ASCENSION AND THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Rev. Harold Shepherd, CD, M.A., S.T.M., LL.B., LL.M., Ph.D.
Sermon from May 8, 2005

Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." Luke 24: 44-53 So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. Acts 1:1-11

The Ascension of our Lord marks a transitional period between the Gospels and the history of th early Church. Whereas Matthew and John’s Gospels record encounters with Jesus in Galilee, Luke makes no mention of these occurrences. Rather, he presents the witness to Jesus that began in Jerusalem, then extended to the ends of the known world. The New Covenant, made possible because of Good Friday and Easter, breaks into the world in power on Pentecost. Jesus’ disciples are not to attempt to continue Jesus’ ministry in their own strength. They are to wait in Jerusalem until they are clothed with power from on high. Bearing witness to Jesus takes more than human effort- it requires the dynamic work of the Holy Spirit. Unlike the old covenant, the new one is not written on paper as a matter of belief and conduct, but is rather written in one’s heart by the Holy Spirit. It transforms one from within, rather than simply demanding belief and obedience from without.. Luke’s depiction of the Ascension provides us with a helpful understanding of the nature of the relationship between God and the church. Throughout church history, significant differences of opinion can be identified. For example, the traditional Catholic approach advocated by Thomas Aquinas distinguished between God’s revelation in nature through reasons and experience on the one hand, and God’s specific revelation recorded in Scripture, Councils of the Church, papal decrees and the like. Aquinas’ theological methodology was taken from Aristotle’s approach to science and philosophy. However, for Aquinas, philosophical and moral happiness are imperfectly conceived by moral virtues identified through natural reason. Natural law is supplemented by God’s law embodied in Christ himself. Jesus, as King, has a will for his people that needs to be communicated. For Aquinas, this has been achieved by means of delegation. Jesus’ authority (potestas) in this regard has been conferred on the Bishop of Rome. This authority is not restricted to proclaiming God’s will, but also includes authority to celebrate the sacraments, including the forgiveness of sin. As a result, only those who have received this authority from the Pope are in the position to administer valid sacraments or to correctly teach Christian doctrine. This approach has domesticated God’s grace to make it a function of clerical activities that have been sanctioned by the Church authorities in Rome.

This approach was rejected by Protestants in the Reformation. Under the rubric of the "priesthood of all believers," the Reformers argued that all Christians have direct access to God’ presence and grace without Church mediation being required. The role of the Church is to facilitate fellowship with God that is available to all through Christ, not to create access, as this was achieved by Jesus on Good Friday. However, Protestantism became vulnerable to a similar problem, though from a different perspective. Christianity in Europe developed the conception of "Christendom" in which the religion of sovereign was the religion of all of the people. Dissent was not tolerated until the 19th century. However, even at this point, European Christianity was based on what has been referred to as "cultural Christianity." All baptized persons were members of the Church who were expected to subscribe to a minimum set of beliefs and live within established ethical standards. Christianity was a matter of belief and practice, much the same as one could say about joining a community service organization- accept the beliefs and values of the organization and conduct yourself according to expectations, and all will be well. Jesus’ Ascension teaches the Church that this is not good enough- we must be clothed with power from on high by the inward working of the Holy Spirit. Christianity is more than simply a question of belief and ethical conduct, although these are both important. It requires a personal encounter with the risen Christ that changes us from within and allows the Holy Spirit to bring inner healing and life that empowers us to bear witness to him in a broken world. Thanks be to God for the victory through Jesus Christ!