May 29, 2022 Ascension of our Lord (Observed)

Ascension Day (Observed)
Luke 24:44-53
May 29, 2022

“Jesus in the Driver’s Seat”

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The President of the United States has far too much power as things are today. We get “executive order” after “executive order” and that’s pretty much how everything is done now. The President decides almost everything. A kind of loophole has been found in our government that allows the President to executive order just about anything he wants. Congress and Senate have become quite irrelevant and don’t do much except keep up appearances.

And the very sad thing is, it almost seems like we like it this way. We all want our horse in the White House. And we think, “As long as we get our guy in there, then everything will be perfect.” We complain if the other guy does executive orders but we cheer and praise when our guy does the same. I think it’s because deep down we all want to be in the driver’s seat. We all want the executive power. And since we can’t all have it, then the next best thing is having “our guy” in that seat to wield all the power.

But what happens nearly every single time that a man acquires too much power? It corrupts him. It goes to his head. Often he does evil things. There’s only one man, in the history of the whole world, one man who can sit in that seat and rule faithfully. There’s only one man who is actually meant to carry that kind of authority and power. He is the God-Man, Jesus Christ. And He’s sitting in the driver’s seat. Right now. Not the President. Not Congress. Not Senators. Not a Governor. And most of all—not you. Jesus has ascended into heaven. He sits at God’s right hand. And He’s ruling over everything. He says all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him.

Now the number one problem from the beginning to the end of the world is that we want to sit in the driver’s seat instead of God. We want control. One way to try to get control is, as I’ve been discussing, through politics. We want “our guys” in control of the government. But there are many other ways we try to get the control from God. Money is the most obvious. Material stuff. We always think that if we have enough stuff then we’ll be in control of everything. We won’t need God at all because we’ve got all our money. Abusing and bullying others is another way we try to control everything. We’ll force others to do what we want them to do. Or so we think. That’s not just physical abuse you understand. Many of us have verbally and mentally been abusive. Contraception and abortion on demand is another way we try to control everything. We don’t want babies from God getting in the way of our pleasure.

But you know what all of these power grabs amount to? We’re just backseat drivers. That’s all we are. We’re that annoying person in the back seat saying, “Jesus, get over to the right lane. Jesus, don’t turn here, turn over there. Jesus, you’re driving too slow. Jesus, do you know where you’re going?” Backseat drivers are the worst. We are the worst.

But this morning, once again, we have repented of our sins. “Almighty God,” we said, “have mercy on us, forgive our sins…” And that includes our sinful power grabs and sinful rebellion. That includes our sinful fascination with politics and Presidents, thinking that will solve everything. That includes our love of money and stuff. That includes our abuse of others. All of it. We repent of all of it. And once again we take our back seat and rejoice that Jesus is driving. That’s He’s sitting at God’s right hand. He has shed His blood for us control freaks to cover our sin and replace it with faith. That we would trust not in ourselves but in God and His grace.

Now then I’d like to spend some time reassuring you this morning that Jesus is truly in the driver’s seat and that He’s a good Driver. He knows what He’s doing. We don’t have to correct Him from the back seat. He’s doing great without our direction. The reason you don’t always see how great a job He’s doing is because you’re simply looking in the wrong places. You’re looking for Him to use His power where you think He should use it rather than where He wants to use it. Basically, in a nutshell, we want Him to use His power more in the world than in the Church. But Jesus does the opposite. Jesus shows most of His power in the Church where He forgives sins and gives eternal life. But we’re always looking out in the world saying, “Jesus, what are You doing?”

Let’s make it very concrete. We think Jesus should use His power to end the war in Ukraine. We think Jesus should use His power to stop madmen from shooting sprees in public places. We think Jesus should use His power to give me a new job and help me make more money. We think Jesus should use His power to heal my friend from cancer. We think Jesus should use His power to stop abortion and gambling and prostitution. We think Jesus should use His power to send better weather. To make it hot when we want it hot and cold when we want it cold. To send rain when we want rain and sunshine when we want sunshine. We think Jesus should use His power to lower gas prices.

Well, we’re not alone. In Acts chapter 1 that we heard today, after all Jesus has taught the disciples and after He has died and risen from the dead, they still ask, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” Even the disciples were looking for Jesus to use His power in the wrong places. Jesus said, “That will come in the Father’s time.” You see, Jesus will fix all the world problems on the Last Day. You’ll get to see His power on full display. No more bad politics, no more shootings, no more money problems. No more cancer. All gone. But that’s when the Father’s ready. You don’t get to decide that.

Instead, Jesus tells them, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses to the end of the earth.” The place where Jesus most showed His power with the disciples was in the Church. In their preaching and teaching and in their giving of the Sacraments. That’s where we see Jesus’ power. On Pentecost Day, they preached the Gospel in many different languages and ended up baptizing 3,000 people. Is that powerful? Pretty powerful.

If you want to find Jesus’ power then you must look first to the Church. That’s where He’s always working and doing it powerfully. He’s taking sins away, giving the Holy Spirit, listening and answering prayers, giving new life in Holy Baptism, giving His body and blood in the Lord’s Supper, preaching His Word through pastors and pronouncing absolution through them, teaching all that God has commanded. If you want to see Jesus’ power then you don’t look to the Oval Office. You look to the Office of the Ministry. You look to the Church. To the Word of God and the Sacraments. There Jesus shows us His power.

Now I’m well aware that the world looks at the Church and thinks we’re nothing great at all. I’m well aware. And I know that the world thinks the Church is useless and doesn’t really do anything. I know. But we don’t care what the world thinks. We know the truth. In the Church is where Jesus is doing His mightiest works.

To tell you what I mean let’s take the tragic school shooting of this last week. We all want these shootings to stop. Just like people of every age have wanted war to stop and violence and hatred to stop. But is there an answer? Some say gun control. Some say more guns, more police, more security. Some say more mental health care. Some say more fathers in the home. Some say more government supervision. What’s the answer? Some of those things, maybe all of them, could do some good.

But meanwhile Jesus is showing His power elsewhere. Where does Jesus show His main power over sin and death? Of course, you know. He shows His power over sin and death by taking it all to the cross and dying in our place. He shows His power over sin and death by baptizing us into His resurrection and giving us new life. He shows us His power over sin and death here at the altar where He gives us the medicine of immortality. He shows His power over sin and death with these words, “I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in Me, though He die, yet shall He live. And whoever lives and believes in Me will never die.”

When these tragedies happen, more and more we’re being told that our prayers aren’t wanted and are useless. You’re not supposed to say that anymore that your prayers are with the families. Because that supposedly means you’re not doing anything. But it’s the exact opposite. You know prayer is one of the Lord’s most powerful weapons against evil. So keep praying. Prayer is definitely more important than anything that will happen in Washington. We pray because we know Jesus is the only One who has any real answer to sin and death.

If you look through the funeral arrangements that have been made for the children who died, you’ll notice that the vast majority of them are having prayer services, funeral services, funeral masses, rosaries—many of them at churches. That’s because Jesus showed His power to these children and their families. Because they know that as difficult as it is to lose them, we will see one another again in heaven because of Jesus’ power.

And finally, friends in Christ, Jesus says that we are His witnesses of this power. People in the world will continue looking to get control in things like politics and money. But you are Jesus’ witness. To tell them who is really in the driver’s seat and where they can find His power. To witness to the power of God’s Word and Sacraments. To invite them to the Church to see the true power of Jesus. To pray for them that they would see the power of Jesus.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen.