Surprised by the Light

May 17, 2026 homily on Psalm 24:7-10 and Luke 24:44-53 by Pastor Galen for Ascension Sunday

“Then [Jesus] opened their minds to understand the scriptures” – Luke 24:45

Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors 

It was a joy to open our doors to students, families, and neighbors, and we received much gratitude from the teachers and administrators for our willingness to open our doors to the community.

As I reflect on what it means for us to open the doors to the community, not just for Hampden Elementary’s musical performances, but also for the various community groups who use our building throughout the week, I’m reminded of the tagline of The United Methodist Church: “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors.” This is what’s called our “brand promise,” and it’s what we hope people will experience anytime they go to a United Methodist church, no matter where it is in the world. We hope that they will be warmly welcomed and embraced with open hearts, open minds, and open doors, no matter who they are. This is certainly something that we strive for here at Hampden UMC, and opening our doors to Hampden Elementary/Middle School’s spring musical is just one aspect of that.

Welcoming the King of Glory

Psalm 24 includes imagery of opening the doors, or the gates. But in this case, it’s to welcome a very special guest: the King of Glory! 

The psalmist says,

“Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in!”  —Psalm 24:7

The imagery here is of a city surrounded by a wall that receives news that the king is coming to visit. Cities like this often had a heavy metal gate that would be lifted up by a pulley system to allow visitors to enter. Sometimes they would open it just a little bit, but in this case, they want to open it up all the way, as high as possible, out of reverence for the king.

Welcoming the Messiah

Psalm 24 is one of the many scriptures that foreshadows the coming of Jesus Christ, the King of Glory. Indeed, there were some who gave Jesus a royal welcome, like the Magi who traveled from a long distance to pay homage to Jesus as a newborn king, even though he was born into the most humble of circumstances.

And, in some ways, Jesus received a royal welcome when he processed into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and the crowds called out, “Hosanna! Save us! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

And yet we know that many, including even some of his closest followers, thought that his intention was to seize political power, to set up a kingdom here on this earth, and there were many who turned away when they realized that was not his intention.

But there was a core group who stuck with him, and even after his crucifixion, continued to gather together, to grieve, and to process.

“He Opened Their Minds”

The past several weeks, we’ve been looking at what happened to Jesus’ disciples during those days and weeks after Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, as they gathered together in the Upper Room, and as Christ appeared to them on several occasions.

The number of disciples who remained faithful and continued to gather together is estimated at around 120. This includes the 11 apostles, not counting Judas, who was no longer with them, and the women who had followed Jesus and supported him out of their resources during his ministry on this earth, and who had gone to the tomb early that Easter morning and were the first to know that he had risen.

These 120 had opened the doors of their hearts to Jesus during his ministry on this earth. He had impacted each of their lives. He had healed, delivered, and transformed them. He had loved them, and in return they had given up everything to follow him.

But in many ways, they still didn’t understand. They still couldn’t fully comprehend everything that had happened.

But in Luke 24, during one of those times when Jesus appeared to those gathered together following his death and resurrection, Luke tells us that Jesus “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45). He did this by going all the way back to “Moses, the prophets, and the psalms” (Luke 24:44), showing them all the promises that had been fulfilled through his life and ministry, and through his death and resurrection. It had all been written. It had all been there all along. They just hadn’t been able to see it. Their perspective had been limited. But they had opened their hearts, opened their doors to Jesus, and now he was opening their minds to what had been true all along.

Surprised by the Light

As I think about what was going on for the disciples, as Jesus was opening their minds to understand a reality that had been true all along, hidden in plain sight, I’m reminded of something that happened here this past week when our church was hosting Hampden Elementary/Middle School’s production of The Wiz.

On Thursday evening, after the show was over, I was standing near the top of the stairs as people were coming up from the basement and getting ready to exit the building, and over and over again, I heard people exclaim, “Wow, I can’t believe it’s still light outside!”

For the past couple of hours, they had been in a dark basement with all of the lights turned off except for the stage lights that illuminated the actors on stage. During that time, they had lost all sense of time and place, as they were transfixed by the story that was unfolding on stage. They expected that when they went outside it would be dark, but they were instead surprised to see that it was still daylight.

This is what might be called the “matinee effect,” and you’ve probably experienced it if you’ve ever gone to see a movie in the middle of the day. You leave the dark theatre after the movie ends and are surprised to see that it is still daylight.

Here’s the connection to what was going on for the disciples. For the past three years, the disciples had been following Jesus. They had been watching the events of Jesus’ ministry unfold, almost as if they were watching a story unfold on a stage. They had caught a glimpse of Jesus as the light of the world, but their experience of Jesus had been limited by a particular time and a particular place, and perhaps it felt to them as though, when Jesus was no longer with them, there would be no more light. 

But now Jesus was opening their minds to the reality that the light was not limited to one particular time or one particular place. In fact, the light of Christ has existed ever since the beginning of time. The light of Christ was all around them, and the light would continue to be with them even after he ascended into heaven. And indeed, the light of Christ was not limited just to Jerusalem, where they were at that time, but was meant to be experienced throughout the whole world. 

The events of Jesus’ life, his teachings, and his ministry were not just a limited-time stage production. Rather, they were a glimpse into the reality that has always been present: God’s mercy and grace and forgiveness that is available for all people.

You Are My Witnesses

After Jesus opened the disciples’ minds to this reality “that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations” (Luke 24:47), he told the disciples, “and you are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:48). As people who had opened the doors of their hearts to Christ, and having had their minds opened to the truth of the Gospel, they were now commissioned to be Christ’s witnesses, helping others to understand the truth and reality that was all around them.

A “witness” is someone who simply shares what they know to be true. In a court case, an “eyewitness” is tasked with simply telling what they saw.

As witnesses, we are called to simply proclaim what we know and have experienced. We cannot open people’s hearts and minds. But we can share the knowledge that we have been given and help others see and experience the reality of God’s grace and mercy that is all around them.

Empowered by the Holy Spirit

And this reminds me of the vision statement of The United Methodist Church that was unveiled last year. Earlier, I shared our “brand promise” of Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors, which describes the radical hospitality we want others to experience when they come to us.  But our Vision Statement is about how we go out into the world sharing the love of Christ.

The vision states:

The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections.

Notice this vision is not just about what happens here inside the walls of our church, but about how we interact with others at work, at school, and in our community. We who have been formed and transformed as followers of Christ, and who have been empowered by the Holy Spirit, are called to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously, both here in our community and wherever we have connections around the world.

This impacts our daily conversations with friends, family, and neighbors. It impacts how we interact with others and what we share online. It impacts how we treat people at work and at school. We are disciples of Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, wherever we go.

And so it begins with opening the doors of our hearts to welcome the King of Glory in. But then the doors open, and we are called to go out into the world, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to help others know and experience the transforming power and love of God that is all around us.

May God give us open hearts and open minds to the reality of God’s love, and may God send us boldly, joyfully, and courageously to share that love with those around us.

Amen!

Questions for Personal Reflection:

1. Where in my life do I need to open the doors of my heart more fully to Christ?

2. Like the people leaving the dark theater and being surprised by the light, when have I looked back on a situation and realized that God was more present than I noticed at the time? 

3. What have I seen or experienced of God’s mercy, grace, and forgiveness that I can share with others?

4. How can my words, actions, online interactions, and everyday relationships better reflect the love of Christ? 
5. What “open door” might God be inviting me to walk through as I go out into the world empowered by the Holy Spirit?