May 18, 2023
Today’s Reading: Luke 24:44-53
Daily Lectionary: Numbers 11:1-23, 31-35; Luke 17:1-19
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Alleluia! Christ is risen! What’s a huge difference between Christianity and other religions? Not just that other religions require us to justify ourselves to God by works. It’s also that they rely on human works to spread. The mission of the first Muslims was to spread by military conquest, allegedly proving that Muhammad’s Allah was true. Judaism depends on the preservation of traditions handed down from one generation to another, and that Jerusalem be taken back. Mormonism relies on door-to-door missionaries and that people feel a “burning in the bosom” to know the far-fetched claims of Joseph Smith are true. Even the Wokeism of our day is a human effort, because it’s fueled by the cunning of academics and the power of politicians.
Not so with Christianity, even though people are the instruments by which it spreads. Before His Ascension, our Lord explained His work as the fulfillment and confirmation of all the Law, Prophets, and Psalms—“that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His Name to all nations.” These are the mighty works of God, no longer just handed down to the sons of Israel. They are to be told to people of every nation. This is what He has done, and by Jesus Christ’s faithfulness and obedience; by His holy, innocent suffering and death, sinners have peace with God and can stand at the final judgment.
This Gospel of Christ is not spread by our cunning or force. Even though God uses people just like us to spread that Gospel, we are not doing it on our own. The Lord told the apostles: “Behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
It is God the Holy Spirit who calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies by this Gospel. Jesus ascended into heaven so that He would send the Holy Spirit who would draw all people to Him (John 12:32). That same Lord who spoke these reassuring and powerful words before His Ascension is the same who mightily sent the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, and who still is at work wherever His Word of repentance for the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed. Even though He ascended on high, He is actually as near as our pulpits and in our words as we share this Gospel today. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty God, as Your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, ascended into the heavens, so may we also ascend in heart and mind and continually dwell there with Him, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Collect for the Ascension)
– Pastor Michael A. Miller is Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.
Study Christ’s words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.
