Ascension 2023

 Bethany Lutheran Church

Springdale, Arkansas

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

The melody is linked to the name of the hymn.
The lyrics are linked to the Bethany Lutheran Hymnal page.

The Hymn #212        A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing  

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

Introit

Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? 

Hallelujah!

This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven: 

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Psalm. Oh, clap your hands, all ye people: shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19

Collect

Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that like as we do believe Thine only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to have ascended into the heavens, 

so may we may also in heart and mind thither ascend and 

with Him continually dwell; who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual    Acts 1:1-11

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

V. God is gone up with a shout: 

the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Hallelujah!

V. Thou hast ascended on high: 

Thou hast led captivity captive. Hallelujah!

The Gospel                        Mark 16:14-20

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #656       Behold a Host 

Three Times - Ascended into Heaven

The Hymn #341       Crown Him with Many Crowns       

The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #294            O Word of God 

In Our Prayers

• Pastor Jim Schrader and  his wife Chris, Kermit and Maria Way, Callie and her mother Peggy, and others facing stress and metabolic disorders.
• Our duly elected President and the military.
• The Columbus Lutheran journals are greatly appreciated by readers - thanks to Alec Satin, the Lutheran Librarian.

 

The Ending of Luke's Gospel

KJV Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. 50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. 51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: 53 And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.

[The ending of Luke fits with the opening of Acts, which Luke also wrote. Luke's two contributions comprise 25% of the New Testament.]

KJV Acts 1:1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: 4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

The Gospel for the Ascension

KJV Mark 16:14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. 15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. 19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Ascension Prayer

O Jesus Christ, Thou almighty Son of God, who art no longer in humiliation here on earth, but sittest at the right hand of Thy Father, Lord over all things: We beseech Thee, send us Thy Holy Spirit; give Thy Church pious pastors, preserve Thy word, control and restrain the devil and all who would oppress us: mightily uphold Thy kingdom, until all Thine enemies shall have been put under Thy feet, that we may hold the victory over sin, death, and the devil, through Thee, who livest and reignest with God the Father and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Three Times - Ascended into Heaven

KJV Acts 1:1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:

Some may think there is but one description of the Ascension. Seldom is the passage mentioned from the Gospel of Luke's ending. And there is one more - the ending of the Gospel of Mark, Mark 16:19, just one verse!

That adds up and it is very important, which is clear from the neglect of this sacred event. Christ ascending to Heaven is just as important as His Virgin Birth, but people have taken away the wonder, the miraculous and said, "Hardly anyone attends an Ascension Day service."

Note how this has become unimportant to so many. Those who doubt the Bible, as transmitted in hundreds of languages, have dismissed the ending of Mark - or questioned it, since scholars are divided. The same type ignores the Virgin Birth of Christ because they deny miracles, especially God becoming man. In addition, because they find the Incarnation a problem, they dismiss the Ascension as well.

These attitudes add up to people ignoring the significance of the Ascension of Our Lord.

Acts 1:3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: 4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Note what Abraham Malherbe, a Biblical genius, said in class at Yale Divinity. Paraphrased - "Everyone in academics makes fun of the Acts of the Apostles, but when they publish their histories of the New Testament, what do they use as the dates of the Apostolic Era? The Acts of the Apostes!"

That is extremely important in writing history - having an anchor date which establishes all other dates. One cannot have it both ways - publishing precise dates and denying the truth revealed in those dates. As Christina said to the Harvard trained New Testament teacher (who denied the Resurrection) "How can you distribute communion when you deny the Resurrection in class?"

All these events, going back to Creation itself, are revealed and in harmony as the truth - and they build our confidence, our faith in Jesus Christ.

A quotation from Luther explains how all this works, and it pertains to those going through a very challenging time with illness and episodes very difficult understand and address. This is based upon Isaiah 30:19 and Psalm 118, Day by Day We Magnify Thee.

The disciples were broken and crushed by that same experience Luther describes, so terrible and engulfing that they could only continue by God's help. My wife and I had that experience once, with Bethany, and experienced it all over again with Erin Joy. Everything seemed so different with Erin, so many reasons to say, "It can't happen again." Then the medical warnings and hints began, even in our denials, hopes, confusion, fears. I prayed for it not to be true and prayed many times over, "If the same thing is happening to Erin, help me be a good father and pastor."

We tried our best to enjoy every minute of Erin's life, and that is why I was always happy to pray for children with difficult disorders, rare problems, long and stretched out times of medical and emotional battles. We met many of those invisible - but suddenly visible - people who were experiencing the same things. We were all shut out of normal life in a polite and reasonable way, but shut out, and we had one great tent where everyone with similar agonies could speak candidly and say, "We love this heaven sent child." In that tent we met those who also had unique and complicated problems - and there was no cure.

6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

Isn't that the Big Question? The question we cannot hear answered is the ultimate puzzle - from God the Father. 

8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 

The answers of today's life cannot be revealed, so we are left with faith in God the Father, God the Son, the truths revealed through God the Holy Spirit.