“I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:17-23)  I spent most of my pastoral ministry ignorant of the importance of Christ’s ascension that we commemorate this Sunday.  His crucifixion was obviously important and his resurrection without which we have no hope.  But then this other event wherein he returns to his Father.  Interesting and strange but I never really began to grasp just how important it is.  And, it is far more than Jesus’ simply getting out of the way in order for the Holy Spirit to come (stay tuned!)  What I have come to realize over the years is that our Lord’s ascension causes his ministry to never be in the past tense, but instead it is our living and vital reality.  Our Lord not only has prayed for us but even now is praying for us.  Simultaneously, the church’s affirmation that Jesus has not only risen but ascended bodily to his Father means that our humanity is represented in him.  He brings us to the great God of creation and we are loved.  One last thing of importance here is in verse 22: “he has put all things under his feet…”  What that means for me are the events of life that seem to overwhelm me, the things which seem simply out of control and are about to crash down upon me, are not that way for Jesus.  They’re not above him like they seem to be for me, they’re under his feet!  Do you need to be reminded of that?  Do you have things in your life that seem so far above and beyond you, that you might even despair?  Do not!  Everything is under him.  We do not know how these difficult circumstances will be resolved, but they will be, not because we’re particularly clever or tenacious, but because there is nothing over our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Aren’t you glad he ascended?  Have a great week!