Good Shepherd Sermons & Blogs
Why are you staring up into heaven? You have work to do!
2026-32
sermon preached at Church of the Good Shepherd, Federal Way, WA
www.goodshepherdfw.org
by the Rev. Joseph Peters-Mathews
The Seventh Sunday of Easter, May 17, 2026
Acts 1:6-14; Psalm 68:1-10, 33-36; 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11; John 17:1-11
This sermon was preached extemporaneously based on these notes.
1. Ascension was Thursday, 40 days with Jesus. Today is the Seventh Sunday of Easter. Not a transfer!
2. 40 days Jesus has been available, and been handled. Bodies matter, and we still handle him.
3. Apostles want to know a normal human thing: when do we get to win?
4. Fallen, always looking for victory, usually thinking our victo’sry will be good for the whole world.
5. The Church has a history of using victory! While religious nationalism — Christian in the US, Jewish in Israel, Hindu in India, etc. — rises now, that’s not the message of Jesus.
6. Jesus defeated death and the grave, defeated violence. Won’t be used while he is present to support it or bring about a new state.
7. Rather he is the embodiment of God’s reign about to be made available to the whole world.
8. Jumping through Acts. Next Sunday is Pentecost, where the gift of the Holy Spirit is given. Jesus sends the disciples to a specific place — their place — to be ready for the arrival of the Spirit.
9. After the resurrection angels ask “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” Today they ask “Why are you staring up into heaven? You have work to do!”
10. Jesus’ ascension is not him literally ascending, going up, but rather going out, everywhere.
11. This is not a little bit of God or Jesus is in everything. Everything has been created through him, but there is a distinction between the creator and the created.
12. Jesus’ going out, everywhere, ascending, is an invitation to us to meet him there — to see Jesus wherever we go and to serve him in all whom we meet and see.
13. Jesus promises not to leave us comfortless and hasn’t. He shows up when we show up together as his body, Jesus on earth the church.
14. Jesus is here for us to know and touch and taste in the eucharist. We’re invited to know him in all whom we meet.
15. The Spirit has come to us, which we celebrate next week, to guide us into Jesus’ path, share the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection, and bring the dead around us back to life.
16. Jesus went out in his ascension and calls us to do the same.
