What’s the Ascension-Love Connection?

7th Sunday of Easter, 5/17/15
1 John 4:13-21


What’s the Ascension-Love Connection?
I. It assures us we are united with Christ.
II. It drives our fear.
III. It moves us to love.


When you’re living your life in the moment, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to see how and why things are happening. All too often the events of a particular day seem to be so random that we have difficulty making sense of things. We end the day asking ourselves, “How did that happen?” or “Why did that happen?” And that’s especially true when we expended great effort to make sure those things didn’t happen.

But as the weeks, months and years progress, our questions begin to get answered. Instead of seeing so many unrelated details which appear to have nothing to do with each other, we see a much bigger picture. From a Christian perspective, we see the Lord’s hand clearly in our history. We see that the Lord used the fact that we were in a certain place at a certain time to bring about some great blessing in our lives. The connection is obvious.

This morning we’re celebrating the ascension of our Lord. That might not seem like such a huge event. In fact, it’s possible many of you didn’t recall when you woke up this past Thursday morning that it was the Festival of the Ascension of Our Lord. It likely escaped your notice.

But you’re here in worship now and our worship focus and today’s hymns remind you of that great event.

But then you listened to this morning’s second lesson from 1 John and there’s not one word in it about Jesus’ ascension into heaven. At first hearing, it might seem that this reading is totally out of place for this Sunday. In fact, you may have asked yourself, “What the connection between the ascension of Jesus and John’s words about God’s love for us and our love for him?” That’s a good question. So good, let’s focus our attention on it this morning. What’s the ascension-love connection? May the Holy Spirit cause us to see the answers as we devote our attention to this portion of God’s word this morning.

Part I.

There’s an old adage which states, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” I’m sure you’ve experienced the truth of that statement on more than one occasion in your life. A loved one is far away from you for an extended period of time and your heart yearns to be close to that person as soon as possible. Thoughts of that person fill your mind throughout the day. You think of all the ways your life will be so much better when that person is once again standing right there with you.

While we celebrate the ascension of our Lord into heaven, the fact that he ascended might cause some of us to wonder why he did so. In fact, many are the times when we wish he were visibly right here in this spot with us. But consider the implications of that wish. If Jesus granted that wish, you wouldn’t be so selfish to demand that he remain with you always. Surely you would understand that he needs to be visibly present with other Christians as well. And not just other Christians who are near, but those far, far away as well.

And while he’s away, perhaps never to be right here with you ever again in your life, what conclusion would you draw? “Since he’s not right here with me, since he’s with someone else, I’m not sure how much he loves me.” And after a long period of time, you might even conclude, “I guess he doesn’t love me. He doesn’t want to be with me.” In this case, absence makes us question his love for us.

But listen to what the ascension of Jesus made possible. John writes, “We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.” There you have it. The ascension of Jesus assures us that that we are united with Jesus. He is really present with us at all times, just as he promised his followers before he ascended into heaven, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Mt. 28:20). He is not visibly present with us, but he is really present with us. In fact, he lives in us by faith in him.

What’s the ascension-love connection? It assures us that we are united with Christ.

You are united with Christ? Does it feel like it? Not when life sends another tragedy crashing into us. Not when issues and problems linger on and on with no end in sight. Not when our fervent prayers to him for change in our lives appear to go unanswered. Not when we long for his guidance, but we still feel like we’re wandering aimlessly. Those are the times that our Savior seems far away. But his ascension into heaven proclaims otherwise. He ascended so that he can be with us always. He ascended so that he can live in us. He ascended so that he can send us the fullness of his Holy Spirit. When Jesus seems far away, it’s not because he has severed the connection to us; it’s because we have. He works in you through his word and sacrament. A closer relationship with him is found on the pages of your Bible. It’s realized when you receive his very body and blood in the Lord’s Supper. You are united with Christ and his love for you. That’s the ascension-love connection.

Part II.

What’s your greatest fear in life? Is it death? Does your greatest fear have something to do with your children? Is it being separated from a loved one? Is it suffering some terminal illness? Losing your job? Losing everything you own?

We all have fears. And it doesn’t help much, then, when we listen to John tell us, “Perfect love drives out fear.” Our first reaction is, “Well, I still have my fears, so there must be something wrong. Either I don’t love perfectly, which seems like an impossibility anyway, or God doesn’t love me perfectly.” Those reactions aren’t helping us at all.

Then you’ll be happy to hear that’s not what John means. The love John speaks about is connected to Jesus’ ascension. How so?

The ascension of Jesus is another one of the facts which assure us that all our sins have been paid for in full. Think about it this way. When you were a child and your parents gave you a job to do, they expected it to be done fully and properly. When it wasn’t, what did they do? They probably told you it’s not good enough and told you to get back at it and don’t quit until it’s done. They probably told you that you weren’t going to get that special favor they promised until it was done to their satisfaction.

So what does that have to do with the ascension of Jesus? The Father gave Jesus the work of completing our redemption. That meant that every sin of every sinner had to be paid for in full. If Jesus hadn’t done that work completely, if he had left even one sin unforgiven, the Father would never have let Jesus ascend into heaven. His ascension assures us that all our sins are forgiven.

That forgiveness flowed from a heart full of love for the whole world. God’s love for every sinner was shown in the sufferings and death of his Son.

So now, when our guilt condemns us, when the problems in our lives cause us to conclude that God must have something against us, when we’re afraid that our God still holds our sins against us, then perfect love—God’s perfect love for us—drives out fear.

What’s the ascension-love connection? It drives out fear.

In the appearances of the risen Jesus to his followers, he repeatedly greeted them with these words, “Peace be with you.” Why? Because they had failed him as his followers. They had forsaken him. They didn’t believe his promise to rise from the dead. They flat-out doubted and denied him. And then he ascended into heaven. Rather than bother them, that truth was actually their comfort. And your comfort, too. We have a Savior who is ascended into heaven to assure us that our sins of denying him and his word, of failing to follow him and believe his promises to us are all forgiven. Not a single sin stands between you and your loving God. That’s the ascension-love connection.

Part III.

Unrequited love is always a sad story. One heart loves, but the other doesn’t.

What comforting news, then, to hear that God’s love for us fills us with love for him and others. John declares, “We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar.”

Hatred for someone arises in our hearts when someone has wronged us. It refuses to forgive them. It also fails to recognize the forgiveness our Lord has shown us. We can’t forgive that one sin, while he has forgiven our countless sins.

The ascension of Jesus reminds us that all our sins are forgiven. That forgiveness flows from a divine heart that is full of love for us. God the Father loved us enough to sacrifice his Son for us. You know that love for you. It fills your heart. It’s why you’re here in worship this morning. “Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

What’s the ascension-love connection? It moves us to love.

I hope and pray that none of you has hatred in your heart. If you do, let’s talk privately soon. We’d all agree that we love others because God loves us. The question for you in the week ahead is this: How will you show that love for God fills your heart? What difference will it make this week? Choose the most difficult person in your life and determine what you will do to show the love of God to him or her. The power to do it is already in you. It’s your love for Christ and what he’s done for you. May love for the Savior who stretched out his arms on the cross for you move you to use your arms to embrace someone in your life. That’s the ascension-love connection. Amen.