Today we remember Christ's ascension into Heaven to take his rightful place at the right hand of God the father. It is Christ's ascension that guarantees that we have an audience with God, an excellent mediator who will advocate for our needs to the Father day or night. 

In the fall of man, sin separated humanity from communion with God, in Christ's death and resurrection reestablished that communion and our ability to come to God. The symbolic tearing of veil in the temple reminds us that sin no longer separates us from God. Now we know that our advocate hears our prayers as we lift them up in the spirit to God. 

We take comfort in the promise that God will hear us when we call upon him. So take heart and remember our great high priest and call out to God no matter what the need is. 

Today is the last day of Easter; we often forget that, like Christmas, Easter is a season, not just a day. For forty days we fast, we prepare for the remembrance of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and then for forty days we feast and celebrate his resurrection. We are given a new life that and a hope of the future resurrection. 

As we have traveled through this season of Easter, we have reflected on this new life, as well as learning to put all out hope in Christ the Lord, and trusting in God's unfailing provision. 

We know that growing in faith can take time, and sometimes the answers to our prayers take longer than we might like, but we are in the process of sanctification, the process of becoming the children of God. Although the season of Easter is only 10% of the year we remember that we are called to be Easter people, we are always called to be people who rest our hope in the Easter promise. 

Someone let me know there was a little crackling yesterday, I hope this doesn't continue to be a problem, but if it does, please let me know, and I'll more aggressively try to solve the problem. 

This morning's lessons continue in the Rogation theme, reminding us again that we are ever learning to be entirely dependent upon the goodness of God for our provision. 

Though we may sow, whether it be spiritually or in our earthly endeavors, we trust that Lord will bless the seeds, water them, and grow them to completion. The farming analogy is important because we know that farmers are not lazy, but they are out working the land daily, tending to their crop, yet it is God who brings the plants to fruit. 

We do those things that we know to tend to the growing of our soul, we pray, read scriptures, worship with our family in Christ and partake in the sacraments. The same goes for our daily lives. It is through every moment that we return to him with thanksgiving and joy for all the goodness we have received, and we trust in Him to sustain us through the hardships we may face. 

But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. ~ Hebrews 11:16

In the Psalm this morning, we cry out to God "how Long will the ungodly triumph?" We have all experienced what, at least at the moment, seemed liked a great injustice, and we cry out to God wondering why this has happened to us. We'd been good, kind, even faithful and yet someone has done something mean, cruel, or even vicious to us. 

I think this is why Karma holds such a favored position in the America's imagination. Culturally we like the idea that the universe is keeping track and eventually those who have wronged us will get their due. Of course, as Christians, we know that God is the final judge of all men's souls. God is not, however, a distant bookkeeper, keeping tallies of our good and bad, rather he is a sovereign, merciful, and kind God. 

Our desire as Christians, therefore, is that those who have wronged us would repent and believe. We pray that they too would come to the mercy that we enjoy. We know as long as we are in this age that there will be wickedness and unkindness, but we are called turn the other cheek and look forward to the future promise of the better, heavenly country. 

We have a sure hope in Jesus Christ that in His death and resurrection, and in his coming again all will be made right and one day we will join with all the saints in the eternal worship of our Holy Father.