SPEAKER_00: Hello, my friends, and welcome back to the Spray United Methodist Church podcast.
SPEAKER_00: I'm Hoyt, and I'm thankful you've joined me today.
SPEAKER_00: In our last episode, we stood at the foot of the cross and looked into the empty tomb.
SPEAKER_00: We remembered that Christ died for our sins and rose again in victory.
SPEAKER_00: But the story of Jesus does not end with the resurrection.
SPEAKER_00: In fact, many Christians celebrate Easter without ever asking an important question.
SPEAKER_00: What is Jesus doing today?
SPEAKER_00: The apostles creed answers that question.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus is not absent.
SPEAKER_00: He is not distant.
SPEAKER_00: He is not waiting for history to unfold.
SPEAKER_00: The work of redemption was finished on the cross, but the ministry of our risen Lord continues today.
SPEAKER_00: He reigns, he intercedes, he has sent the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_00: He is gathering his church, and one day he will return.
SPEAKER_00: Today's portion of the creed teaches us not merely what Christ has done, but what Christ is doing right now.
SPEAKER_00: He ascended into heaven.
SPEAKER_00: Acts one tells us that for forty days after his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples, teaching them about the kingdom of God.
SPEAKER_00: Then, standing on the Mount of Olives, he blessed them and was taken up into heaven.
SPEAKER_00: As the disciples stood there looking into the sky, two angels said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven?
SPEAKER_00: The same Jesus will come in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.
SPEAKER_00: The ascension was not Christ's retirement, it was his coronation.
SPEAKER_00: He returned to the Father having completed the work the Father gave him to do.
SPEAKER_00: The sacrifice for sin had been offered once for all.
SPEAKER_00: Now the gospel would go into all the world through the power of the Holy Spirit and the witness of the Church.
SPEAKER_00: He sits at the right hand of the Father.
SPEAKER_00: The creed says Christ sits at the right hand of the Father.
SPEAKER_00: This is a position of authority, honor, and kingship.
SPEAKER_00: Psalms 110 pointed to this long before Jesus was born.
SPEAKER_00: Hebrews tells us that after making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high.
SPEAKER_00: Yet Hebrews also tells us something deeply personal.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus always lives to make intercession for his people.
SPEAKER_00: Think about that for a moment.
SPEAKER_00: Right now, wherever you are listening, your Savior knows your burdens.
SPEAKER_00: He knows your fears, your failures, your prayers, and your tears.
SPEAKER_00: He is not merely watching from heaven, he is our great high priest, faithfully interceding before the Father.
SPEAKER_00: Our hope is not that we pray perfectly, our hope is that Christ represents us perfectly.
SPEAKER_00: He shall come again.
SPEAKER_00: The creed reminds us that history is moving toward God's appointed day.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus promised in John 14, I will come again and receive you unto myself.
SPEAKER_00: The early Christians lived with the hope every day.
SPEAKER_00: They did not know when Christ would return, but they lived as though he would return at any time.
SPEAKER_00: The return of Christ is not given to make believers fearful, it is given to make believers faithful.
SPEAKER_00: The one who comes as judge is the same one who loved us enough to die for us.
SPEAKER_00: That truth gives Christians confidence instead of despair.
SPEAKER_00: The Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_00: In John chapter 14 through 16, he told his disciples the Holy Spirit would teach them, remind them of his words, convict the world of sin, and guide believers into truth.
SPEAKER_00: The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force.
SPEAKER_00: He is God present with his people.
SPEAKER_00: There have been mornings sitting in dialysis when I was tired, discouraged, and wondering how the day would unfold.
SPEAKER_00: Nothing spectacular happened.
SPEAKER_00: There was no dramatic miracle, but there was a quiet peace that settled over my heart.
SPEAKER_00: Looking back, I recognize that as one of the gentle ministries of the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_00: He faithfully reminds us that Christ has not abandoned his people.
SPEAKER_00: The Holy Catholic Church.
SPEAKER_00: The word Catholic in the Creed often causes confusion today.
SPEAKER_00: It simply means universal.
SPEAKER_00: The Creed is proclaiming that everyone who belongs to Jesus Christ belongs to one church.
SPEAKER_00: Paul writes in Ephesians that there is one body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all.
SPEAKER_00: Whether believers worship in a great cathedral, a small country church, a house church, or beneath a tree, we belong to Christ together.
SPEAKER_00: The communion of saints.
SPEAKER_00: The communion of saints reminds us that the Christian life was never meant to be lived alone.
SPEAKER_00: We are encouraged by believers around us and by the faithful witness of those who have gone before us.
SPEAKER_00: Think of the apostles, faithful pastors, Sunday school teachers, praying grandparents, and ordinary Christians whose lives quietly pointed others toward Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: They were never the center of the story.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus was, and Jesus still is.
SPEAKER_00: One day Revelation tells us people from every tribe, language, people, and nation will stand together before the throne, praising the Lamb.
SPEAKER_00: That is the communion of saints brought to its glorious fulfillment.
SPEAKER_00: So why does this part of the creed matter?
SPEAKER_00: Because Christ reigns, evil will not have the final word.
SPEAKER_00: Because Christ intercedes, we are never left to face life alone.
SPEAKER_00: Because the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we have strength for today's challenges.
SPEAKER_00: Because Christ is building his church, we belong to a larger family than any denomination, nation, or generation.
SPEAKER_00: Because Christ will return, our future is filled with hope.
SPEAKER_00: Christianity is not only about what Jesus did 2,000 years ago, it is about what Jesus is doing today.
SPEAKER_00: The risen Christ is alive.
SPEAKER_00: He is still saving.
SPEAKER_00: He is still calling, he is still strengthening, he is still building his church.
SPEAKER_00: And one day faith will become sight when we stand in his presence forever.
SPEAKER_00: Let us pray.
SPEAKER_00: Lord Jesus, thank you.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you that you are alive and reigning today.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you that you continue to intercede for us, that you have given us the Holy Spirit, and that you are gathering your church from every nation.
SPEAKER_00: Help us to live each day with confidence, courage, humility, and hope until the day we see you face to face.
SPEAKER_00: In your holy name we pray.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for joining me today.
SPEAKER_00: If you do not have a church home, we would love to have you worship with us at Spray United Methodist Church, located at 803 Morgan Road in Eden, North Carolina.
SPEAKER_00: We are a loving church where we love God and love people, all people.
SPEAKER_00: May the grace of God rise before you and keep you safe.
SPEAKER_00: Goodbye.