Thursday, May 25, 2006
Ascension Day
Acts 1:9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
WE SEE JESUS IN HEAVEN!
What kind of thoughts do you suppose the disciples had about Jesus when He had ascended into heaven? Certainly they thought of all He had done during His earthly ministry -- who could ever forget that? At the same time, however, they also thought of all that He was doing for them now, in heaven. They knew He was there -- they had seen Him go up. They called to mind all that He had said to them -- they knew He was at the right hand of the Father, that He was preparing a place for them, that He was the same loving Friend that He had been in the past. They knew He had "passed through the heavens" for them (Heb. 4:14), for they had seen it with their own eyes. What they had seen with their eyes remained in their minds.
Now what about us? We have not seen Jesus with our earthly eyes, but we have seen Him with the eyes of faith. The Holy Spirit has given us spiritual sight through God's Word. Through the Gospel's message about Jesus, the Spirit enables us to see Jesus in heaven and to keep Him before our mind's eye.
When we fall and fail, the Holy Spirit reminds us that "Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands . . . but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;" and "not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption" (Heb 9:24, 12). We see Jesus in heaven!
When all our plans go awry and the future seems uncertain, the Holy Spirit opens the skies before our eyes and shows us the one who said: "All power is given to Me in heaven and in earth" (Matt. 28:18). Having seen Jesus in heaven, we can say: "Ah, but all is well! Jesus is Lord of all, and will do all things for my blessing."
As long as we keep on using God's Word and receiving His sacrament, we will be able to see Jesus in heaven. May He never be "out of sight" or "out of mind"!
