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“In my first book I wrote about all the things Jesus began to do and to teach.”

“He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him away from their sight.”

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᛭ INI ᛭

Alleluia! Jesus Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Jesus dead. Jesus risen. Jesus ascended. All of it for you. That’s what Jesus has done to save you. It’s all past tense. It’s written down in the history books of the Gospels and the first chapter of Acts. All of it done deal. Nothing left to do. Salvation is accomplished, just like Jesus said at Calvary, “It is finished.” (Jn 19)

But is that the end of His story? Is that the end of Jesus’ work? Many think so. Jesus is gone now. He’s done. He’s hanging out “at the right hand of God.” All we’re waiting for is for Him to “come again in glory to judge both the living and the dead.” Now, if we’re pressured, we’d probably push back against that. Rightfully so. But the problem is that we actually do think that way, because that’s how we act. Whether we give the right answer or not doesn’t actually apply.

We act like it’s our turn now. Jesus did His thing, left us stuff to do, and now we’re on the mission. Or maybe we think it’s the Spirit’s turn now. He’s the One at work. Jesus ends up in the rear view mirror so to speak. Or maybe we talk in terms of it being the time the Church. So we have a misunderstanding of the Church Year. We treat Advent through Easter as the seasons that are about what Jesus does, while Pentecost through the Last Sunday is all about what we do as the Church. We need to repent of that sort of thinking. All of this is just veiled works righteousness, adding our work to Jesus’.

Jesus dead. Jesus risen. Jesus ascended. All of it for you. Salvation is accomplished, just like Jesus said, “It is finished.” But salvation isn’t delivered when Jesus died or rose or ascended. Is it our job to deliver it? Is it the Spirit’s? Well, the Spirit is involved. We are, too. But listen again to what Luke writes: “In my first book I wrote about all the things Jesus began to do and to teach.” “He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him away from their sight.”

The Gospel of Luke tells us what “Jesus began to do.” This means that Acts is about what Jesus continued to do! After all, Jesus wasn’t gone gone. “A cloud took Him away from their sight.” Jesus was still at work. As the end of Mark says, “the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.” (Mk 16)

Now “He’s ascended far above all rule and power and authority and given the name above every name both in this age and the age to come,” as Paul says. But Jesus is still at work among us. Yes, the Spirit’s involved. He breathes life into the work of Jesus. Yes, we’re involved. The Church—big C—and our congregations are part of Jesus’ work, but we are only instruments. We are the hands and mouths of Jesus. Jesus is the true Worker, the true Speaker.

How’s He working? Well, through the preaching of “repentance and the forgiveness of sins,” (Lk 24) through the Sacraments. That’s how Jesus continues His work among us, how He delivers His cross-won, empty-tomb-certain salvation. He continues His work among us. He gives holiness and forgiveness and being a disciple in Holy Baptism. He teaches you salvation through His Word. He delivers forgiveness through the Absolution and by His Body and Blood. He gifts life and love (His life, His love) through all of the above. In short, if you really want Jesus to work on you, to work on others through you, well, be where He’s promised to be in His Word and in His Gifts.

Jesus dead. Jesus risen. Jesus ascended. All of it for you. It’s not the end of Jesus’ story, though. Yes, He accomplished and finished your salvation, but now He’s delivering it to you. Through His Word, through His Body and Blood, through His forgiveness, He’s doing it. All of that’s for you, too.

Yes, the Spirit’s there in that work. He was in Elisha just as much as Elijah. He was in the Apostles. He’s in the pastors today. He’s in the Gifts. We gather around them for Jesus to work on us and teach us, even today. The Spirit’s active in the Word and Gifts of Jesus. The Spirit gathers us and would use you to gather others with us. We’re like the sons of the prophets, gathering around the prophet’s word, which isn’t his word at all but the Lord’s Word. The Apostles were sent with that Word—with “repentance and forgiveness.” So are pastors today. And even you’re called to bring others to the preaching and the Gifts, to “be prepared to give a reason for the hope within you” (1 Pet 3), “to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Pet 2:9)

It’s not just you, not just me or other pastors, not just the Apostles. It’s Jesus. He’s at work on you, in you, and through you. He’ll continue to do it until the Last Day, when “He will come to judge the living and the dead.”

Jesus dead. Jesus risen. Jesus ascended. Jesus preached. Jesus bodied-and-blooded. Jesus delivered. Jesus working. It’s Him. Always Him. He’s God. You’re not. You can be thankful for that. Because He’s still working for you to save you.

Alleluia! Jesus Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

᛭ INI ᛭