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Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this celebratory day, the text is from the Gospel reading. You may be seated. That was the last thing that those apostles saw as their Lord ascended into heaven. In fact, you can scour the texts of the Gospel readings, and this is the place that it’s mentioned that He raises His hands to bless somebody. He touches children to bless them and touches other people to bless them, but the only place where He raises His hands to bless them is here in this text.
Now, the greatest difference between His hands and my hands should be pretty obvious. His hands were the only ones with that scar, the glory of His sacrifice shown to them as He goes up into heaven, not as a spirit, but as He goes up into heaven in a body. And by doing so, God is saying, “I accept my humanity again because the sacrifice has been paid.”
Before Christ sacrificed, there was no humanity in the presence of God. And since the sacrifice of Christ, now you and I will get to be bodily in the presence of God as our Lord Jesus was and is still in the presence of God in a body. One more thing that speaks to the resurrection and the eternal life that we will have in our corporal glorified body.
In the front of the church, it’s the far right panel at the very bottom. That’s the ascension scene. And if you look to the far left, that’s where it all began: the nativity of our Lord. And it goes around in a counterclockwise or clockwise fashion, I should say. It’s kind of symbolic of time. Every year we go through those same stories again and again. Every year we light the Christ candle for the very first time on Christmas Eve. And every year on Ascension Day, we snuff it. That’s the cycle of the life of Christ that we go through.
And if you think, “well, don’t you think we get that?” consider these apostles who have been with Jesus for three years. Right before Jesus ascends into heaven, he gathers them at a Mount of Olives, which is right across the Kidron Valley from the Temple Mount. So as they’re sitting there talking to Jesus and listening to Jesus, they can look over and see and even hear the tumult over at the temple and what’s going on over there. And they can also see for miles around them.
And there’s one more thing that Jesus wants to give them before he ascends into heaven. And this is the remarkable part. The information that Jesus shares with these apostles isn’t new information. It’s not as if they haven’t heard it before. It’s repeating the very information that has everything to do with why the Father accepts the Son’s sacrifice and receives humanity back into His presence again. All about His suffering life. All about His sacrifice. All about His resurrection.
That’s what the text says that Jesus taught them. He starts with the law of Moses, which are the first five books, the prophets, and He includes even the Psalms, it says here. So Jesus goes back through them and He opens their minds so that they can understand the Scriptures, the text says, and re-catechizes them again. Amen.
So you see, what the church practices, or what you practice, by hearing these things again and again and again, is a part of what Jesus started. All we’re doing is following in those same footsteps. And as we hear these texts again and again and again, surely there are some years that light bulbs go off as the Holy Spirit gives you a different understanding, or a more broader understanding, I should say, of what you have heard before, and it takes on a much richer meaning. That is exactly what he is doing.
The life of Christ is a very interesting life. So consider this in line with what we just talked about with the window and the candle. The creed that we just confessed: “Who for us men and for our salvation… Came down from heaven.” And if you watch me, what do you see me do but kneel? Only to emphasize the fact that Christ, the Son of God, I should say, came down and became man among us. So there was a descent. He lived, He died, He rose again, and then He ascended back into heaven. And that’s when I stand up, symbolizing that same repetition that we see. That this is the cycle of how God saves humanity.
He enters into humanity’s midst. He accomplishes their salvation. And then He leaves, not leaving them bereft of any hope or comfort as orphans, but leaves them His Spirit and His gifts, which He gives to His bride, the church. This is interesting because the only place in Scripture where He blesses with His arms up, lifted high, is here. You can see so many things that we act out as we participate in the liturgy.
The whole reason pastors raised their hands, yes, because of the Aaronic blessing, but even more so, the last thing that the church saw physically of their Lord was Him blessing them. And in fact, if you listen to the text again, He’s not ascending into heaven after He finishes blessing. He’s ascending into heaven while He’s blessing. That implies that He never stops blessing you.
Every single moment of your life, blessings flow from the Father because of the Son. And what do we do in return? How do we thank God? By receiving that blessing and thanking Him. Have you ever wondered about that crazy part of the liturgy where I say, “let us bless the Lord,” and you respond with, “thanks be to God”? God blesses, we receive and give thanks back. That’s the cycle of your life as a baptized believer.
The blessing began in the waters at the font where you were made His child. And your entire life, you have been taught by that same Spirit to give thanks back. You know that was a word that had to be taught to you by your parents. Say thank you. And when your kids first said thank you, it wasn’t necessarily the sweetest and most sincere timber. It was more of a “thank you.” You learn sincerity as time went on. But the words were first planted in your mouth by your parents. In the same way did God give you words to say thank you to Him.
As He blesses you throughout your life, you grow in the depth, breadth, and height of that beauty of being blessed by God. The ascension is a very, very vital part of the entire life of Christ. It’s not an add-on. It’s vital. Why else would we have it so clearly in the creed that has been confessed and taught as the Christian faith? Because that is the cycle that Jesus proclaimed and lived out for you and me.
And He went up into heaven blessing you. And it doesn’t stop. Yes, your earthly blessing and spiritual blessing cease upon your death, for you are no longer in need for this life, but you are now in His presence. But while you live out your faith here, you are blessed. So when you see the pastor raise his arms, think of Christ ascending with those same physical corporal arms with those scars shining forth.
When the pastor says, “let us bless the Lord,” remember it is He who blesses and we respond, “thanks be to God.” For that is the cycle of our life. So one more year we snuff the Christ candle and begin the series all over again this December as you have experienced throughout your life. And you can recall every single year blessings abounding.
Because the Lord sits in full assurance of your salvation being secured by His presence physically in the Father’s presence. So that you too, upon our resurrection ascension into heaven, shall have also that body. But until then we wait. Whether God calls us home before He comes again with glory in that physical corporal body, or when He comes, we’re always waiting for that day and counting on His blessings.
In the name of Jesus, Amen. The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds on Christ Jesus to life everlasting. Amen.
