king returning to his palace after winning a war. Trumpets play. Citizens clap. Confetti and flowers rain down from balconies. People cheer. That scene has been repeated hundreds of times in world history. But Jesus’ ascension is different. Jesus is a king who went to war, not for his benefit, but ours. Note how the author of our text said that God “subdued nations under us” (Psalm 47:3a). That’s amazing. Rulers normally don’t leave the comforts of their palace unless there is something in it for them. Even then they will usually send others to do the work for them. It’s the private, for example, that sweats in the foxhole over in Afghanistan, not the Prime Minister. Or imagine your shock if minutes after reporting the loss of your wedding ring while visiting the Legislature grounds here in Edmonton, the Premier himself bursts out of his office and gets on his hands and knees to look for your ring in the flower beds and under the pine trees. And he doesn’t stop until he’s found it.
Well the Son of God loved you so much that he left his comfortable throne in heaven and got on human hands and knees to look for you. And he didn’t stop until he had found and saved you. What did the Son of God get for his trouble? He was smeared with our sin and as a result was cast aside by his heavenly Father as if an offensive rotten banana peel. The Son of God died, bruised and bloodied on a cross meant for outlaws. But the Son of God rose again. And his ascension signalled the end of his rescue mission. It was the final chord in his redemptive symphony and it set the tone for the disciples’ rejoicing. They could be certain that all of their sins had been paid for. Had they not been, the Son of God would not have been welcomed back into heaven as a victorious general. He would have lived out his days here in shame – like Bill Buckner, the infamous first baseman of the Boston Red Sox who cost his team the World Series in 1986 when he let a routine ground ball go through his legs. Boston fans were so angry that when Buckner quit baseball he could not remain in Boston but had to move all the way to Idaho to get away from the threatening phone calls. Jesus, however, is no failure. He did everything that God demanded to win our salvation. So live with an ascension attitude. Cheer the great things Christ accomplished – most important of which is eternal life for all.
But we must not always cheer our salvation for Thomas Carlyle, a well-known English historian, has called Christianity “a creed of sorrow.” Why would he make a statement like that? What led him to misread Christianity so completely? Was it because the Christians he came into contact with looked as if their religion had given them a headache? Did the Christians he observed day after day give him the impression that Christianity is something to be endured, rather than something to be enjoyed? Child of God, the promise of heaven is yours already here on earth. The glory of heaven is something we’ll have to wait to experience. But already now we have the same joy that the angels in heaven sing about: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain!” The God whose holiness will not permit him to accept me for what I am is a God whose mercy has accepted me for what Jesus is. Jesus’ ascension proves it. God’s Old Testament people, led by the Sons of Korah in our text, thought that was something to sing about. Dear Christian, that’s something for you to think about too. God has put a gospel song on your lips (John Jeske “Connecting Sinai to Calvary” p. 176). So throw off your Canadian-calm and clap your hands. Shout for joy! Cheer the great things Christ has accomplished!
The Son of God did win a great victory at Calvary, but what has he done lately, some ask. Well after a politician wins the Prime Minister’s seat, he doesn’t climb a fire lookout somewhere deep in the bush to get away from it all. No, he climbs the stairs in the parliament building to occupy the Prime Minister’s office. And now as Prime Minister he will be everywhere. He’ll be on the airwaves and on TV. He’ll be touring towns hit by disaster and offering relief through the powers granted him by parliament. In the same way when Jesus ascended his throne in heaven it was not to rest but to rule. The Sons of Korah wrote: “8 God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. 9 The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted” (Psalm 47:8, 9).
I don’t think you would disagree that Jesus has all power. You believe and confess that. But that’s not faith. Faith is trusting in Jesus’ promise that he will use his power for your benefit (John Jeske). Brenda Martin certainly didn’t have that kind of faith in the Canadian government. For two years she languished in a Mexican jail despite pleas to the Canadian government for help. But nothing happened. Either the government was unable to help or uninterested.
Do you feel like Brenda Martin sometimes? You call out to God but he seems either unable to help or uninterested in helping. Not so! That’s the message of Ascension. Paul explained in our Epistle Lesson: “18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know…his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church” (Ephesians 1:18a, 19b-22).
Do you see what it means to live with an ascension attitude? It means that you not only cheer Christ’s great accomplishments but that you also count on his continuing rule…for your benefit. Our text and Epistle lesson teach us that Jesus has power over all the kings – that includes the oil barons whom we suspect are making a killing on the inflated oil prices at our expense. Don’t worry about that, says Jesus. He’s the one who made the oil to begin with. He’s also one who makes food grow. And he’s promised to provide our daily needs. This doesn’t mean that we’ll be able to live like we always have. Due to high oil prices we may have to scale back our vacation plans this year. But Jesus never guaranteed Christians an annual two-week vacation to anywhere in the world. He’s promised us something much better: eternal life in heaven. And now maybe the inflated oil prices will help us remember that we have something so much better to look forward to than a trip to the Rockies or to the Coast.
Yes, the price of gas has gone up. So what? Let the world fret about that. My Jesus has gone higher and he rules over all, even the little details of my life. So instead of sweating it I’ll sing. I’ll sing and cheer as if I don’t have a care in the world, and I don’t because Christ has accomplished great things: my salvation. And he continues to rule for my benefit and yours. Since that is something to sing about let’s do just that as we raise our voices in praise again using the inspired words of Psalm 47. (Close by singing Psalm 47.)
