A RIGHTEOUS BRANCH

Jeremiah 23:5-8a “For the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will place a righteous Branch upon King David’s throne. He shall be a King who shall rule with wisdom & justice & cause righteousness to prevail everywhere throughout the earth. And this is His name:  The Lord our Righteousness.” The Living Bible

GOD'S LOVE

"God doesn't withhold love until we arrive at perfection. He loves us while we are growing & even while we are His enemies. His love enables us to change & mature." Jim Conway, Men's Devotional Bible

DOING GOD'S PERFECT WILL

"In Rom. 12:1 the Apostle Paul tells us ' . . . to offer our bodies as living sacrifices . . . ' Christ sacrificed Himself for our sins, but, as He rose from the dead, so we Christians shall never die. We are living sacrifices who serve others in response to the grace that has been shown to us. We seek opportunities to be useful & to be God's representatives here on earth. In 2 Cor. 5:20, Paul calls us 'Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us.' We do not have to have extraordinary abilities or spheres of influence, because we know that God is not limited by our flaws or by circumstances. We just need to make ourselves available, because God has chosen to make His appeal through us. By looking at Christian stewards, others sew what Christ is like." Steward Builders

GIFTS OF THE ASCENDED CHRIST

"In ancient royal victory parades, it was common to put captured enemies on display. The ESV translation picks up on that image in both Psalm 68 & Ephesians 4:  'Leading a host of captives in Your train' (Ps. 68:18). But the original texts are more stunning. 'When He ascended to the highest place He took captivity captive (Eph. 4:8). It is as if the cage in the parade contained not just defeated soldiers & kings, but also bent bars, broke padlocks & snapped chains. The very things that had imprisoned us are now themselves behind bars so they can hurt us no longer. Luther preached this with joyful abandon in an Ascension Day sermon:  'Sin, death, devil, & hell had taken us captive; but Christ has in turn taken them captive ... He takes my captivity captive, intercepts my hangman, interdicts my sins, exterminates my death, damns my hell.' Christ has bound the strong man, Satan, so that he can threaten us no more." Thomas Winger, The Lutheran Witness, May 2022

LIFE THOUGHTS

"How good & pleasant it is when brothers, mothers & their babies, children & their elderly parents live together (Ps. 133:1) without putting one another to death! In this sanctity of every life, God has not just invited but commanded & accomplished blessing by the coming of His Son! And if He has wrought good from the casting of lots (Acts 1:26), may we not trust Him to wring even better from surprise pregnancy or terminal diagnosis? Grace Lutheran Church bulletin

STEWARDSHIP CORNER

"When we as God's stewards faithfully use our time, talents, & money for God's purpose, He is praised & honored. Through Word & Sacrament, we are enabled to live God-centered rather than self-centered lives, &, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we live lives seeking to please our Lord Who has created & redeemed us. We become God's instruments through which He works to fulfill His purpose of seeking & saving the lost (Luke 19:10). We are His hands, feet, & mouth to reach out to all people." Grace Lutheran Church bulletin

AN ASCENSION HYMN

Look, Ye Saints, the Sight Is Glorious (LSB #495, St. 1, 4)

Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious, See the Man of Sorrows now! From the fight returned victorious, Ev'ry knee to Him shall bow. Crown Him! Crown Him! Crown Him! Crown Him! Crown Him! Crown Him! Crowns become the victor's brow. Crowns become the victor's brow.

Hark, those bursts of acclamation! Hark, those loud triumphant chords! Jesus takes the highest station; Oh, what joy the sight accords. Crown Him! Crown Him! Crown Him! Crown Him! Crown Him! Crown Him! King of kings & Lord of lords! King of kings & Lord of lords!