May 9, 2024 

Today's Reading: Luke 24:44-53

Daily Lectionary: Numbers 11:1-23, 31-35; Luke 17:1-19

And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. (Luke 24:50-51)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus ascends. You might wonder why this matters. It seems like the Ascension is the least important thing in the Apostles’ Creed. Ascension Day is never seen as on the same level as Christmas and Easter. Ascension Day often gets ignored. Your church may not even have an Ascension Day service.

But the Ascension is amazing! Notice what Jesus does when He ascends. He blesses His believers. But what is even more important is that Jesus never stops blessing His believers. While He ascended, meaning even as Jesus was being lifted up into God’s immediate glory, Jesus speaks nothing but blessing. And now that Jesus has entered into God’s heavenly presence with His body, it’s like Jesus cannot stop blessing His people.

A blessing is not just a pious-sounding wish. A blessing is not, “I hope something good happens to you, even though I can’t promise that it will.”  Blessings in Scripture were powerful words that brought about good Gifts. In Genesis, Isaac could not repeat Jacob’s blessing for Esau. His blessing gave a specific gift for the person who received it. Jacob’s blessings for his 12 sons likewise were very specific. They were words of power to bring about what his Words spoke of. In the gospels, Jesus cannot bless someone who hates Him. He does not bless the devil, nor the Pharisees who denied that He was God’s Son. Instead, Jesus blesses those who want to be close to Him and those who cannot bring themselves to Him. He blesses little children, Peter for confessing the truth about Jesus, and those who are not offended at Him. On the Last Day, Jesus will say to the faithful, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Matthew 25:34)

The Ascension means that Jesus gives unending blessing for you. His blessing is an ongoing reality and will be even past the world’s end. That means when your conscience accuses you, you can instead rely on your ascended Lord, who does not accuse you but blesses you. If you face tragedy, loss, even death, the blessing of the risen Christ ascends over this and constantly speaks peace for you. His Word is a Word of power. Jesus cannot stop blessing you now in the preaching and the Sacraments. He who died for your sins and is risen now ascends into heaven with unending blessing on His lips. Amazing. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty God, as Your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, ascended into the heavens, so may we also ascend in heart and mind and continuously dwell there with Him, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

- Pastor. Robert Mayes is the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.

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