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St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 16904 County Road Q, Mishicot, WI (2026)

We believe the Bible to be God's inspired, inerrant Word that tells us of our salvation through the suffering, dying and physical resurrection of Jesus Christ.

06/07/2026

DATE: June 7, 2026

OCCASION: Pentecost 2

HYMNS: 222, 254, 414, 355

READINGS: Exodus 3:1-15
1 Timothy 1:12-17
Matthew 9:9-13

TEXT: Matthew 9:9-13

THEME: Called To Be a Disciple

PARTS: 1) Consider your life (vv.9,10)
2) Consider God’s grace (vv.11-13)

Pastor Jim Heffner
Grace, mercy and peace are yours from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

This morning our sermon text comes to us from the Holy Gospel appointed for the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost, Matthew chapter nine reading the second half of verse nine:

Dear friends, as something special is happening this weekend,

Not only did we have a Baptism today which is very special but we had two Baptisms! Two miracles. Two objects of God’s wrath that were doomed to eternal death have received the Holy Spirit entering their hearts and creating faith that grabs ahold of the salvation that Jesus won for all people. If anyone thinks babies are innocent, as a father of five, I know there is nothing more selfish than a baby. Feed me now! Change me now! You never have to teach a child to sin. Like dark hair or blue eyes, sin is an inherited trait.
And the text for this week fits perfectly for a Baptism. When Jesus tells Matthew to follow him, that is what happens in Baptism. In last week’s Gospel, Jesus tells us to make disciples of all nations “baptizing them.” After baptism we are to teach them. Baptism that is not followed by “teaching” is a superstitious ritual that results in a worse state than at the beginning. Having been brought to faith in Baptism, failure to teach or having them taught will result in a loss of faith. Faith is not static – it is either growing or shrinking. Today these babies are in God’s kingdom. Our prayers are that they remain in this faith forever.
The fact that Baptism makes a person a disciple is significant. Being a disciple means that you are a “learner.” Coming to church by the time a child is three they should know the Lord’s Prayer. Maybe by five the Apostles’ Creed. When they can read they can sing the hymns. And maybe they can pick up some truths from the sermon. The goal is to keep people or get people ready to meet Jesus. If I accomplish that I have fulfilled my call as the spiritual leader of these four congregations.
When Jesus calls people to be disciples he doesn’t come to them with any notions about them other than that they are sinners that have no chance to please God on their own. Whether rich or poor, or a long-standing family connection to a particular church, no matter what race a person is we begin all equally in a deep need of a Savior. God doesn’t care about our past, he cares about our future. His number one goal is to get us to heaven and he uses people to do so. As disciples we will learn and tell others about Jesus and the wonderful salvation that he offers to us freely.
Because God forgives sins only in Jesus we will always talk about Jesus. Today we see him gathering someone else to be a disciple. Was there any natural choice? Was there anything special about the other disciples he had chosen? What about Judas? He was certainly a disciple at one time. Today he calls Matthew. In his previous life before becoming a disciple maybe Matthew was the worst one. Matthew was a tax collector employed by the Roman Empire. Whether or not the tax rate was fair or not the people had to pay. Whatever the tax collector would get, anything over the tax, was the tax collectors’ wage. Since there were always a Roman garrison to make sure laws were followed and taxes were paid, most tax collectors were dishonest. And it was obvious because they became very rich.
Jesus tells Matthew to follow and he gets up and follows without question. Sometimes it’s not so easy. Sometimes Jesus has to call many times. Sometimes we don’t want to hear Jesus’ voice which comes to us through the Gospel in Word and Sacrament. But he doesn’t give up. He continues to send us pastors and teachers and faithful parents. His number one goal is to get us to heaven and Baptism is certainly a good start.
So why would Jesus call Matthew? As a tax collector it wasn’t just enough to call him a sinner. Tax collectors had their own designation. It was groupings – like swindler, cheats, prostitutes, whatever – it was tax collectors and other sinners. Matthew is one of the worst of the worst. But nothing can overcome God’s mercy and grace which he continually gives us in Jesus. As a future Apostle, Matthew had a specific place that he went after Jesus’ Ascension. I didn’t look it up but it was a place that the gospel needed to reach. Jesus would not just call him and tell him to follow but he would also teach.
In verse 10 we see that Jesus goes to Matthew’s house. No self-respecting teacher of God’s Word would enter a tax collector’s house and eat with. Because Matthew was hated by society who were his friends? Who are your friends? Aren’t you friends with people that have something in common with you? If all my friends were Lions or Viking friends they might not be my friends very long – not counting my wife and oldest daughter. So at Matthew’s place it was the worst of the worst. If we associate with the worst of the worst we will eventually become like them. Jesus was in no danger of falling in line with them because he is Almighty God. He was there because they needed him.
When we consider our own lives there is really nothing good without Jesus. Everything that is good is better with Jesus and without Jesus we have a life that ends in the worst possible way because we have an immortal soul that continues after our earthly life is done. Because this is true, the day of salvation is today. Anyone of us could die today and we certainly want to be prepared to meet Jesus. But our lives are filled with sin – there is no way around it. We can’t do anything to make up for sin, we can’t “do more good” than bad, we can’t compare ourselves to anyone else. We have to depend solely on God’s mercy and grace that comes only through Jesus. When we realize that there is only one footprint in the sand – Jesus’ – then we see that he is carrying us to the finish line – heaven.
So as we consider our lives and how often we have failed, how often we have ignored Jesus’ voice or rebelled against him, all that doesn’t matter when it comes to God’s grace. God doesn’t remember our past. St. Paul tells us that all of us who have been baptized in Christ have been clothed with Christ. It’s like this robe – underneath you don’t know what I’m wearing. You can’t see the scars and other unsightly parts of my body. That is what happens in Baptism. We are clothed with Christ and when God looks at us all he sees is good. When we die in Christ and stand at the gates of heaven Jesus will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant, take your inheritance that I have prepared for you before the creation of the world.” God’s mercy and grace in Christ have erased all our wrongdoings.
The Pharisees are so convinced that what Jesus is doing is right. But rather than going to Jesus, they go to his disciples. It has already been proven that they can’t beat Jesus in a discussion. Just prior to the text Jesus healed a paralytic and gave him the forgiveness of sins. The Pharisees rightly concluded that only God can forgive sins but refused to see Jesus as true God.
The disciples, who still had a lot to learn, probably didn’t know how to answer the accusation. But Jesus does. He tells them that the healthy don’t need a doctor but the sick. When I go to the hospital it is much better when I go as Pastor rather than patient. Cutting and pouring chemicals into my body is not as good as comforting people and getting them ready to meet Jesus if it is their time.
Jesus has healed me and continues to heal me every day – and I’m not talking about my physical health. My sins that plague me are worse than any health concerns. Jesus came for me, called me his own in Baptism, and gave me faithful parents that kept me going to church – even through high school. He continues to forgive me daily and approve me to lead these four congregations – a tremendous blessing that I don’t deserve.
But that how God’s grace works. Jesus came to save me because I am a sinner. Jesus came to save you because you are a sinner. In Baptism he chose us to be his own, in life he continues to forgive sins as he leads us to heaven. AMEN.
Now may the peace of God that transcends all understanding
guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

05/29/2026

DATE: May 31, 2026

OCCASION: Holy Trinity

HYMNS: 193, 297, 195

READINGS: Genesis 1:1-2:3
2 Corinthians 13:11-14
Matthew 28:16-20

TEXT: Matthew 28:16-20

THEME: Final Instructions

PARTS: 1) All authority belongs to Jesus (vv.16-18)
2) Jesus’ comforting promise (vv.19,20)

Pastor Jim Heffner
Grace, mercy and peace are yours from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

This morning our sermon text comes to us from the Holy Gospel appointed for the Holy Trinity Sunday, Matthew chapter 28 reading verse 20 again:

Dear friends, as we hear Jesus’ words just prior to his Ascension,

How good is your memory? Was it better when you were younger? Is it worse? Is it the same? Are you willing to admit if your memory isn’t as good as it was? Are you better at remembering things that your wife said or do you rarely remember what she said? Do you remember what last week’s sermon was about? How about two weeks ago? I can remember last week and two weeks ago because it was something special – Ascension. But anything normally beyond one week is gone. If there is something significant in the sermon or you learned something you didn’t know before you might remember that better than other sermons. I have two children that will be going to Children’s – Milwaukee periodically over the next few months so I am sure I can get there without any directions or the phone GPS. When I see signs for Owatonna or Mankato I know that I am on the right track for making it to New Ulm. I would never remember the zig-zag route I took from I-90 to 10 but if I take 10 to Point and 51 to 21 I can get on 90 and avoid south St. Paul.
Things that we do over and over again are easy to remember. Some things that we do once in a while we might remember. Things that happen once a year might be a little harder to remember – especially if we had only done it once before. Attempting to use the cranking battery to run the trolling motors resulted in no power to my big motor and no solution as of yet. Never tried that before – in fact, never disconnected anything from my cranking battery so some experimenting going on. When it is fixed it will never be forgotten again.
Our text begins with the disciples going to Galilee, to the place that Jesus had directed them. We remember that when Jesus rose from the dead that they were supposed to go to Galilee. They remained hidden and he appeared to them several times before they went to Galilee. They were to go to the place where Jesus had directed them. They were to go there because Jesus has some final instructions for them before he returns to heaven.
How good are we at following instructions? How good are we at following Jesus’ directions? Jesus directs our lives with his Word. We need to be in and around his Word if we are going to know what he wants. He wants all men to come to a knowledge of the truth and be saved. His goal is to get us and others to heaven. If we, his disciples, don’t talk about him, who will? We each have a mission field in the life that we live.
When they saw him they worshiped him but it also says that some were uncertain. Sometime we are uncertain. Sometimes Satan whispers in our ears the same lie he told Adam and Eve: “Did God really say …” fill in the blank. When we are uncertain all of the answers are found in God’s Word. This is why is it so important to learn and know God’s Word. This is important why you should know where your Catechism book is and open it up once in a while. If your Catechism is like the one we use now it is full of verses to help us understand biblical truths.
When Jesus rose from the dead, the Father exalted Jesus to the glory he had from all eternity. Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to death. He did not cease to be God, but he did not use his full and constant use of his divinity. After his resurrection he did. Part of his glorification was receiving authority over all things. He has the authority to direct his disciples and also lives for their eternal good.
Most of us have had positions of authority. The easiest way to see this is as parents. There are certain rules in a family that are set up by the parents. Parents set the rules for the household and the rules set by parents are unnegotiable. Children can’t make a deal with their parents. Parents know more about life and the dangers that life presents. If children are able to make their own rules, things get messed up really easily.
This is what Jesus is doing now – he is like the parents and we are like the children. Like children, we lose sight of the big picture and soon things get messed up. While parents do make mistakes from time to time, Jesus never does. Sometimes we don’t see what our parents are doing and we disagree with them. But to disagree with Jesus and the direction he has for our lives, then we are wrong. Jesus always does what is best for our eternal good because his number one goal is to get us to heaven.
Because Jesus has all authority, he tells us that we are to go out and gather disciples from all nations. But didn’t we just hear that the Holy Spirit is the one that goes out and gathers his Church? A couple of things here: First we know that the Holy Spirit does not come directly to people. He always uses means. He uses the gospel in Word and Sacrament, but this comes to people through other people. Our goal isn’t to convert people, we simply want to share the message. The second thing here is that the text literally says “disciple people.” A disciple is someone who learns from someone else. A disciple has a leader or a master. So how do we make someone a disciple of Jesus?
Becoming a disciple begins at Baptism. From the time of Baptism to the time of our death we are a disciple of Jesus. We are constantly learning. We never reach a point where we can say that we know it all and we’re “done” or we’re “good.” The life of a Christian is a personal relationship with Jesus. The life of a Christian isn’t “Jesus loves me this I know and that is all I want to know.” And speaking of “Christian” that is what we are when we are baptized. We are not baptized “Lutheran” or “Catholic” or any other denomination. We are baptized in the Christian faith. Certainly you want to be raised Lutheran, in a real Lutheran Church such as ours but the important part at the beginning is Baptism. If you were baptized in a Catholic Church, the Baptism is still valid as long as the right words were used. We can’t say that a Baptism “didn’t take” or that we need to be rebaptized. I know that some Christian churches do believe that if you were baptized as a baby it isn’t a real baptism, but that is false doctrine. Where there is water and the Word, there is the Spirit creating disciples that continue learning about and from the Lord in his Word.
Jesus says that the right words are “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Jesus is clearly showing us that while God is one being, there are three Persons in that one being. If you are looking for a definition of the Trinity or some type of explanation, there is nothing that we can compare to help us understand the Trinity. All analogies fail.
After Baptism, continuing to be a disciple, is to teach all the instructions that Jesus gave. How is that even possible? When the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost not only did he give them the ability to speak in other languages, but he blessed them with a miraculous memory. There was no possible way that on their own they could remember everything that Jesus taught. John tells us that there would be a world full of books.
Then Jesus gives us a real promise to always be with us. This is very comforting. Whatever we do in life and wherever we go Jesus is with us. We have all heard or read the words of the footprints in the sand. Well, there should only be one footprint in the sand because Jesus is carrying us all the way. From beginning to end God’s plan of salvation only works when he is doing everything from beginning to end. We are thankful that we see the Holy Trinity in all three Persons of God working out our salvation, AMEN.

Now may the peace of God that transcends all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, Amen.

05/22/2026

DATE: May 24, 2026

OCCASION: Pentecost

HYMNS: 176, 177, 181, 183

READINGS: Acts 2:1-21
1 Corinthians 12:3-11
John 7:37-39

TEXT: John 7:37-39

THEME: The Living Water

PARTS: 1) The Holy Spirit (text)
2) Holy Spirit (catechism)

Pastor Jim Heffner

Grace, mercy, and peace are yours from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

This morning our sermon text comes to us from the Holy Gospel appointed for the Day of Pentecost, John chapter 7 reading the second half of verse 37:

Dear friends, as we rejoice in the gifts of the Holy Spirit,

When presented with a short text like today’s, one of two things can happen. One this could be as short as a normal funeral sermon or just a bit longer. Or three verses or less are so full that you can stretch the sermon to its normal length. Today something came to mind that this text will provide us with an opportunity to discuss what Luther said about the 3rd Article of the Apostles’ Creed. As Catechism students remember, we spent several weeks on the 3rd Article of the Apostles’ Creed. We are not going that far in depth today but hopefully this will help you gain a further understanding of the 3rd Article and what we mean as we confess our faith with these words.
In our text chosen for today John tells us what Jesus means when he says, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink!” The festival that verse 37 speaks about is the Festival of Shelters, or Tabernacles where the people would live in tents or other simple shelters reminding them how they lived very simple when they came out of Egypt. The festival of Pentecost was a Jewish Festival that was celebrated 50 days after the Passover. Taking this with Passover being very close to Easter and Jesus ascending 40 days after the resurrection, the coming of the Holy Spirit was 50 days after his resurrection. When Jesus leaves and ascends into heaven the apostles do not have very long to wait until the promised Counselor comes. Jesus speaks of “streams of living water will flow from deep within the person who believe in me.” Literally it says “in the belly” of a person. What does this mean? How do we understand it? Come to the WELS? Sometimes there are some things in Scripture that are hard to understand but this is not one of them because John explains it in verse 39. John tells us that Jesus is saying that those who believe in him will receive the Holy Spirit. In fact, they would receive the Holy Spirit so that they could believe in him.
When we are spiritually thirsty as we so often are, we are filled with the living water of the Spirit. So we know, that we have faith, and our faith is strengthened by the Holy Spirit. As Almighty God, equal to the Father and the Son, the Spirit chooses to use means. The Holy Spirit does not come to us directly. Not that he couldn’t – he could in fact, work this way. Those who say the Holy Spirit came to them directly are lying, or maybe something did come to them, something far less than holy. Like when God set the laws of nature, things continue in that way. The Holy Spirit set the ways he comes to people and we shouldn’t expect more or less than what is promised. The Holy Spirit chooses to use means and the means of grace that we call them are the gospel in Word and Sacrament. Only the gospel motivates and is powerful because the Holy
Spirit is coming to sin-darkened hearts and creating faith. The Sacraments give us visual proof of the forgiveness of sins and are ways that the Spirit creates faith (in Baptism) and strengthen faith (the Lord’s Supper). You cannot take the Spirit out the gospel that these two sacraments offer.
What does John mean when he says the Holy Spirit had not yet come? In the very first verse the Bible, Genesis 1:1 says the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters of the formless earth. Since we cannot believe without the Holy Spirit, what about the Old Testament believers? Where the gospel is, there is the Spirit. The Old Testament is full of gospel. But what John has to mean here is the visible coming of the Holy Spirit – that special day of Pentecost 50 days after the resurrection when Jesus had been glorified at his resurrection and also glorified in his ascension.
So what are we actually saying when we confess the words of the 3rd Article of the Apostles’ Creed? Most of us probably know the words by heart. When we hear fellow believers confessing these same words it gives us confidence that we can leave our hymnals closed and confess those words. In Catechism we spend five weeks on the 3rd Article where we talk about Sanctification, Good Works, The Church, Forgiveness and Resurrection.
Since we know the words of the 3rd Article, let’s consider what this means as Luther explains it in his Catechism. After the words of the 3rd Article Luther asks, “What does this mean?” and then he explains it. Hear the words of the explanation: I believe that I cannot by my own thinking or choosing believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him. But the Holy Spirit has called me by the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way he calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church he daily and fully forgives all sins to me and all believers. On the Last Day he will raise me and all the dead and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true. As all Lutheran Confessions set their doctrines according to God’s Word, so also Luther’s Catechism was based on Scripture, not any other readings or thoughts. Right away Luther squashes the idea of Decision Theology. The false doctrine of Decision Theology taught by the Graham family and other devout Christians is …well, false doctrine. Paul explained that clearly in the 1 Corinthians reading. In Ephesians Paul says that we were dead in our trespasses and sins. If my dog is dead he is not going to follow my command to fetch. If I told him to lie down it might appear that he followed my command but if I command him from lie down to sit nothing is going to happen. If a dead body ever sat up in a casket I might take up running again. We know the difference between alive and dead and what that means for the actions of that which is alive or dead.
“But the Holy Spirit has called me by the gospel…” – means. The gospel, in Word and Sacrament. Luther doesn’t say Word and Sacrament, he takes it for granted that we know where to find the gospel. When I was in Morenci, Michigan one of the things they wanted me to do was grow the church 5% each year. Now I may be talented and I know more now but was more energetic back then, I can’t do the work of the Holy Spirit. The church there might have decreased by 5% because of personality issues not because the gospel wasn’t preached. The day I moved in I jokingly said it didn’t matter where they put things because I was moving back to Wisconsin the first chance I had, which I did, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t committed to my call to them.
What does Luther mean when he says that it is the Holy
Spirit who daily forgives all sins of me and all believers? The Spirit uses the means of grace to bring us the forgiveness of sins. In Romans Paul writes, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” In Acts 2 Peter says, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit.”
Then Luther ascribes the resurrection as one of the works of the Holy Spirit. In the Catechism lesson on Resurrection we talk what Judgment Day will be like, what heaven will be like and what our bodies will be like at the resurrection. Luther says, “For now we are only half pure and holy. So the Holy Spirit always have some reason to continue his work in us through the Word.” Through that Word we receive the forgiveness of sins and therefore then eternal life through faith. So while we clearly see the importance of Jesus and we know the everlasting care by the Father, the Holy Spirit is equally important as he convicts of our sins, and convinces us of the truth that we have salvation and eternal life through Christ. May we praise the Holy Spirit as we praise the Father and the Son, AMEN. (Now may …)

05/16/2026

DATE: May 14, 2026

OCCASION: Ascension

HYMNS: 169, 171, 173, 175

READINGS: Acts 1:1-11
Ephesians 1:15-23
Luke 24:44-53

TEXT: Luke 24:44-53

THEME: The Ascension

PARTS: 1) Necessary (vv.44-48)
2) They would receive the Holy Spirit (vv.49-53)

Pastor Jim Heffner
Grace, mercy and peace are yours from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

This morning our sermon text comes to us from the Holy Gospel appointed for the Day of Ascension, Luke chapter 24 reading verse 49:

Dear friends, as we see our Savior taking his place to rule all things for the benefit of the Church,

Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a book or a collection of books that would tell us everything we had to do? And not only that, but we would also be able to accomplish what those books told us to do. Maybe we would’ve done some things differently. Maybe we would’ve made some bad decisions that would have messed up our lives beyond repair. Maybe it is just better to live our lives and let God direct our lives as he will. And that is the point of the Ascension. Jesus took his place at God’s right hand – interceding for us, preparing a place for us, and ruling all things that best benefit his holy Church in all the world.
Before Jesus could return to his rightful place in heaven he had to accomplish some necessary things. I am reading a book called How the Bible Came to Be. While Jesus said everything had to be fulfilled what was written about him “in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.” Some of the books in the Bible would not be found in those writings. But God preserved the writings we have as 39 Old Testament books. Maybe Jesus’ Old Testament did not have all the books we do but the most important thing was that whatever was written about him, he fulfilled. He did put his stamp of approval on the first five books of the Bible, written by Moses, all of the Psalms and the many prophets that spoke about him. One main point we need to remember is that Jesus is, and had always been, the central person of the entire Bible.
Jesus didn’t just tell them that he fulfilled all these things. He opened their minds so that they could understand the Scriptures. For us, we have the Holy Spirit who opens our minds to Scripture. There are many prophecies in the Old Testament about Jesus and we readily see Jesus in those prophecies because the Holy Spirit has come to us and remained in us. The Holy Spirit opens our minds to the Scriptures and then convinces us of the truth. We have advanced beyond just believing God’s Word – we know it to be true.
Everything that was written about Jesus must be done. The resurrection was necessary for our salvation, showing us that God had accepted Jesus’ sacrifice. Without the resurrection our death would be like an uninterrupted sleep forever. God would not be angry with us anymore but why would that matter if we were just gone? If we were just gone who cares what God thinks about us then? The Ascension was also necessary so that we can have the assurance that Jesus is the overseer of the world. He directs all things, and can even turn sin around, to serve his purpose in doing what is best for his Church – the sum total of all believers of all time.
Repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name. Part of repentance occurs when we come to faith. We have literally, as this is what repentance means, changed our direction. We are not looking to be found righteous in our own acts, but we are now trusting in Jesus for full forgiveness. We will make a conscious effort to change our ways to be more in line with God’s Word. Repentance is a daily act because we sin daily. When we fail, we have forgiveness in Jesus full and free. This passage clearly tells us that salvation is a message for all. Jerusalem was a natural place to start. The temple was there and the apostles were Jews. You can usually talk to your own people more easily than others.
Jesus says that they are witnesses of all of these things. The Acts reading told us that Jesus was around for 40 days after his resurrection. He gave many proofs to the apostles to show that he was truly alive. They were eyewitness of the crucifixion, the burial and the resurrection. As every matter had to be proved by two or three witnesses, there were hundreds of people who saw Jesus in the 40 days before his Ascension. How can anyone argue against eyewitness accounts? We are also witnesses because we have seen how God has operated in our lives. He has brought us to faith in Baptism, and strengthened that faith in Sunday School and Catechism. After being confirmed, he gives us his body and blood as a very clear testimony of the forgiveness of sins.
In verse 49 Jesus tells them that he is sending them what the Father promised. While the 7th Sunday of Easter would be this weekend, next weekend is the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came to the apostles visibly. When Jesus says that they should remain in the city until they received power from on high, he is also talking about the Holy Spirit. Read through Acts chapter two and the wonderful sermon Peter preaches. How could a common fisherman preach such a powerful sermon? It was because of the Holy Spirit. Acts is sometimes called the Acts of the Apostles but I would argue for Acts of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus led them out of Jerusalem to the vicinity of Bethany. Bethany was only a couple of miles outside of Jerusalem. We know that Mary and Martha lived in Bethany and that is where he raised Lazarus from the dead. He then lifted up his hands and blessed them. I don’t know if I have ever received the blessing without hands being lifted. I know at a couple of chapel talks where the student preacher forgot to give the blessing. But when Jesus blesses you are truly blessed. It is never just wishful thinking on Jesus’ part.
Then we have the actual Ascension. As Luke is also the author of Acts it is interesting that Luke gives the most in depth account of the Ascension and he does it twice. When Jesus blesses them as he lives they will be blessed. They will receive the Holy Spirit and share the gospel with the world. As they continued to spread the gospel their efforts were successful because it is the Holy Spirit who gathers his Church.
They worshiped Jesus as he was going and then they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. They could go with Jesus’ promise of Matthew 28 when Jesus says, “And surely I am with you always until the end of the age.” Jesus is with us every step of the way and he sends us his Holy Spirit. With the powerful Word in hand we are ready to spread the message of Jesus’ salvation that he won for all. 40 days after the resurrection and 50 days after the resurrection is the Day of Pentecost. They didn’t have to wait for long before they received the power from on high.
They went into the temple courts praising and blessing God. We also know that they were preaching about Christ because they were arrested for preaching in his name. Nothing would step them or were they able to be stopped as the gospel spread throughout the world. This is all possible because of the Ascension. Jesus is in heaven ruling all things for the benefit of his Church. He will always direct even history in his effort to bring every one to a knowledge of the truth and be saved. What a blessing it is to know that Jesus is ruling everything for our benefit to accomplish his goal of bringing us to heaven! AMEN.

Now may the peace of God that transcends all understanding guard your heart and minds in Christ Jesus, Amen.

Address

16904 County Road Q
Mishicot, WI
54228

Opening Hours

8:30am - 9:30am

Telephone

+19207761308

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