Homily for 24 May 2020 Ascension of the Lord Ephesians 1:17-23

posted in: Uncategorized | 0

The glorification of Jesus, we celebrate in three stages.  The first is his resurrection, the second is his ascension into heaven and the third is the sending of the Spirit.  April 12, May 24 and May 31.  This fifty-day period make up the Great Week of the seven weeks which is the one Great Day of the Lord.

The letter to the Ephesians speaks of the rich inheritance, the extraordinary greatness of the mighty power of God and the glorious effectiveness of this mighty power.

“Unless the grain of wheat fall to the ground and die, it remains just a grain of wheat, but if it die, it bears much fruit.”  The good seed of God has fallen to the ground in the death of Jesus and has come back to life with fruit that has multiplied a hundredfold.  The new life of Christ for us has doubled a hundred times.  In mathematics, one doubled a hundred times is one thousand with thirty-three zeros (one thousand with thirty-three zeros).  That is the rich inheritance which God has given us in the glorification of his Son! (One thousand with thirty-three zeros.)

The Father has called s into his glory.  God has given us the hope of inheriting this.  God has made us the body of his Son.  God has caused us to be the fullness of his Son.  God has filled up the body of his Son with us.  Without us, the glorified body of the Son of God would be much smaller and emptier than it is now.  We fill up the body of Christ.  This is our rich inheritance which the Father has given us.

We are the one thousand with thirty-three zeros, people filling up the body of Christ.  The seed that died has risen and has changed so that the one thousand with thirty-three zeros that we are will have the ability to live with the risen Christ.

Knowing this is the wisdom and the revelation which God the father wants us to have.  This is the rich inheritance which God has given us.

We celebrate the ascension of Christ.  It is the Easter of the Lord.  It is the second stage of the Lord’s glorification.  The ascension has to have us in order to fill up the glorification of Jesus with the fullness of the total fullness of God.