Sunday Service Folder

Family of God,

Yesterday (Thursday) marked the fortieth day after Easter and on that day we are told Jesus ascended back into heaven. We will celebrate that major festival in the life of Christ this Sunday.

Forty is an extremely significant number in the Bible. I'm not sure there are any insignificant numbers in the Bible, but some pop up more than others. For example, it rained during the Flood for 40 days and 40 nights. The children of Israel wandered in the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land for 40 years. Jesus fasted in the Judean desert for 40 days as He battled against the devil's temptations. What do all those 40's have in common? It seems forty is the number that marks a period of testing and severe trials: the flood, the wandering, the tempting, etc. If the Lord asks you to do something for 40 days or 40 years, be prepared...

What does it mean then that Jesus ascended back into heaven after forty days? On the one hand, we can say that it marked the end of Jesus' own period of testing and trials. His mission and ministry on earth were complete and it was time to head home. In doing so, it appears that in the Ascension of Jesus, He also redeems and completes the number 40. As believers in Christ, connected to Him by faith, we must each endure our own "forty years" of wandering and testing in this life, but here's how it ends: with an ascension into glory. Jesus' ascension gives us a comforting picture of what He has accomplished for us: entrance into heaven. You see, Jesus can only return to His Father, to His home and throne if He has successfully fulfilled everything the Father set before Him. And Jesus has, so He does. Because Jesus lived a perfectly sinless life, died a sacrificial death, and rose again victoriously, your sins are paid for and removed. Your salvation is complete. Your future is secure. Your eternal home is set. And, having accomplished all that for you, Jesus gets to go home.

How could we not celebrate this occasion? How fitting a day to shout and sing our Alleluia's! How glorious is our loving, living, and ascended Savior! If anyone has ever earned the right to have a welcome home party and to hear the words "Well done, good and faithful servant!" it's Jesus.

So that's what we'll do on Sunday; we'll observe this high and holy Festival of our Lord's Ascension. I know, it's not on the actual day, but we can still celebrate it and all that it means for us nonetheless. So I hope to see you and your family on Sunday at 9:30AM. It's going to be an amazing Sunday and our ascended Lord will be there handing out all the gifts He's won for you through His Word and Sacrament.

In Christ,

Pastor Bater