The Ascension of Our Lord!

     Today is 40 days after Easter. In the Liturgical Church year, this is the day we celebrate The Ascension of Our Lord.  Jesus, who has risen from the dead, has spent 40 days among his disciples teaching them about the kingdom of God. Now it is time for the conquering King to ascend in triumph.

     In our sermon at church tonight, our Pastor talked about how before sin came into the world, all creation praised God. After sin, fear takes the place of praise, and God promises a Savior. Jesus is the Savior who came so the promise was fulfilled.  By the world’s standards Jesus was not worth much, yet we as Christians say “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain.”  We can go confidently forward in faith, knowing that the entire destiny of humanity, all of history, is under His control. We can have boldness in the midst of trials, because Jesus will help us remain faithful till the end. All of us have been touched by His grave and forgiveness. Through the Word and Sacraments, our Lord strengthens us in faith until we see Him in His glory.

     With all the trials going on in my life, this was exactly what I needed to hear tonight.

Acts 1

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

¹In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, ²until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. ³ He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

⁴And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me; ⁵for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

The Ascension

⁶So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" ⁷He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. ⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." ⁹And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. ¹⁰And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, ¹¹and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.