Sermon - Ascension - “Life Is A Journey” - Luke 24:50-52
May 24th, 2009Click play to listen to the audio version of this sermon.
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Sounds cliché I know, but life is a journey. As with all journeys, it’s always nice to know where you’re going. Knowing the destination makes all the difference in how you travel.
The life of Jesus Christ is a journey. In fact, the church’s calendar is set up in such a way that we follow Jesus on His journey every year. Unlike the secular calendar, the church’s calendar begins on the 1st Sunday in Advent, which this year was November 30th of 2008. That was the Sunday that we began to light the paschal candle or the “big candle” as the acolytes call it. Jesus Christ, the true light, was coming into the world and we note that by lighting this special candle. For four Sundays, we prepare ourselves for the beginning of Christ’s journey. He leaves the Father in heaven and comes down to earth.
Christ’s journey comes full circle as He returns to the Father in heaven. So today, the Ascension of our Lord, marks the end of His journey. And so, this is the last Sunday that the paschal candle will be lit until we begin a new year on November 29th.
So as we follow the journey of Christ’s life as mapped out for us by the liturgical calendar, we recognize the point of origin for His journey. It didn’t begin in a stable in Bethlehem. Nor did it end in a tomb outside of Jerusalem. His journey began in heaven, seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. He has been there from all eternity. And His journey ends in heaven, seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. And He will be there for all eternity. That is the journey that the Church takes along with our Lord every year.
As Jesus walks with His disciples from the Upper Room after the Last Supper and goes to the Garden of Gethsemane, He describes His journey like this, “I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” (John 16:28). Without a doubt, Jesus knows the journey that His Father has sent Him on. And He knows what He will encounter on that journey - trials, troubles, suffering and a heavy cross to bear. But He knows with absolute certainty how and where the journey will end. Knowing your destination makes all the difference in how you travel. (more…)




