The Ascension of Jesus is the forgotten feast of the church (it was celebrated last Thursday). Accounts of the Ascension are to be found in Mark (Mk 16:19-20), Luke (Lk 24:50-53) and the Acts of Apostles (Acts 1:9). In the ascension, Jesus is visibly removed from the presence of his disciples. This was a demonstration of the reality of his departure. He would no longer be present with them physically. His presence, until his return at the end of the age, was to be mediated through the Holy Spirit - the Spirit of Jesus.
In light of the readings, this is a strange theme. In the Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples that those who love him will keep (obey) his word. (Jn 14:23) In his second letter to the church at Corinth, Paul states the love of Christ "constrains" him. (2 Cor 5:14) The word is used in the sense of being held prisoner. Here, the love shown by Christ has caused Paul to live no longer for himself, but for Christ who died for him. The freedom that Paul might talk about is not freedom to do as he wants, but to do as Christ requires. The is the same freedom that Jesus offers. The oppression that most people experience is that of being dictated to by their own desires. Jesus offers us freedom from our own self oppression when we accept him as Lord. Max
Jesus, facing his impending trial and death, shares with his disciples what is most important for them to know and do. They are to follow his example. Just as he has loved them, so they are to love one another. It is this love for one another that will identify them as his followers. (John 13:34-35) I have just been given a booklet, written by a friend, with the title "Is the Local Church Irrelevant?" The answer that the writer gives is mostly "Yes." I understand, and sometimes agree with, what my friend has written. A local church that does not assist its people in living out a Christian life in the world is missing one of its key ingredients. But fortunately or unfortunately, the local church is always relevant to the gospel of Jesus Christ. If Jesus says, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another," (John 13:35) then how Christians relate to each other is extremely relevant. The local church is almost always the place where this happens. It is to be the shop front for the Kingdom of God. Our task is to see that it is a faithful representation of this Kingdom. In his first letter, the apostle John writes, " Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth ..." (1 Jn 3:18–19). Blessings, Max
From the beginning, Christianity was a missionary religion. Jesus told his first disciples, that they would be his witnesses to the local area and to the whole world (Acts 1:8). It was the multiracial church at Antioch that sent its leaders, Paul and Barnabas, on a "missionary" journey, sharing the good news of Jesus throughout the neighbouring countries (Acts 13:1-3). The work of modern missionary is not so much to bring the good news to places that have never heard, as it is to assist the local church with its work of sharing the gospel. Today we commission Jolene to assist God's people in their work in the Middle East. We are honoured to have Steve Maina, the national director of the Church Missionary Society, and Chris Grantham, the New Zealand director of MECO. In the service, Jolene affirms her call and we support her in it. What we say in the service is the beginning of a new venture and a new relationship with Jolene, CMS and MECO. In this we acknowledge our reliance on God's help through our declaration and our prayers. Max.
A puzzling feature of most of the appearances of the risen Jesus is the lack of recognition. Even in the account of Jesus's commissioning of the disciples at his ascension, we read, "When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted." (Mat 28:17) When Jesus appears to Paul as he travels to Damascus to arrest Christians, Paul sees a blinding light and hears a voice. "Who are you, Lord?" he asks. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," is the reply. (Acts 9:5) In these appearances of Jesus we need to be aware of two things. Firstly, all the appearances are of a physical nature. They are not immaterial visions. The resurrection of Jesus was a physical resurrection; and, only a physical resurrection could justify the subsequent adoration of Jesus. Secondly, the physical nature of Jesus has changed - he has not just been resuscitated. Maybe it is this feature that causes the disciples puzzlement. The physical nature is that of the "new heavens and new earth". (2 Pet 3:13, Rev 21:1) In his 1st letter to the church at Corinth, Paul attempts to explain something of the quality of this new order. (1 Cor 15:35-58) Read it through. Blessings, Max.
Although the Book of Revelation is avoided by many and misinterpreted by some, it contains a wealth of information concerning the person of Jesus. He is described in this week's readings as: the faithful witness; the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. (Rev 1:5) Each of these phrases has significant depth. The faithful witness describes Jesus's faithfulness unto death. The firstborn of the dead reminds us that we also will be raised from death as Jesus was. The ruler of the kings of the earth indicates that all authority has been given to Jesus (although not necessarily recognised). The passage goes on to describe Jesus as the "one who loves us." This is a remarkable statement in that it is one of only two passages in the New Testament that actually mentions that God or Jesus loves (using the verb agapao) us NOW (in the present). See if you can find the other! All other passages refer to God who loved us (past) or who will love us (future). This is because love (agape) is connected with action. Perhaps John had in mind Jesus's action in sending this revelation (Rev 1:1) as a sign of his love for his church. It is great to know that the risen Jesus loves us and is actively involved in caring for his people.
The resurrection of Jesus is the foundational event of the Christian Faith. In the resurrection, the truth of who Jesus is, is declared. The Apostle Paul wrote concerning Jesus, "who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead." (Rom 1:3–4) When the Gospel of Jesus Christ was proclaimed by Paul and the other apostles, so closely were Jesus and his resurrection tied together that some thought they were proclaiming two gods - Jesus and Anastasis (Greek for resurrection). (Acts 17:18) When they learnt that "Anastasis" was the event of the bodily resurrection of Jesus, many scoffed, though some believed. Perhaps many don't scoff today, but many remove the power (and offense) of the resurrection by turning it into a metaphor. Resurrection becomes any form of positive change or renewal. This devalues the resurrection of Jesus. For the apostles, it is a unique event, happening only to Jesus, but also foreshadowing the future of those who put their trust in him. (1Cor 15:20) Christ is risen! Hallelujah!
This week we focus on the great events of our faith. We remember Jesus's entry into Jerusalem on Sunday (Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-40, and John 12:12-19) his last meal with his disciples on Thursday (Matthew 26:17-29, Mark 14:12-25, Luke 22:7-23, and John 13:21-30), and his death on the cross for our sins on Friday (Matthew 26:31-27:66, Mark 14:26-15:47, Luke 22:31-23:56, and John 18:1–19:42). We are grateful to the State for providing us with time off work and school so that we can participate in activities and services related to the death and resurrection of Jesus.
In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul lists three things that he wants: to know Christ; to know the power of his resurrection; and, to know the fellowship of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death (Phil 3:10). If we were to put these alongside our own desires, how would our desires match Paul's. When Paul mentions these desires, he is thinking of the past, present and future. For him, coming to know Christ was of greater worth than all his cultural heritage (Phil 3:8). To continue to know him, both in knowledge about him and relationship with him, was an ongoing desire.
Most of us are familiar with the "Parable of the Prodigal Son". It is often used as a basis for sharing the good news that God loves us and welcomes home the returning prodigal. This interpretation is only partly correct. This parable is one of three that Jesus tells in answer to the criticism levelled at Jesus by some of his contemporaries, namely “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them” (Lk 15:2). Each of these parables has a common theme of celebration.
