Ascension
May
25, 2017
Luke
24:50-51
Lift
Up Your Hearts
In
the name of the Father and of the ☩
Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!
There
is something special about lifting up your hand over someone else’s
head and speaking Jesus to them.
It
happens during the ceremony of Baptism, when a sinner is saved by
Jesus. The baptism itself is the pouring of water on the head as the
eternal name of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Spirit—are spoken
over the baby or adult. And then the pastor will place his hand on
the head of the baptized and bless them some more.
It
happens during the service of ordination and installation, when a man
is placed into the office of holy ministry and over his congregation.
This will happen soon in Freeport and Elizabeth and if you get to go,
you’ll see the other pastors
put their hands on the head of this new pastor and bless him with
promises from Jesus.
For
both the baptized and for pastors, the blessing is the same: God is
with us. Jesus said,
And
remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Matthew
28:20
CHRISTIAN
STANDARD BIBLE
Jesus
says, “I am with you.” This is the promise that lifts us up when
we are afraid, when we are worried. And we fear and worry about many
things in this life, usually about losing things. Think of the
disciples. They were doubtless worried about losing Jesus. What would
happen when He left? How would they survive? What were they supposed
to say and do?
For
the forty days after leaving His tomb, Jesus had been answering their
worries. He has been preparing them for the time when He would be
lifted up into heaven and hidden from their eyes. He prepared them by
showing them that His dying and rising was their life. He did it
first and for us. And we follow Him by dying and rising in Baptism.
And in the Lord’s Supper we
confess His presence with us—His I-am-always-with-you-ness—by
saying back and forth: “The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord.” We could say
like this: “Ascend your hearts. We ascend them up to the Lord.”
This isn’t some mystical
buzzing, but rather the confession of the reality that right now
through the means of His Word Jesus is present with us. Right now.
This
is why we are blessed. When Jesus stands with you, seen or unseen,
the many losses of this life cannot harm you.
You
lose your job; Jesus says, “I am with
you.”
You
lose your health; Jesus says, “I am with you.”
You
lose your child, your spouse; Jesus says, “I am with you.”
Prepare
your children, your grandchildren, for the
many changes of life with the
only blessing that lasts. The promise of our lifted-up Lord to never
leave you or forsake you.
So
tell your children how much you love them. That no matter where they
go, you will always care for them. And that even better, there is One
who loves them even more than you. He proved it
by being lift up on the cross and
He blessed them when they were lifted up to the baptismal font.
So
go ahead, fathers. Bless your children. Speak Jesus to them and lift
up your hands and bless them, saying, “The Lord look on you with
favor and give you peace.”
Then
He led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, and lifting up His hands
He blessed them. And while He was blessing them, He left them and was
carried up into heaven.
LUKE
24:50-51
CHRISTIAN
STANDARD BIBLE
Amen!
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