Sunday after the Ascension
Bishop Ray R. Sutton

One question I’m most often asked is, “Why do you practice such a formal, liturgical type of worship?” The answer is perhaps best answered by the lessons we read and study at this time of the year called the Ascension. Today is the Sunday after the Ascension of Christ into heaven. One of the introductory verses assigned for Morning Prayer during the Ascension is, “Seeing that we have a great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16). According to this passage Jesus has “passed into the heavens.” Since He is there, we are bidden to “come boldly to the throne of grace.” By implication, the Church somehow is allowed to approach the threshold of heaven.

Later in Hebrews, St. Paul (the writer) tells us that the context for approaching this heavenly throne is worship. In the 10th (vv. 22ff.) chapter he contrasts forsaking assembling for worship with “drawing near,” the same language in the 4th chapter. The Church is told to draw near where it will find all that it needs. Therefore, the description of being able to enter God’s throne room has two implications for worship.

First, worship is entry into the presence of a king, the King of the universe. And as such there is understandably a protocol. When you come into the presence of any famous or important person, behavior has to change. If you’ve ever been privileged to meet a President of the United States, you are told how to move, where to sit, stand and what to say and what not to say. You don’t just go up and put your arm around the president and say, “Hi pal, how ya doing?” The Secret Service will carry you away. There is a protocol of behavior even more so in the presence of God Almighty. This ordered behavior is called a liturgy. So think of the liturgy as the protocol for acknowledging God in His throne room presence.

Second, through the protocol of the liturgy we are able to access God’s grace in a special way. We get to go right up to the throne and request grace for all of our needs. Furthermore it’s in the Eucharist that the line between heaven and earth is blurred.  In the ancient Church it was believed that the altar table is the very throne of God. In fact, when the elements of Bread and Wine that become mysteriously the Body and Blood of Christ to us rest on the altar we see Christ on His throne. He takes seat among us as the Host at the Holy Communion.  And it is here that we find all we need for heaven and earth. If we have access to the throne of Jesus Christ, we have it all. The other day I came across the story of a very wealthy man who, with his devoted son, shared a passion for art collecting. They traveled around the world together, adding only the finest of paintings to their collection. Included among them were works by Picasso, Van Gogh, and Monet. The old man was a widower, but his son filled up the void in his life, and this was their common bond.

But war erupted, and the young man enlisted and was sent overseas. Day after day, the old father prayed, held his breath, and waited for news. One autumn day near Thanksgiving the dreaded telegram came, bordered in black. The young man had died bravely in combat, trying to evacuate those caught under fire. Distraught and lonely, the old man faced the upcoming holidays with anguish and sorrow. On Christmas morning, a knock sounded at the door. The father opened it to find a soldier there carrying a small package. As they talked, the soldier said, “Your son and I became very close, and he told me all about your joint art collection. I myself am an artist, and I wanted to give you this.”

The man took this package in his feeble hands, unwrapped it, and there was a portrait of his son in striking detail. It wasn’t a masterpiece, but it was the most precious work of art the man had ever seen. As he gazed at it, he wept. And as the young soldier left, the lonely father pushed aside thousands of dollars worth of art and hung the portrait of his son on the prized spot over the fireplace.

As the months passed, the old man received letter after letter, telling him of his son’s bravery and selflessness, and of how many lives he had saved and how many more he had touched. With each passing day the portrait over the fireplace became more precious, and he told his friends that it was the greatest gift he had ever received.

The following spring, the old man grew ill and passed away. The art world was full of anticipation, wanting to get its hands on this man’s fabulous collection. A day was set to auction it all off, and according to the old man’s instruction the first painting was one that was not on any museum’s list – the painting of the old man’s son. When the auctioneer asked for an opening bid, the room was silent.

“Who will open the bidding at $100?” he asked. “The moments stretched awkwardly, and finally someone in the back of the room complained, “Let’s go to the next piece.” “No,” replied the auctioneer. “We have to sell this one first.”

Finally, a kindly neighbor of the old man spoke. “Will you take fifty dollars for the painting? That’s all I have, but I knew the boy and I liked him, so I’d like to have it.”

“Fifty dollars, we have fifty dollars,” shouted the auctioneer. “Will anyone go higher?” No one did. “Going once, going twice, gone.” And the gavel fell.

Everyone breathed a deep sigh of relief, thankful that now they could proceed with the “real” auction and get their hands on the masterpieces. But imagine their shock when the auctioneer suddenly declared that the proceedings were over. A loud clamor arose. Stunned with disbelief, “What do you mean it’s over?” the people shouted. “What about all the masterpieces?”

The auctioneer quietly replied, “It’s very simple. According to the stipulations of the old man’s will, whoever takes the son gets it all.” And so we’re reminded today by the access we have to heaven through the Son on His altar throne. If we have Him we have it all. With all of our great needs we can come boldly to this throne of grace. If you have Him and access to Him, you really don’t need anything else in the final analysis. Amen.