2026-05-17 Ascension (Observed)

Scripture Readings

Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

Our ‘once-Christian’ culture still bears some of the fingerprints of the Church. Christmas. Easter. Thanksgiving. The bigger holidays are still there in concept, even if the actual Christian meaning has become eclipsed by Santa and a bunny and a turkey. Even our weekend days of Saturday and Sunday reflect the Sabbath and the day of our Lord’s Resurrection that used to be days off from work. Now they’ve just become like any other day as the rhythm of rest and resurrection have become eclipsed by workaholicism and consumerism.

But one Christian festival that never really had a cultural counterpart is our Lord’s Ascension. We are centering on it today even though it happened this past Thursday. For the ancient Church, and for the Apostles themselves, this feast was the very heartbeat of the Gospel. It is not the story of Christ flying away into the clouds like superman and leaving us behind. Rather, this is the story of His enthronement as King over all creation.

We heard again this morning that “when He had said these things, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight.” (Acts 1:9). That cloud is not just part of the weather forecast - it is the very chariot-throne of from Daniel’s vision in the Old Testament. “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (7:13-14). The Son of Man, appearing as a human being, is brought before the Ancient of Days and given dominion that shall never pass away. In this way, our Lord’s Ascension is nothing less than total victory.

We need to rewind the tape here back to Creation itself to fully understand this momentous event. The pagan nations of the ancient world pretty much all shared a common creation story. You had a god that rebelled against a higher power, some kind of war breaks out, the chaos is conquered and the victor then builds a palace-temple on a mountain or in a garden. The victor is then enthroned and his worshipers reenact this majestic victory with rituals, songs and sacrifices. In this way, temples were not just buildings but they were miniature versions of this cosmic enthronement.

Genesis tells the true story of creation, correcting every pagan fabrication. Yahweh, the great I AM speaks, and the chaotic waters obey instantly. There is no struggle. On the seventh day, God does not grow weary, rather He rests. This rest is enthronement. He has finished building His cosmic temple-palace, and He sits down to reign over everything He has made. And where does He place His image? Not in some distant shrine, but right there, in the middle of it all: in humanity. You and I — male and female — were created to be living icons of the invisible God, ruling with Him in His garden temple (Gen 1:26-28; Gen 2).

But wait, there’s more! The Tabernacle and later the Temple were likewise built as miniature replicas of that original Paradise. Massive cherubim angel statues flanked the inner sanctuary. These weren’t just impressive decorations. They highlighted the throne of the invisible King. Every stone, every curtain, every psalm, every sacrifice proclaimed: The LORD reigns. Even when rebellious angels and rebellious humans tried to overthrow that reign, the proclamation never stopped. The prophets promised that Yahweh Himself would return to set all things right.

This is precisely what He did as Jesus, the eternal Son became flesh and dwelt among us. In the mystery of the Incarnation, the Second Person of the Trinity, who is Himself fully God, appears as the Son of Man. He enters into the rebellion, not to overthrow His Father like the pagan gods did, but to obey unto death, even death on a cross. And because of that obedience, “God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name” (Phil 2:9). The same apostles who watched Him ascend heard Him declare, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me” (Matt 28:18). The victory is complete. The enthronement has happened in the Ascension of Christ our Lord.

To this end, this is why the Apostles used the word “Gospel” - evangelion. It’s where we get our word “evangelism” from. It originally meant the announcement of a Roman General’s triumph and victory over his enemies. This concept comes to define all of Christianity itself! It’s not a list of moral advice or a 12 step program of how to be a nice person. It is the proclamation of Christs’ victory over sin, death and the devil, culminating with His heavenly enthronement at the right had of God the Father as we confess in the creed.

So, to quote Martin Luther, “What does this mean?!” It means that our Lord’s Ascension is not Christ’s absence but rather His presence in a new and more powerful way. He has not left us as orphans; He has taken our humanity into the very heart of the Trinity and poured out the Holy Spirit so that we might know the Father even more so than the apostles did before the Ascension.

It means that His real presence in the bread and wine is now more than possible. The feast of victory that our Lord gives His followers comes to us as we eat His body and drink His blood in this mysterious and sacramental way. This is no mere empty symbol. This is the very real presence of our God who consumes our sin as we consume the bread of life.

It means that every time we feel the weight of rebellion — within our own hearts, in our families, in our culture — we do not despair. The King has already won the battle. The rebellious powers of Satan have been defeated; they are simply thrashing around in their final death throes for they know their time is short. Our job as God’s people is to proclaim the victory of the Gospel. The Ascended King is reigning on His throne.

It means that as we gather in God’s House, we are not hiding from the world. We are announcing to the world that the true King already reigns. The same victory that was proclaimed in Genesis, in the Temple, in Daniel’s vision, and on the Mount of Olives is being proclaimed right now through you and me.

And it means that one day soon the same Christ who ascended will appear again, this time to judge the living and the dead and to finally transfigure the entire creation into the glorious temple it was always meant to be.

We lift up our hearts unto the Lord and fix our eyes upon Jesus, the King of glory who sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high. We live as the forgiven and restored image of God, proclaiming His victory in the manger, on the cross, in the empty tomb and His most glorious Ascension.

Christ is ascended! He is enthroned! And because He lives and reigns, we too shall live and reign with Him by faith. For Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!