Luke 24:44-53; Psalm 47 and Ephesians 1:15-23
Today is Ascension Sunday. These Bible verses allow us to meditate on Jesus Christ and his disciples. Several characters appear in the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles: Jesus Christ, the disciples, Paul, and the Ephesians.
First, in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus appears to the eleven disciples and says many things. He says of himself that all things must be fulfilled that are written about Jesus Christ. “Then he opened disciples’ minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” Jesus once explained the Scriptures in detail to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. As a result, their hearts became warm. There are several conditions to realize spiritual truth. First, we must understand the Bible, and second, we must have an open mind. Here, the original biblical meaning of open means to help achieve complete understanding. That is, Jesus completely opened the closed spiritual and cognitive abilities of the disciples so that they could understand. So, the disciples could understand the meaning of the prophecy in the Bible. They experienced dramatic moments of understanding the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Jesus ultimately emphasizes repentance for the forgiveness of sins. This is the word of Jeremiah 31:34: “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” The promise made through the prophet is now being fulfilled as the procession of repentance and salvation spreads worldwide.
Chapter 24 thus concludes the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. So, Jesus says that the repentance and gospel of forgiveness of sins must be proclaimed from Jerusalem to all nations. Because it is our mission, the disciples’ mission, to spread the gospel. The emphasis here is on “preaching in his name to all nations” rather than “beginning at Jerusalem.” This is a declaration that denies the exclusive sense of chosen people that the Jews had at that time. He proclaimed human salvation, including all humankind. In the subsequent book of Acts, missions to all nations soon become the theme.
Dear friends, we are witnesses of all these things. Witnesses testify to what they see and hear. We are responsible for sharing the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit that we have experienced with the world. However, spreading the gospel is not easy in modern society. Non-believers find this uncomfortable. So we need to be wiser. We must pray that God will help us in all these things. Evangelizing to family and friends is challenging. Many people profess God, but whose faith stagnates there. We must encourage them to actively attend worship services and work together to build a community of faith and a missionary community. We are called to all this. When we faithfully complete all these things, God will give us greater grace and bolder faith than before. So, when the disciples saw Jesus being taken up into heaven, they were no longer sad. Instead, they began to do Jesus’ ministry with great joy. They always praised God. I hope this joy will fill your lives.
Next, we are all the body of the Lord. The Apostle Paul writes a prayer letter with the Ephesians in mind. He explains God’s plan and the history of salvation through Jesus. He emphasizes the gifts and work of the Holy Spirit toward each member. In this process, Paul is thankful that the saints receive wisdom and revelation, their hearts’ eyes are opened, and they experience God’s grace. But going further, he wanted church members to know God more deeply. He proclaims the excellence of Christ, the head of the church. He proclaims the omnipotent power of God to explain the reality of the power God has bestowed upon the saints. It means that Christ became the head of the church and the saved saints became the body of Christ, all by the same power of God’s resurrection.
Therefore, all of us, as the church itself, the body of the Lord, must stand firm on faith, hope, and love. Just as the Apostle Paul heard about our faith and love from hundreds of kilometers away, we hope that our Knox members will also become a church known for love. In this regard, we are grateful that our church can lovingly serve the Korean Presbyterian Church and River Lutheran Church, which worship together in one sanctuary. The denomination of River Church is Church of the Lutheran Brethren Canada. Interestingly enough, Lutheran churches are also diverse, with Lutheran churches of various denominations in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Missouri Synod, Asia, and Africa. Among them, the denomination to which River Church belongs has been very active in missionary work in the Asian and African regions. So, as you often see, on Sunday evenings, you can meet a lot of Christians from Africa. And for their needs, we are now gathering household items, mostly kitchen items, that are needed to settle down. I am pleased that church members are joining us to share our love and mission within our capacity and resources. In addition, two weeks ago, members of the Korean Presbyterian church who worshiped in the afternoon went on a two-week mission trip to Europe with their senior pastor. But since not everyone can attend, a few church members attend worship on Sunday, and they asked me to preach in Korean. So, for the first time in a long time, I could worship in Korean and deliver a sermon with joy. I am so grateful that all of us can volunteer and donate in this way.
We are now in a time when our missionary capacity is the smallest in several decades. But we are reviving and growing again, both externally and internally. As each of us grows, we bring about the church’s growth. Our church also expands as my faith, hope, and love expand. God tells us through the Apostle Paul that we are the body of Christ. And our head is Jesus Christ. We need to think and act like Jesus. From small acts of service to extensive missionary work, let us dream and pray together and live in hope until Jesus returns. The abundant grace of Jesus Christ will fill our lives. Amen.