The seventh Sunday of Easter is usually set aside also as a
day to celebrate and remember the ascension of Jesus. On the day when we reflect
on the Lord’s final words of preparation and encouragement to the disciples,
it should not be surprising that the lectionary text from the epistles contains
last words of instruction and encouragement to the Early Church.
On the day of Ascension we are reminded of Christ’s absent-presence.
As we, the Church, await His return and the final inauguration of the kingdom
of God, we are left wrestling with the paradoxical reality that although He
is present with us through the power of the Spirit and in the sacramental
reality of the Church (the Body of Christ), He is yet bodily absent from us.
So how are we to live in this time of His absent-presence?
The primary purpose of 1 Peter was to help the Church make its
way through its current sufferings, but as Peter closes his letter there is
an enormous problem still confronting the Early Church: the future. No one
knows what the open future holds. It could bring an immediate end to suffering
or it could bring trials that make those the Church had been enduring seem
pale by comparison. The problem the Church faces every Ascension Day is that
we move blindly into the future not knowing what each day holds.
Exacerbating the problem is the realization that the forces
that shape the future are not neutral but are often adversarial. Peter reminds
his readers that their adversary prowls around “like a roaring lion”
(5:8). Until the final judgment of Christ comes, the forces of good and evil
will continue to bring moments of grace that are foretastes of God’s
kingdom and moments of sin and brokenness—stark reminders the kingdom
is not yet here.
In this in-between time God has called believers “to his
eternal glory in Christ” (5:10). We believe by faith that although we
walk blindly into the future God’s sovereign love will have the final
word in all things. The glorious reign of the Lamb of God is not just a future
hope but a current reality that God calls believers to live in and toward.
As He redeems all things toward the glory of Christ He will
“restore” (5:10) believers: transforming or renewing the character
of the faithful through their suffering. God will also “establish,”
strengthen, or support His Church. He will “strengthen them” so
His people will be able to face whatever the future brings. He will “settle”
them; making them a people who cannot be moved no matter what comes against
them.
It is important to recognize our response is a communal one.
The emphasis of the entire epistle and the plural verbs used throughout this
particular passage emphasize our need for the community of faith. In a verse
that falls between the two sections of the lectionary reading, Peter writes,
“the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God”
(4:17, nrsv). It is critical we understand Peter’s instructions in this
letter are intended for the Church to obey as one communal body.
Therefore together we are to walk in humility (5:5) maintaining
our teachable servant spirit with God the Father. We are to free ourselves
from worry and rest in His love by casting our cares upon Him (5:7). The Church
must stay vigilant and disciplined (5:8) always aware the possibility of sin
creating division and destruction is always at hand. However, the people of
God can stay prepared by remaining steadfast in faith (5:9), standing united
with the Church universal. And finally, we can rejoice and give praise to
God (4:13; 5:11) because in and through Christ He is using every “fiery
ordeal” (4:12, nrsv) to bring about in us the purity of life and character
He most desires.
(For the full manuscript
of this sermon go to www.preachersmagazine.org and click on “Sermons.”)
Ascension Sunday is an opportunity for the preacher to confess
for the church that although we do not know what the future holds, we do indeed
know the One who holds the resolution and redemption of the future in His
hands. As important as it is for those who speak for God not to give trivial
answers in the midst of suffering, it is also important we not be trite about
what the future may or may not hold.
In these final words from Peter’s first epistle we are
pointed, however, to the God who is at work moving all things toward His glorious
future. We find words of wisdom for learning how to both trust God’s
sovereign and creative love as well as how to be prepared spiritually as the
Body of Christ to face whatever challenges or trials may come our way.
I believe it is critical in all of these texts to be clear that God did not cause the suffering of the Early Church nor is He the source of our current sufferings. But He is able to redeem and transform the fiery ordeals we often find ourselves facing into His refining fire that forms His character and nature in us. To Him be glory.
