In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

Today, we are concentrating on our Savior's Ascension into heaven. Every single week, we when we confess the Creeds, we say, "He ascended into heaven." And that is not just a footnote of Bible History! This is very important! Consider what it means with a view to the past, present and future. When we look back at the past, it means that Jesus accomplished his mission. He redeemed us from sin. When we look at the present, it means that Jesus continues to reign over all, but invisibly. We can't see him, but he is ruling. And when we look to the future, it means that Jesus will come back visibly to be the Judge on the Last Day. Today, let us glean what we can from the Ascension account at the end of St. Luke. There is much that we could bring in from all over the Scriptures, but let us turn our attention to these words before us and let the very words of our Lord guide us. And then, and let us:

1. He fulfilled the Old Testament promises. (44-46)

(44) He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." Jesus was talking to his disciples and reviewed what he had told them while he "was still with" them. No longer would Jesus be with his disciples in the same visible way. They had spent day after day with Jesus for about three years. They had walked with him and talked with him. They heard him preach and teach. But those days were over. And yet, here Jesus tells them one last time what he had really been talking about. He had talked about fulfilling the Old Testament. This phrase, "The Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms" was their customary way of talking about the Old Testament Scriptures. And note very carefully that the Old Testament was written about Jesus! He said, "Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me." That's what he used to tell them, that he was going to fulfill what the Old Testament said.

{45} Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. The problem was that the disciples, like most of the Jews at that time, did not really understand what the Old Testament was all about. They saw a bunch of laws, a collection of warnings, and a group of prophecies that almost seemed veiled in mystery. They really didn't have this clear concept of what it was all about. Even today, we have a saying that goes like this: "You can't see the forest for the trees." In other words, you see so many trees that you don't really see the outlines and form of the forest. And that was a big problem. But Jesus took care of it for them. He opened their minds so that they could understand the Bible, and here it was the Old Testament Scriptures. He enabled them to understand it. Would you like to know what the Old Testament is really all about? Well, let's let Jesus explain it himself.

{46} He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day..." That is just as plain as day. The Old Testament foretold the coming of the Messiah. That everyone knew. But not everyone knew what that Messiah would do. Some thought he would return to begin some earthly, political kingdom. But that wasn't true. Just as today, some think that Jesus will return to begin an earthly, political kingdom called the Millennium. But that is the same old lie. That's not the kind of King Jesus is! This King came to suffer and die. The Old Testament said that the Messiah, the Christ, would suffer and rise from the dead. And that is the same basic message of the gospel that we constantly repeat here in the hopes that people will learn it, know it, believe it, and tell their friends. This is what the Bible is all about (are you ready?!): God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son to live for us a perfect life, to die on the cross for all of our sins, and to rise from the dead on the third day. That's how Jesus won our forgiveness. Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved! That's what the Bible is all about. Jesus said so too. So, that's the basic message, the gospel. Then, praise Jesus, our Ascended Lord, because...

2. He provided messengers. (47-49)

Our Savior continues his summary of what was foretold in the Old Testament: {47} and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. This is what the messengers, the apostles, would proclaim: "repentance and forgiveness of sins." And that is the very same message we proclaim today: the Law and the Gospel. The Law calls us to repent of all of our sins. The Gospel assures us of forgiveness through the redeeming work of Jesus Christ. That is what the apostles proclaimed, what the New Testament is all about, and what we proclaim to this very day: Repent of all your sins and believe in Jesus Christ who won your forgiveness! That is the message that is to go out to all. Jesus told the apostles:

{48} You are witnesses of these things. Now, I know that much use has been made of this in the past 25 years or so, saying that we are witnesses for Christ, and all that. But, technically speaking, Jesus was talking to the apostles who actually saw what Jesus did, and heard what Jesus said. They were the real witnesses who saw Jesus after he rose from the dead. They were first-hand, eyewitnesses. Now, today, this term is much used, because we can be second-hand witnesses, but technically, we can never be the same kind of witnesses that these apostles were. These 11 chosen men actually saw and heard Jesus after he rose from the dead. They were the witnesses who told others and wrote down their testimony in the inspired Scriptures. But if they were going to do that, they needed the Holy Spirit. So Jesus says...

{49} I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. Jesus would send them the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. He would enable them to preach and teach with boldness. He would give them the ability to speak in foreign languages without even studying. He would enable them to write the inspired Scriptures. But, that would all begin on Pentecost, which we celebrate next week. For now, Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem. And there they would wait, for ten days, until Pentecost. And they praised Jesus. Let us praise him also. Praise Jesus, our ascended Lord.

3. He deserves our worship. (50-53)

{50} When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. So, Jesus took his disciples to somewhere around Bethany, which was on the Mount of Olives. And he blessed them, as we customarily do at the end of the service here. And then it says, {51} While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. This is the ascension. It is described so simply, but it was very significant. It says, "Jesus left them," but that only means that he left them visibly. He would invisibly be with them. He had promised to be with his disciples always, to the very end of the age. But they would no longer walk with him and talk with him as they once did. Jesus had accomplished his mission. He had redeemed us all. He announced his victory. And then he ascended into heaven. Of course, Jesus is everywhere. He is omnipresent even today. And he deserves our worship. And that is exactly what those disciples did. They knew him well. But Jesus was not just some kind of a buddy, like others might be. He was their ascended Lord!

{52} Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. They worshiped him. They worshiped Jesus. They had learned their lesson well. When they began their time with Jesus, they would ask, "Who is this, even the wind and the waves obey him?" But they didn't need to ask anymore. They knew that he was the Son of God, and the Savior of the world. And so they worshiped him. Then they went back to Jerusalem with great joy. And there it is again, that fruit of faith: Joy! They were glad! They were happy to be redeemed through Christ. And they didn't stop worshiping. We read: {53} And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

May we do the same! Let us not look at our time here as a time to be entertained. We are here to worship the Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And today, in particular, we note that Jesus ascended into heaven. And so we worship Jesus as our Savior and Lord. Be sure to do that often. Worship Jesus! Do you know how?

The Bible commands New Testament Christians to "sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God (Col 3:16). Today, we sing Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. In Bible times, people worshiped by bringing offerings and saying prayers. And we do that today. But they used to make sacrifices on the altar to symbolize the coming of our Savior, and we don't. Instead, above our altar, we portray the only sacrifice we will ever need: Christ crucified, "who loved me and gave himself for me." Romans 12:1 says, "I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship."

As we live to our Savior's glory, we worship him each day. In all of these ways, let us worship in spirit and in truth. Let us worship sincerely, from hearts filled with faith. Let us worship "in truth," in keeping with God's Word. In the book of Genesis, worship involved proclaiming the name of the Lord. May we ever continue to proclaim the word and the name of our Lord. Let us always praise Jesus, our ascended Lord. Amen.