From Advent to Ascension: A Journey with the Christ

By Charles Ensminger

From Advent to Ascension: A Journey with the Christ follows the themes and direction of the Christian year that focus specifically on the earthly life of Christ.

Beginning with the expectations of Advent, you’re invited to walk with Jesus from his birth to his Ascension. This journey encourages you to consider what it means to take the name of “Christian.”

As such, this book invites you to carefully consider the elements of Jesus’s life and teachings. Consider questions such as:

• What does it truly mean to follow Jesus?
• What does Christianity claim arrived in the person of Jesus?
• What is God’s dream for the future of humanity?
• What is it we should expect from the Christ?

Christianity is a faith with a story. That narrative is told and retold year after year until it can be lost in the mix of seasons and programs. From Advent to Ascension can be a tool by which your church can encounter anew the story of the Christian faith.

Ignite your faith and join the author on a devotional study of Jesus beginning with the Advent season and continuing through his ascension. It is a journey that will move you closer to the Lord.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Aug 10, 2022
• ISBN: 9781664270848

Charles Ensminger

Charles Ensminger is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church and has served as a pastor for more than twenty-five years. In addition to his work in the parish, he is an adjunct professor of religion at Tennessee Wesleyan University. He is also the author of Crafting the Sermon: A Beginner’s Guide to Preaching and Saturday Faith: Moving through the Crisis of Hopelessness.

Book preview

CONTENTS

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part I

The Season Of Advent

The First Week Of Advent

The Second Week Of Advent

The Third Week In Advent

The Fourth Week In Advent

Part II

Christmas Eve, Christmas, And The Christmas Season

Christmas Eve

Christmas Season / Advent Alternative 1

Christmas Season / Advent Alternative 2

Christmas Season / Advent Alternative 3

Christmas Day

Part III

The Season Of Epiphany

Epiphany Sunday

The Baptism Of Jesus

Second Week After Epiphany

The Third Week After Epiphany

Part IV

Three Parables

The Fourth Week After Epiphany

The Fifth Week After Epiphany

The Sixth Week After Epiphany

The Transfiguration (The Last Sunday After Epiphany)

Part V

Lent

Ash Wednesday

The First Week In Lent

The Second Week In Lent

The Third Week In Lent

The Fourth Week In Lent

The Fifth Week In Lent

Part VI

Holy Week

Palm Sunday

Holy Wednesday

Maundy Thursday

Good Friday

Part VII

Easter And The Easter Season

Easter Sunday

Easter Season (Eastertide)

The Second Week In Eastertide

The Third Week In Eastertide

The Fourth Week Of Eastertide

The Fifth Week Of Eastertide

Part VIII

The Ascension

Ascension Sunday

Epilogue

Bibliography

For my mother, Alice, with love.

PREFACE

For Christians, Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ. I am one among those who so believe and take upon myself the name of Christian. Believing that Jesus is the Christ is central to that thought process, as would seem self-evident from the name Christian.

However, over the centuries, there has been something of a loss of definition when it comes to the title Christian. While Jesus has remained the centerpiece of the Christian faith for more than two thousand years, there is a sense of amorphousness to the understanding of what it means to follow Jesus. While Christians might know what it looks like to be Christian, at least in the sense of attending church, there is the sense that we do not often consider what it means to follow Jesus the Christ.

Each year, the Christian church repeats the story of Jesus from Advent to the story of the ascension through the liturgy, through hymns, and even through the decoration of the sanctuary itself. This repetitive cycle is the church year—the seasons through which the church passes again and again. That repetition was designed to make sure the church repeated the story of Jesus over and over for those who may not have heard it. However, for those of us who have, we may have become so used to these seasons that we fail to truly take notice of them.

This book is designed to draw our attention back to the journey through the Christian seasons from Advent to the ascension. Along the way, we will make some side trips, and I will try to draw our attention to the fact that, even following a predictable journey, there is always more to be encountered. The simple focus of the book, however, is the journey of Christ and our desire to follow that path.

Beginning with the season of Advent, which is the anticipatory season preceding Christmas, we will journey through Lent, Good Friday, and Easter and end with the last story of Jesus on earth, his ascension. All along the way, I believe we will find that, in following the Christ story, we will recognize that we are continually called to be a part of that journey. We will also find that we, as Christians, are called to take this journey seriously (though not with a humorless rigidity!).

May this journey remind us of that old, old story that we should know so well. In its recalling, may we find our own journey with Christ to be renewed.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Before this was a book, it was a series of sermons and messages. In 2020, when COVID arrived in our area, our physical church building was closed. We did not stop in our proclamation, however! We continued to hold worship online.

During that time frame, I had the idea, initially, of focusing on the narratives of Jesus, beginning with his baptism and following them through Easter. My idea was to present Jesus from his baptism to Palm Sunday as the Gospels present him—with powerful narratives and amazing declarations. I wanted to do this because, for those of us who declare we are Christ followers, we need to be sure that we understand whom and how we follow.

However, as Advent began to draw near, I felt that this was a great opportunity to begin with Advent, the season of expectation, and follow the narrative of Jesus through the entirety of his earthly life, as is reflected in the Christian liturgical year.

From there, the series emerged. With additional work, many revisions, and a desire to offer at least a glimpse of Jesus in each Christian season, the sermons became a manuscript, and the manuscript became a book.

I would like to express my thanks to the congregation of Allen Memorial United Methodist Church in Athens, Tennessee. I would also like to let everyone know that the venture of putting the series into book form was the idea of my mother, Alice. She gets all the credit (and my love) for this work coming together.

INTRODUCTION

The Christian Year

The Christian year is an established pattern that goes back to the first century AD and, to some degree, prior by being based on various Jewish holy days and festivals. The Christian year itself is a special calendar dedicated specifically and precisely to the narrative of the life of Christ as well as the theological underpinnings of the Christian faith.¹

Each Sunday is a part of the larger Christian year, which begins, technically, with the first Sunday of Advent. The last Sunday of the Christian year is Christ the King Sunday. The significance of this is that the Christian year, while starting on a different day than the secular year, begins at a very particular point for Christians: the expectation of the arrival of Christ.

Advent itself is a season of expectation with two facets. First, there is the ancient expectation of the Messiah. The words of the prophet Isaiah can here take the forefront, though there are plenty of passages from Jeremiah, Malachi, and Joel that easily capture the idea of expectation. The second facet that rests within the Christian community is the expectation of Christ’s return. This second Advent is a theme that runs concurrently through the Advent season with the first: Advent looks both to the past and to the future. Sometimes one facet of Advent is emphasized at the expense of the other, yet they both inform the Christian season of Advent. Neither should be neglected.

Advent is also a great place to start a journey with or, perhaps better still, into the Christian faith. Beginning with a serious look at the expectations of the Messiah, one can begin to discern what it is Christianity claims arrived in the person of Jesus.

The Christian year, beginning with Advent, is structured around the repeating narrative of the Christian faith. We believe in the expectation of the coming of the Messiah, which was, Christians believe, realized in the person of Jesus. Jesus then taught, proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom of God, healed, performed miracles, and traveled in a particular geographical region. He was arrested and executed by the Roman Empire but was resurrected on Easter. After Easter, Jesus spent forty days on earth before ascending into the heavens, from which we anticipate his return. This is the map of the Christian journey with Christ that repeats yearly and, because of that fact, is a great way to tell the old story of faith anew.

There is one point that I wish to clarify, which is the nature of Advent in relation to the Christmas season (and I will revisit this in a later chapter). Advent for many has come to be synonymous with Christmas and the Christmas season. That is not the case. Advent is the season prior to Christmas. The Christmas season, at least liturgically and for the church itself, begins on Christmas. Of course, by then, the retail stores have already moved on to the next holiday, and the Christmas songs we have heard since mid-October cease. Ironically, if we were true to the Christian year in our worship, we would only begin singing Christmas carols and hymns on December 25 and sing them on into the first weeks of January. That, however, is a battle that most pastors and worship leaders have given up on trying to win!

The seasons that follow Christmas are equally vital. Why? Because while the secular world knows about Christmas and Easter (and some Christians only attend worship services at those times), what the Christian year points to is the fact that between Christmas and Easter, there is a lot of material. As I said, Jesus taught, performed miracles, spoke with many individuals, and detailed in his own style the Good News of the kingdom of God drawing near. Jumping from Christmas to Easter easily overlooks all of that.

As for the Christian year itself, it does not end with Easter. Following the grand celebration that is Easter Sunday, there is much more. In fact, if one follows the New Testament narratives, when one reaches the book of Acts, it becomes clear that the focus is now on the next generation of Christ followers who undertake the work of evangelism, beginning on the day of Pentecost.

This book doesn’t go that far though. In this book, I only follow the Christian narrative (scripturally and liturgically) of the life of Christ. It is a journey that begins with the expectation of Advent and then concludes as Jesus ascends into the heavens. I would certainly argue that the story does, in fact, continue and that you and I are to play a part in its continuation. Yet I would also argue that, for many, the story from Advent to the ascension is not as well-known as it could be (or should be)—even among lifelong Christians. Therefore, I want to invite you on a journey of discovery or, perhaps, rediscovery through the weeks of the Christian year.

---

¹  I would draw the reader’s attention to James F. White’s book A Brief History of Christian Worship and J.C.J. Metford’s book The Christian Year for a far more detailed discussion of the history and development of Christian worship, seasonal observations, and emphases.

PART I

THE SEASON OF ADVENT

A s a season in the Christian year, Advent often finds itself paved over by the marketing of the Christmas season. Despite what the stores and the television commercials would have you believe, the Christmas season doesn’t begin until December 25. Prior to that, the Christian Church is in the season of Advent.

Advent is something of an unusual time. On the one hand, it is the time of preparation for Christmas and the stories of the nativity, Joseph, Mary, the birth of John the Baptist, and the birth of Jesus. On the other hand, Advent is a time of reflection and anticipation for the second Advent, or the second coming of Christ. In that respect, it is a time of not merely remembering the first Christmas but looking forward in hope for the fully realized kingdom of God. As such, Advent is a time of reflection and preparation for what is to come in Christmas. It is a reflection on the hope of the Messiah that was, for Christians, realized in the person of Jesus.

One is hard-pressed to find that idea during the frenzy that is the shopping season. Perhaps that has to do with the fact that Advent is about expectation, patience, and reflection. These are things that we are often not good at practicing. As such, focusing on the season can make pastors very unpopular people with their congregations, as that focus seems so different from the hustle and drive of the secular season around them.

Advent itself has, as I said, two distinct trajectories, and both have the idea of preparedness at heart: preparing for (and remembering) the stories of Christ’s first advent and preparing for the second coming of Christ. Yet there is also a third trajectory often overlooked: the tension of seeking to encounter the present reality of Christ. In other words, we continue to seek the presence of Christ in our own lives, not merely looking back at what was or simply hoping for the future. Advent is when we stop to reflect on the reality of the unfolding Advent of Christ in our own lives.

If we were to consider the idea of Advent from the standpoint of the time truly before Jesus, then we would need to go back to the texts of the prophets to hear what was expected in and of the Christ. Long before there were stories of Mary and Anna, of angels and visions, there were dreams and hopes.

Expressed profoundly in the words of the prophet Isaiah, we will, therefore, turn to those writings first. Isaiah is the prophet for whom many of the promises and dreams of a messiah originate. For the early church, Isaiah was of predominant importance and was, even for Jesus, the one who provided the fundamental description of the Messiah (see Luke 4:17–19).

We encounter the Advent seasons with a series of questions. What is God’s dream for the future of humanity? What would God teach us? And what is it we should expect from the Christ? The words of Isaiah are important parts of the larger Advent tradition and provide challenging and often strikingly different glimpses to a season frequently taken for granted.

THE FIRST WEEK

OF ADVENT

The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

It shall come to pass in the latter days

that the mountain of the house of the

LORD

shall be established as the highest of the mountains,

and shall be raised above the hills;

and all the nations shall flow to it,

and many peoples shall come, and say:

"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the

LORD

,

to the house of the God of Jacob;

that he may teach us his ways

and that we may walk in his paths."

For out of Zion shall go forth the law,

and the word of the

LORD

from Jerusalem.

He shall judge between the nations,

and shall decide for many peoples;

and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,

and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation shall not lift up sword against nation,

neither shall they learn war any more.

O house of Jacob,

come, let us walk

in the light of the

LORD

.

—Isaiah 2:1–5

Dream Sweet Dreams

Advent is a time of dreams. There is a palpable sense of expectation in the air, and as is the case with most Christian churches, the sanctuary is decorated quite differently from the rest of the year. The lighting, the music, the entire décor of the sanctuary bespeaks a set-apart-ness and anticipation. These decorations can often provide a sense of a dreamlike wonder at the approaching celebration of the birth of Christ.

However, like many dreams, the further we are away from it, the less real the dream begins to seem. Soon, that dream is barely a memory. Catching the dream again is like grasping at mist or, as the author of Ecclesiastes wrote, striving after the wind (Ecclesiastes 1:14). While the Advent season begins with the expectation of the coming of Christ, the dreamlike optimism and hope of that expectation are all too soon and all too easily traded for the cult of consumerism.

For the secular community, a community that we still exist in to one degree or another, Christmas has less and less to do with Christ, and the word Christmas has become almost synonymous with December rather than a sacred Christian time. During the secular Christmas season, the idea of the celebration of the birth of Christ is substituted with the great deals that are to be found in stores and online for anything and everything. While somewhat welcome for our finances as a country, the great deals of consumerism are not part of the Good News of Christ, nor are they a component in the dream offered by God to the prophet Isaiah.

It is in Isaiah, for those who listen closely, that we begin to hear the dream and anticipation of the Messiah. This dream has gravity, power, and a sense of expectation. This expectation is built solidly on the idea that what God will do through the person of the Messiah is something quite new and different. It will be a new thing and, therefore, without parallel or precedent.

Isaiah declares that he has seen a grand and enchanting vision of the working of God. This vision is the overwhelming initial vision that becomes the heart of many of his prophetic utterances regarding this new work of God and, perhaps more importantly, of God’s Christ. Isaiah also declares that the vision itself, while initially intangible, can be made real to those who would strive to participate in this new kingdom. Isaiah declares that that which is a dream can be carried over into reality:

It shall come to pass in the latter days

that the mountain of the house of the LORD

shall be established as the highest of the mountains,

and shall be raised above the hills;

and all the nations shall flow to it,

and many peoples shall come, and say:

"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,

to the house of the God of Jacob;

that he may teach us his ways

and that we may walk in his paths."

It is interesting to note the phraseology of this passage, especially where the people say, let us go to the house of the God of Jacob, (Isaiah 2:3). What is somewhat puzzling about this is that it could be read as let us go to the house of Jacob’s God. If we were to read this passage in that way, it could easily sound as if the phrase is a call to a house of a God that is not their own; a God that they have not met; a different God from the ones they either have been or are currently following.

Now, I have to admit that perhaps this is reading a bit much into the text. It could well be that what I am doing is projecting what I fear is the current situation of the church into the text. By that, I mean when the words of Isaiah are juxtaposed against the secular Christmas celebrations, we could, I believe, argue that the people of our own time are also following a god that is not the one of which Isaiah speaks.

This is a hard idea to process in a day and age where there is an argument being made that our country is