Ascension Sunday (2024)

Goal: That hearers understand Jesus’ bodily ascension into heaven as vitally important in assuring us of his presence with us in day-to-day stresses, of his forgiveness of all our sins, and of our being with him eternally in heaven.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from our risen and ascended Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Conventional wisdom would say if Christ has ascended into heaven, he is further away from his followers than when he was visibly on earth. But in reality it is the other way around. Now that Christ has ascended, he is closer us than ever.

The living and ascended Savior has reassumed full use of all his divine power. So if you need Christ’s help, you don’t need to hunt for him in Galilee. You call to him in prayer, wherever you are, whenever you want, and he hears and acts. You want to hear Jesus speak? You don’t need to chase him down. Open his Word and listen to his powerful, life-giving voice.

The ascension marks the completion of Jesus’ earthly mission, but it does not signify the end of his work. Christ ascended to exercise his limitless authority for the Church as we carry out the mission He has given us to be His ambassadors of grace to the world.

Therefore, the Festival of the Ascension is one of the oldest and most joyful celebrations in the Christian Church. It will be observed and celebrated by Christians until Christ returns to take us to be with him. However, we might not realize this fact because the Ascension has been rather neglected. The fact is, though, Ascension Day Is Right Up There with Christmas and Easter in Its Importance.

On Ascension Day our resurrected Lord — still 100% God and 100% man — takes our human flesh with him into heaven, where he sits at God’s right hand with all authority.

So, Ascension Day celebrates Jesus opening our eyes to understand his suffering for us; His commissioning the proclamation of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; and it celebrates Jesus’ great coronation and his presence without restriction with us.

The Ascension Celebrates Jesus opening our Eyes

to understand his suffering for us. Is that relevant? I mean, does it matter and help me in my day-to-day life? I’ve got issues here! Right here! Right here in this world! How important to me, really, is a pie-in-the-sky ascension of Jesus into heaven?

(Give examples of stresses and struggles your people may have in daily life.)

How much does Jesus’ ascension mean for all that?

Very much, if our eyes are open to see what Jesus himself has done for our day-to-day life.

Very much, if you understand that in your Baptism, you are the Body and Jesus is the Head. Wherever the Head goes, the Body goes.

(Proclaim how the Head being with the Body comforts us in each of your previous examples.)

If Jesus has risen from the dead, and he has, so will you. If Jesus ascends into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, so will you. You see, it matters, and the ascension of Christ to the throne of God is a feast to celebrate.

If we don’t always see that, no worries. Before he ascends, Jesus has to teach his apostles too.

The text says, “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (v 45).

As we read in the Gospels, these twelve men seem to have had a hard time understanding what Jesus meant.

Time and time again, even at the ascension, as recorded in Acts, they were looking for Jesus to establish his political kingdom.

Prior to Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection, the twelve seemed even to ignore Jesus’ notices that he was going to Jerusalem to suffer and die and be raised on the third day.

Jesus opens their minds so they see that his suffering, death, and resurrection were prophesied in the Books of Moses, the Psalms, and the Prophets: “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead” (v 46).

In fact, the whole of Old Testament Scripture is about and points to Christ on the cross—recall, for example, the temple sacrifices and the story of Abraham being asked to sacrifice Isaac. It is this, Christ’s atonement on the cross, that assures us of God’s care in all those day-to-day stresses, because the cross has reconciled us to, brought us back together with, God.

The Ascension Celebrates Jesus’ Commission

The proclamation of repentance for forgiveness — So be open, ears, be open, minds, for what Jesus teaches on this Ascension Day is relevant, is pertinent, to you.

Jesus suffered and on the third day rose from the dead.

Now he teaches that “repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:47–48).

This is Jesus’ commission to his apostles, his established Office of the Ministry—to proclaim repentance for the forgiveness of sins in his name.

The Office of the Ministry is all for the Means of Grace.

It is the preaching of the Law that accuses you of sin and the preaching of the Gospel that shows us where to receive forgiveness; that’s the purpose of this sermon and every sermon preached.

How important is that to you?! (Give concrete examples of sins and sins forgiven.) Notice the purpose of the sermon or proclamation is not to help you live a better life, to make you healthier, wealthier, or wiser, or to extract worldly rewards.

Jesus told his apostles, “Behold, I am sending forth the promise of my Father upon you; but you are to in the city [Jerusalem] until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49).

In other words, Jesus will be sending the Holy Spirit. This he does by the authority given him at the right hand of the Father.

The Ascension celebrates Jesus’ Great Coronation

And not just his Coronation but his unrestricted presence with us.

Luke 24:50–51 “He [ Jesus] led them [the disciples] out as far as Bethany”—to the Mount of Olives—“and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.”

This is what we celebrate: the Son of Man is now ascended into heaven.

Jesus will always be our Savior and our God both in office and in essence. But he has also elevated mankind so that you once again have fellowship with God.

Jesus is the man the Father intended man to be, and yet He is the only begotten Son from all eternity.

Jesus’ ascension into heaven does not mean he is physically restricted.

Just because the senses cannot perceive him does not mean he is not present.

We know he is there, and to assist our feeble faith he does provide something tangible, bread and wine, to accompany the promise of his Word. (Give examples of doubts we may experience and declare assurance of Jesus’ presence in the Sacrament.)

So Jesus is present here as he as promised when we gather in his name.

He did not leave us to run things in the Church as we see fit. That would be a headless Church. And there are lots of those.

No, he is here where his Word is preached and his Sacraments administered.

This oft-neglected feast, the Ascension of Our Lord, is the great coronation of Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, in heaven. The angels and host of heaven marvel as a flesh-and-blood man receives the crown and is given all authority in heaven and earth.

His rule is now of grace and mercy, where repentance for forgiveness of sins is preached. Perhaps our neglect betrays the fact that we are still under the cross, that glory really goes no further than Jesus hanging on the cross. Even though he reigns in heaven, he still carries for you the marks of his crucifixion. He is the Lamb who was slain. Sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, behold your King! Amen.