"...[A]nd you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
These words from the first chapter of Acts are, as Luke records it, the last words of Christ before he ascended into heaven. We will hear these words set in the larger context of Acts 1:1-11 as we observe Ascension Sunday during worship this week. Thinking and praying about these passages, I was reminded once again how easily we can lose the majesty and splendor of the ascension with so much focus on the birth of the church at Pentecost.
Yet the ascension is a core tenet of our faith, a value shared across the church ever since it's founding. We affirm our belief in the resurrection both in the Nicene and Apostle's creed. Affirming our belief in the ascension of Christ into heaven is affirming our belief in the hope that Christ has fulfilled all that was promised, giving us hope for Christ's coming again in glory to bring about the new heaven and new earth.
I'm very excited about celebrating Pentecost Sunday on the 23rd. It will be a great day of joy in our congregation as we worship together and dine together immediately afterwards. Let's not rush it, though, and miss another very important observance - an observance filled with hope and joy about what was, what is, and what is to come.
See You Soon!
Lamar
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