(Face the cross and start clapping excitedly. Add in some whoops and hollers. Stop clapping. Embrace the awkward silence.). No? No one? Alright. I didn’t really expect any of you to join in, well maybe David McMiller, I thought maybe David would be so full of the spirit he might join me in my ovations, but I am not really surprised that the rest of you refrained. Clapping, whoopin, and hollerin isn’t something we Lutherans typically do in a worship service.
The closest I ever saw a Lutheran congregation get was in the inner city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I was still at the Seminary and went to the church to preach one of the first sermon I had ever written. I started out the sermon timid and unsure. You see I had only preached this sermon once before and that was to my classmates and professor. This was the first time I was preaching the sermon in public, to real people. As I began to preach, I started hearing murmurings, not the kind of harsh whispers you hear from a frustrated mom as she pew wrestles her kids, but the kind of sounds you hear at the dinner table after dessert has been served. (“Ummmmmmhmmm.” “Mmm.” “Mmm.” “ Mmm.”). I had never, in all my Lutheran life, heard people make noises like that during a sermon. It was distracting at first, but then I started to get into it. I started to realize the more they murmured the louder and stronger my voice grew. Eventually someone near the back of the church shouted “Amen!”. Well, that was all the encouragement I needed. Suddenly I was out of the pulpit stomping my feet, waving my hands, and hoping around the chancel like a beetle on a hotplate. It seemed the more animated I got the more they responded. Next thing I know my voice started to mimic some of the Baptist preachers I had seen on tv. Though it was most definitely not in my seminary professor approved sermon manuscript I asked, “Can I get an amen!?” and do you know what, I did. I got several. By the time I was done preaching my voice was hoarse and my brow was covered in sweat. It was awesome!
That is the closest I have ever seen a Lutheran church get to whoopin and hollerin during a worship service. I mean occasionally one of you will bring a recovering Baptist to church and they might offer up a muted murmur or an overly boisterous “amen” at the end of the sermon, but it is rare to hear whoopin and hollerin in a Lutheran church. That is not who we are. We are a different culture, in a different place, with a different style of praise. Our ovations tend to be more restrained and reserved. And that’s O.K. I am not going to ask you to be someone you are not. More importantly your God isn’t asking you to be someone you are not. The ovations you offer your God do not need to sound like the ovations that come from the inner city of Milwaukee Wisconsin, but I think by the time we are done looking at Psalm 47, you will want to give Him your ovations.
Today we are celebrating the ascension of our Savior into heaven. 40 days after Jesus rose from the dead, Luke, our gospel writer for today, tells us when Jesus had led His disciples out to the vicinity of Bethany, “He lifted up his hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He left them and was taken up into heaven.”[1] The ascension of Jesus into heaven is a great time to offer Him our ovations. The ascension is kind of like a graduation service. Last week I attended the graduation service at MLC (our college that trains our future pastors and teachers). The graduation program stated, and the academic dean verbally requested that the assembly reserve their ovations till all diplomas had been distributed. However, there is always that one family member who feels the need to whoop or holler: “Way to go Alyssa!” “Congratulations Maddy!” I used to get irritated by such outbursts, but the older I get the more tolerant I have become of parents who are so proud of their child’s accomplishments that they can’t help but boorishly shout out their ovations.
Jesus ascended into heaven having accomplished a great deal more than a college student and unlike the typical college student Jesus did it in three years instead of four. Psalm 47 talks about some of those accomplishment. Today, let’s look at three of His accomplishments.
In verse 3 the psalmist writes, “3 He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet.” When the psalmist wrote this and the Israelites heard it the “nations” and “peoples” they were likely thinking of were the Egyptians that had enslaved them, or the Philistines that had fought against them. It was clear to even the most obtuse Israelite that it was the LORD Who had subdued the Egyptians and put the Philistines under foot. After all, the Red Sea did not part itself and the walls of Jericho did not come tumbling down on their own. The psalmist and the Israelites were probably thinking of the Egyptians and Philistines, but, as you know, the Egyptians and Philistines are not the only enemies of God’s people that have been subdued and put under foot. Indeed, the LORD has subdued and put under foot much greater enemies than these.
You would be hard pressed to find greater enemies of God’s people than sin and Satan. Sin enslaves God’s people. It prevents them from doing the good they want to do and forces them to do the evil they don’t want to do. And Satan, well he isn’t referred to as the old evil foe for nothing. Satan has been fighting against God’s people from the moment he was cast out of heaven and when I say fighting, I mean doing everything he can to cause us to burn in hell for all eternity. But before Jesus ascended into heaven, He subdued sin and put Satan under foot, not with the parted waters of the Red Sea or the ruins of Jericho, but with His suffering and death on the cross. On the cross the innocent blood of Jesus broke the chains of sin that had enslaved us, and the nail pierced foot of Jesus crushed the head of our old evil foe who sought to devour us.
Before He ascended into heaven Jesus subdued and put under foot sin and Satan. But that is just one of His accomplishments. In verse 4 the psalmist writes, “4 He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.” Again, when the psalmist wrote this and the Israelites heard it, they were likely thinking of the Promised Land; a land that is repeatedly described as a “land flowing with milk and honey”[2]. Every Israelite knew the LORD had promised to bring Father Abraham to a land where the LORD would bestow His blessings. And when the descendants of Abraham finally arrived in the Promised Land (after spending some time wandering around in a wilderness) they discovered the Promised Land lived up to its reputation. The psalmist and the Israelites were probably thinking of the Promised Land when they heard the word inheritance, but as you know there is an even greater inheritance that has been promised to God’s people.
God has promised His people a place that does so much more than flow with milk and honey. God has promised His people a paradise called heaven. You have heard me say it before, but repeatedly in the pages of scripture heaven is described by what it lacks. In heaven there is no more pain, no sorrow, no crying, no suffering, no sadness. Heaven is the place where the LORD bestows His blessings on His people, and, because of Jesus, heaven is a place that has been promised to you. Before He ascended into heaven Jesus promised, “because I live, you also will live.”[3] The seal of that promise is the empty tomb. Because of Jesus, one day you will receive your promised inheritance and when you finally get there, I have no doubt heaven will live up to its reputation.
Before He ascended into heaven Jesus subdued and put under foot sin and Satan, and He secured our salvation. Yet there is still more that He accomplished. In verse 8 the psalmist writes, “8 God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.” One more time, when the psalmist wrote this and the Israelites heard it, I imagine they were thinking of the ark of the covenant that resided first in the tabernacle then in the great temple. The ark of the covenant represented the presence of the LORD God among His people. When the ark of the covenant went before them, their enemies were defeated. When the ark of the covenant was among them, the people prospered. When the psalmist and the Israelites thought of God seated on His holy throne they probably thought of the ark of the covenant, but you know the LORD God sits on a much more glorious throne than that.
In his letter to the Ephesians[4], saint Paul describes this throne being at the Heavenly Father’s right hand “21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” Then saint Paul tells us the one who sits on this heavenly throne uses the power and authority of this throne “for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” The one who sits on this throne, uses the power and authority of that throne to provide for and protect His people. When Jesus ascended into heaven He was seated on this throne, and He sits there still today using His power and authority to provide for and to protect you.
Our ascended savior Jesus accomplished much more than the three things I just mentioned but even if we only mention these three accomplishments: subduing sin and Satan, securing our salvation, providing for, and protecting us from His throne in heaven, it is clear that Jesus our ascended savior deserves our ovations. Which is why in Psalm 47 the psalmist calls upon us to: “1 Clap!” “1 Shout!”, and “6 Sing!”.
In verse 1 the psalmist writes, “1 Clap your hands, all you nations!” I can’t think of anyone who deserves a round of applause more than Jesus. But if clapping your hands seems silly to you, don’t worry, there are plenty of other things you can do with your hands to praise Jesus for His accomplishments. For example, you can do your job; not just for promotion or pay, but you can do your job with the kind of honesty, integrity, and energy that makes the world ask what makes you different. And it doesn’t matter if your job is learning how to read and write, or if your job is managing people, or if your job is hugging your grandchildren. You can use your hands to do whatever job God has placed before you with honesty, integrity, and energy. In this way you offer Jesus your ascended savior the ovations He deserves.
Also, in verse 1 the psalmist writes, “1 Shout to God with cries of joy!” Now, I know whoopin and hollerin is not something we Lutherans are comfortable doing in the middle of a worship service. But you can be thankful there are plenty of other ways you can use your mouths to praise Jesus for His accomplishments. You can use your mouth to speak the truth in love to a person who has wandered from the truth. You can use your mouth to speak words of comfort and assurance to a person who is hurting or suffering. You can use your mouth to speak words of encouragement and instruction to a person who is stressed and struggling. When you use your moth in this way you offer Jesus your ascended savior the ovations He deserves.
Finally, in verse 6 the psalmist writes, “6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises!” Four times in verse 6 (and once more in verse 7) we are called upon to sing praises to Jesus. This, I must say, you do rather well. We Lutherans are known for making a joyful noise to the LORD. But if you have ever felt like less of a Lutheran because you can’t sing 4-part harmony for every hymn and when you do sing the adults in front of you cringe, the children giggle, and the babies cry, then I have got good news for you too. You see, it is not our harmonies that please our LORD, but rather, it is our hearts. When your heart is full of admiration and appreciation for what Jesus your ascended Savior has accomplished it doesn’t matter if your pitch is flat or sharp of if you somehow manage to be both flat and sharp at the same time, that noise that you are making is a joyful noise to the LORD and in this way you are giving Jesus your ascended Savior the ovations He deserves.
I am not going to ask you to be someone you are not. More importantly your God isn’t asking you to be someone you are not. I am not going to ask you to join me in a round of applause or to start whoopin and hollerin. But because I am fairly certain you agree Jesus our ascended Savior deserves our ovations; I am going to ask you to please stand and sing with me the final two verses of hymn 742. (sing) Amen.
[1] Luke 24:50-51
[2] Exodus 3:8
[3] John 14:19
[4] Ephesians 1:15-23