Open the Eyes of My Heart
Today we are celebrating the feast day of Jesus’ Ascension – even though today is not technically Ascension Sunday. So…you may wonder why we are celebrating it today?
One reason is that while today is technically the Day of Pentecost – and many Christians around the world are celebrating it today – many people in MN and across the country are celebrating the Memorial Day weekend today and I did not want to short-change the Holy Spirit with a traditionally low attendance Sunday. So… come back next week for our Pentecost celebration with a new member welcome and the choir coming back to sing.
The other reason that we are celebrating Ascension Day today is that while it is technically 40 days after Easter and so falls on Thursday - it usually just gets skipped. But it is an essential part of Jesus’ story – especially in the Gospel of Luke and in our creeds.
As you recall, Luke begins his Gospel by telling the story of Jesus’ birth – we call it Christmas. Theologians call it the incarnation – God taking on human flesh and becoming one of us. God – in carne – which means God in the flesh.
As we read in the Nicene Creed “For us and for our salvation, he (Jesus, came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human”. The Apostle’s creed uses fewer words and describes the miracle of Jesus birth as: “conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.”
The creeds sweep by Jesus’ life and teachings – to focus on the actions of Holy Week. Jesus suffered, was crucified and was buried. Both the Apostles Creed and the Nicene creed mention Pontius Pilate – a ways to locate the crucifixion in time and space. The Nicene creed says, “For our sake, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.” The Apostles creed says the same thing in a differed order: Suffered under Pontious Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.”
And then we come to Easter! The creeds says the same thing: “On the third day he rose again.” The Nicene creed adds, “In accordance with the scriptures” – because no one – prophet or priest, Pharisee or Sadduccee, could have anticipated that this was how the Savior of the World was going to come. As Luke writes in the Gospel, it was only after his resurrection that Jesus “opened their minds to understand the scriptures.” It is only by looking back at the Hebrew scriptures through the eyes of Jesus and the lens of the cross of Christ, that we can see how God was at work. I’ll admit that I wish the disciples had taken more notes but Luke shares the summary statement: “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day…”
But even with all of that, the disciples still don’t quite understand. In a commentary, Luther Seminary Professor Dr. Rolf Jacobson likened the disciples to seminary students who have been taking an intensive course on Holy Week – and then fail the final exam by asking: “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”
Nope. That’s not it. Jesus reminds them – and us, “ “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.”
Instead, Jesus gives them a job, declaring them (and us) to be witnesses, and commissioning them (and us) to proclaim Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” This may seem a bit overwhelming to a bunch of former fisherman, But as Luke writes in the book of Acts, Jesus promises,“you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” And then, after blessing them, promises them the Holy Spirit will come.
The Apostle and Nicene Creeds are identical on this point, saying simply, “he ascended into heaven.”
We too often think of Jesus’ Resurrection as the end of the Gospel story of Jesus. Imagine the end of the movie with Jesus rising to heaven as the credits roll. But Jesus is still not done. Luke writes about the ascension in both the Gospel of Luke and in his sequel, “The Acts of the Apostles.” The Ascension forms a sort of hinge between the Resurrection and Pentecost, the sending of the Holy Spirit.
And yet the disciples, still don’t quite understand. Perhaps we can’t blame them for staring into the sky, hoping for Jesus to come back and lead them. I’m sure that’s what I would be hoping for. It is only after two angels interrupt their gaze by asking, “why do you stand looking up towards heaven?” that they return to Jerusalem to pray and wait for the Holy Spirit.
In the commissioning of the disciples and the promise of the Holy Spirit, the story of Jesus changes from a story that happened in the past, during the time of Pontius Pilate and in a particular place, in Jerusalem and Galilee and the surrounding countryside of Israel to the story of Jesus who not only was, but is, and continues to be, alive and active in our world today.
Our lesson from Ephesians helps us to see how Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, is present today. Paul first commends and encourages the Ephesians saying, “ I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers,” And then he prays for them: “ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him,” - now listen to the purpose of Paul’s prayer: so that with the eyes of your heart enlightened, Paul is praying for their hearts – that they may see from their very soul, their very being, and, as he writes, “you may perceive what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.”
Paul calls them to hope. Paul calls them to see and to claim their inheritance – that they have a place, that they belong, together with the saints of old, as a child of God. And finally, for them to realize the greatness and extent of the power of Christ. As theologian Sarah Henrich wrote, “It may be the case that ‘all I really needed to know I learned in kindergarten’ 1 but we are far beyond ‘need’ in this passage. This writer speaks to people of faith for whom the blessing of rich relationship is a gift they will never fully plumb as long as they live.”
The Ephesians and all Christians, including you and me, are being called into a deeper relationship with Jesus. Paul invites us to open the eyes of our hearts so that you may continue to be filled with God’s love and grace. This is a message of hope – even in times in which we are tempted to despair. When we suffer with ailments, when we feel betrayed, or when a loved one dies or when the world seems to be full of hatred and division – for such a time as this… even in those times, maybe especially in this time in which we are challenged, it is good to remember that God’s love is greater than evil, God’s mercy is stronger than all other forces and that we can always come home to God’s embrace and experience God’s love and grace in new ways with more power and hope and joy than we had ever thought possible. And so, brothers and sisters, siblings in Christ, let us open the eyes of our heart that we may see, feel and experience all that God has for us. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Faith-Lilac Way + May 24, 2026 + Ascension of Our Lord + Pastor Pam Stalheim Lane