Clothed With Power from On High

 Luke 24:44-53, Acts 1:1-11

Today is the Sunday before we celebrate Pentecost. It is called Ascension Sunday since Jesus after giving the disciples parting words ascends to heaven. Jesus explains to them the scriptures he has fulfilled through his death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead. The most important part of his message is that he promises them that they will soon be clothed with power from on high.

The book of Acts tells what this power will be. Here Jesus tells them they will receive power when the Holy Spirit will come upon them – clothe them. Next week we will celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit which we have named Pentecost. This will give the disciples the ability to be witnesses to the end of the earth. The story of these empowered disciples/apostles will be continued throughout the book of Acts. The book of Acts shows how quickly Christianity spread throughout the world with the stories of Paul and Peter and other missionaries.

But what are the disciples to do in this in-between time before Pentecost. They have been told to stay in the city. In the Luke account the disciples return to Jerusalem with great joy – continually in the temple praising God. This shows us that we can always be praising God even in the in-between times when we’re waiting for resolutions to our problems.

The Acts account differs showing the confused disciples looking up into heaven after Jesus. Two angels, men dressed in white, appear reassuring them that Jesus will come again. Further on in the following scriptures they get together in what is declared today as the Upper Room. They decide on an apostle to replace Judas. Agreeing with the Luke account all devote themselves to prayer along with certain women. It says the crowd numbered 120.

I love the expression “clothed from power from on high.” With the power of the Holy Spirit within us we are not only clothed in righteousness, but we can carry out the work God has for us to bring in the kingdom of God.

We too need to use this power from on high which now clothes us. The Holy Spirit, we will hear more about next week, has been given to us who believe. We need to take advantage of this power to fully live the Christian life of love and be witnesses of this to all we encounter. Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Join Me on a Lenten Journey

For those of you not familiar with Lent, it is a season of forty days, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. Lent comes from the Anglo Saxon word lencten, which means "spring." The forty days represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry. Lent is a time of repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a time of self-examination and reflection. Today, Christians focus on their relationship with God, often choosing to give up something or to volunteer and give of themselves for others. Easter comes early this year. Many of us not brought up in this tradition can still embrace its emphasis of focusing on the gifts Christ has brought into your lives and finding ways to share the love of Christ to others. This emphasis of love goes along well with the beginning of Lent this year, Ash Wednesday, falling on all days – Valentine’s Day. So whether or not you plan
Read more

Reverent Submission

Hebrews 5:5-10; Jeremiah 31:31-34 The book of Hebrews talks about Jesus being appointed a high priest. In order to do so was because of his reverent submission to God and the plan for salvation which was to bring great suffering to him. It is said he learned obedience through what he suffered. Being made perfect in this way, he became the source of salvation for all who obey him. This being made perfect through persevering in obedience in the face of suffering is a theme the disciples will take up in following the example of Christ. Due to Christ’s reverent submission to his work on the cross, a new covenant has been brought in. This was predicted in Jeremiah 31 that tells how the law will be put within them and written on their hearts. They will know God due to Christ’s sacrifice. Because of it God will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more. The term submission indicates obeying someone and their wishes. It is defined as accepting or yielding to the will or autho
Read more

Do What they Teach, Not What they Do

  Matthew 23: 1-12; I Thessalonians 2:9-13   Jesus when he talks about the scribes and the Pharisees in Matthew 23 basically says: “Do what they teach but not what they do.” What he questions most is their motivation. They do what they do to be seen by others. They wear fancy robes and love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues. They love to be greeted with respect. All this Jesus sums up in the word pride or not being humble. He states then that those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Years later Paul writes to the Thessalonians telling how he did what Christ had instructed. That he was humble leading a life worthy of God, his motivation being for God’s glory not his own. He tells that not only are the Thessalonians his witnesses of this but God also. They have seen how pure, upright, and blameless his conduct has been. He encourages the Thessalonians to do the same. To live a life worthy of
Read more