“Look Heavenly”

We celebrate Christ’s birth at Christmas and His resurrection at Easter. But another very important event that we should celebrate is His ascension into heaven. Why? Because this event was a continuation of God’s redemption plan for mankind.

When we consider the work of our triune God, we need to be cognizant that Christ, in His resurrected body, was not omnipresent—meaning He was not present everywhere at the same time. This fact necessitated the work of the Spirit, who is omnipresent (Ps 139:7). In John 16:7–8, Jesus tells His disciples: “It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” After Jesus’ ascension in Acts 1, the Spirit comes upon the church in Acts 2. Being omnipresent, the Spirit carries out Christ’s work, convicting unbelievers of their sin and making them aware of  judgment to come if they remain in their sin. Thus, the Spirit fulfills the mission of the embodied, risen Lord and manifests the love of the Father.

Finally, the ascension partially fulfilled the Father’s promise to His Son that the kingdom would become His (Ps 2:8). While His final kingship over everything is still to come, Christ currently governs His church, has authority in heaven, and intercedes to the Father on our behalf. Praise be to God that the resurrection was not the final work of Christ! On this Ascension Sunday, let us celebrate the Father’s continuing redemptive work upon a sinful world, rejoice in the power of the Holy Spirit and look heavenly, patiently waiting Christ’ second coming.

Joel Jundt