From the Pastor – May 2025
In the flesh He came to this spinning globe of ours. Flesh like you, flesh like me, He came to his own creation. Born from His mother raised by His earthly father. Skinned knees and blathering first words; this is the God before whom we kneel. This is the God whom we sing praises to. … But of course He didn’t stay an infant; no human does. He grew and learned and learned and grew. He did the things of a kid and the things of a youth. He struggled as a teenager and became His own man in His twenties. … But this we all know of course. … We know also that He lived this life of ours in perfection; under the law and yet never once transgressing it. He taught and preached and healed and performed signs. He ate with the likes of thieving tax collectors, had his feet washed by the hair of a woman you wouldn’t be caught dead having a conversation with, and managed to infuriate almost every person who thought they had this thing called life figured out; who thought that they had the designs and desires of that Creator God figured out; who thought they knew the way to be found in the good graces of the King of the universe. To these types Jesus wasn’t too popular.
To the cross He went, and then to the grave; dead as dead can be. His disciples were terrified once again; terrified and angry and confused and doubting. But to them He appeared again, risen from the dead, nail-marked hands outstretched to place their fingers into; offering comfort to terrified souls. He was with them again; appearing in the upper room, and on a beach, and on a hill. And up on that hill He ascended into heaven; never to be seen again by sinfully earthly eyes.
His death won atonement for the sins of the world. We know that to be true, because He promised it to be so. His death paid the ransom for the enemies of God to be bought back by this Creator in the heavens in whom we had no assurance as to who He was. … Turns out He is good. And gracious. And merciful. And loving. Turns out He isn’t that tyrant that we might all fear Him to be, but instead is a compassionate God who spares not even His own Son to reconcile back a fallen creation; to reconcile back a world full of His enemies; to reconcile back the likes of you and me. You know, the type of people who find themselves neck deep in the same sort of sin that they promised they would be free of yesterday. The type of people who can’t offer one single day or one selfless act of thankfulness and praise without tainting it with selfish sin. The type of people who deserve to left for dead and yet have been promised eternal life instead.
This is the God we have. And this is the one we have sitting on the throne; sitting there in the flesh, your flesh and mine. Nail marks still visible in hands and feet. Spear thrust still gapping in His side. This is the God we shout praises to, clap our hands for, sing loud songs to: the God of Creation who deserves our praise because of His omnipotent power yet became man and made Himself the God of salvation by taking on the form of a servant.
And it is in this way that He reigns this Ascension Day: as the God of Salvation. Not as a God who dismisses your sin. Not as a God you turns a blind eye to your sin. Not as a God who says, “To ere is human.” Because to ere is not human. He is human and He committed no sin. He doesn’t reign with all things placed under His feet so that He can justify sin, but so that He can justify the sinner. … And this He does for you and for me. And for this we clap our hands and shout for joy and sing at the top of our voices. For the God of creation is our God of salvation.
And as He reigns in heaven He dwells with us on earth; splashing us with crystal clear water, feeding us with fleshly bread and bloody wine, and speaking words of absolution over us. In all of this He takes our sins away, removes them from East to West, forgives them for His own sake. He declares this on His throne in heaven and we receive Him each Divine Service. … The Ascended King finds it in Himself to eat once again with poor miserable sinners. This is why the Christian has such great joy on the Day of Ascension. Christ isn’t gone, He is right here. And for this we shout Alleluia! … In the name of Jesus. Amen.
