( Sermon Ephesians 1:15-23) [ Predigt ] [ Abkündigungen255.34 KB ]
Dear Congregation, Ascension is a mysterious event. Actually, it is hard to believe what happened that day.
Luke tells us in the Book of Acts that Jesus gathers the twelve apostles around him for the last time and speaks words that must have sounded mysterious and puzzling to them. He promises them the Holy Spirit; he promises them that with his power they will become witnesses of the Good News "to the ends of the earth". And just after he had said that, he is "lifted up" before their eyes, a cloud takes him up, and he goes up to heaven.
The words that I am about to read to you are actually also hard to believe. They come from the letter of the apostle Paul to the church in Ephesus. He begins with strong, enthusiastic words and writes in Ephesians 1:15-23
PAUL'S PRAYER
15 For this reason, ever since I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's people,
16 I have not stopped giving thanks to God for you. I remember you in my prayers
17 and ask the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give you the Spirit, who will make you wise and reveal God to you, so that you will know him.
18 I ask that your minds may be opened to see his light, so that you will know what is the hope to which he has called you, how rich are the wonderful blessings he promises his people,
19 and how very great is his power at work in us who believe. This power working in us is the same as the mighty strength
20 which he used when he raised Christ from death and seated him at his right side in the heavenly world.
21 Christ rules there above all heavenly rulers, authorities, powers, and lords; he has a title superior to all titles of authority in this world and in the next.
22 God put all things under Christ's feet and gave him to the church as supreme Lord over all things.
23 The church is Christ's body, the completion of him who himself completes all things everywhere.
Dear congregation, this must have sounded unbelievable to the small congregation. A rich inheritance? A mighty divine strength? All kingdoms at Jesus' feet - in this world and the next? Great power within us? In us that are so few in number here?
If we consider what kind of city Ephesus was at that time, it becomes even clearer how that letter must have seemed at first glance.
Ephesus was a cosmopolitan city. From its ruins we can still see how rich and splendid this city must once have been and in this city there was a young Christian community, which probably consisted of slaves, harbor workers and simple craftsmen. The apostle Paul had also come to Ephesus on his extensive travels a few years earlier and had told them about Jesus, about how much God loves people, and about how people could be much happier if they centered their lives on Jesus.
For those few people, these stories of Jesus had become the Gospel, the Good News. They simply had to hear them again and again. So they met regularly to eat and drink together and to celebrate church services - just like we do today. And on these occasions, they probably also read to each other over and over again the letters that the apostle Paul had written to them.
And reading these lines must have been an absolute contrast to what they experienced day after day. The way they were experiencing life in this city. After all, compared to the wealth and power of that city, the Christian community in Ephesus was absolutely insignificant. And then these letters from Paul, who writes to this tiny church with such enthusiastic words. So what was Paul thinking?I believe the answer is simple: Paul is looking at the church with different eyes! Namely with the "eyes of the heart". And he asks God to give the Christians in Ephesus "enlightened eyes of the heart". For Paul knows that with enlightened eyes of the heart one can sometimes see more and in greater depth than with the eyes of the head.
Our human eyes see only a few slaves and craftsmen - raw, uneducated people - a minority in a huge city, defenselessly at the mercy of the powers and forces of the world. However, the eyes of the heart see in these people the body of Christ. These people belong to Christ and knowing this, no power of the world can harm them.
Our human eyes usually only see the outer facade of this world, and these are often horrifying images: a world that seems to be heading towards an unstoppable abyss. Conflict, wars, disease, natural disasters, climate change and environmental deterioration. In many cases, our human reasoning is: "That's just the way it is; there's nothing we can do about it!" The eyes of the heart, however, refuse to give up; they see this world as God sees it. They see deeper, they see God at work even in the dark and difficult days. They already look ahead and hope for that day when no more questions will be left unanswered. That day when the mysteries of suffering and all tears will have found their answer. Being human, our eyes only see our limited power, which apparently can only contribute a little to the greater good. However the eyes of the heart say: Do what is possible for you! The eyes of the heart know that each tiny spark of love counts and is not in vain.
With our understanding, we can grasp only a small part of the mystery of the Ascension. We need the "eyes of the heart" for this. The ability to recognize a Greater Reality behind the here and now. And in that greater reality, Jesus has taken the place at the right hand of God since that first Ascension Day. On Ascension Day, we do not celebrate the fact that Jesus has suddenly disappeared before the eyes of the disciples, but that he now holds power in his hands. Ascension does not mean that Jesus leaves and now hovers far away and high above everything, but on the contrary, he is now "filling all in all", which means he is much closer to all people in a completely new way than ever before.
Those "eyes of the heart" of which the apostle writes are not opposed to rationality, but they are higher than all our rationality, they see further and deeper. They see not what is, rather what can be done and what could be. Therefore, I join the apostle's request for us today:
May he give you enlightened eyes of the heart, so that you might know the hope to which you have been called to by him and the abundance of the glory destined for you.
Our strength is not external power and might; our strength is within, in the assurance and hope of looking at the world with the "eyes of the heart.
"Human eyes see only our relatively small community, often with few resources and possibilities. But the eyes of the heart know: We are not alone. We belong to Christ. No one can snatch us from his hand. Christ is our Lord. God has placed everything under his feet. His is the kingdom and the power and the glory.
Amen
