A Reading From The Book Of Concord – Ascension of our Lord

 

Jesus’ Ascension to “the right hand of God” was not about leaving His people behind. It was about departing from sight to fill the whole world while remaining hidden in it amidst His holy Christian Church. There He rules over His people as His Holy Spirit works amongst baptized believers to keep them with Him through His Word and Sacraments.  [Rev. Kurt Hering]

 

A READING FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD
THE ASCENSION of OUR LORD
GOSPEL LESSON:  Mark 16:14–20
THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION
ARTICLE III: Of the Son of God

 

1] Also they teach that the Word, that is, the Son of God, did assume the human nature in 2] the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary, so that there are two natures, the divine and the human, inseparably enjoined in one Person, one Christ, true God and true man, who was born of the Virgin Mary, truly suffered, was crucified, dead, and 3] buried, that He might reconcile the Father unto us, and be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for all actual sins of men.

4] He also descended into hell, and truly rose again the third day; afterward He ascended into heaven that He might sit on the right hand of the Father, and forever reign and have dominion over all creatures, and sanctify 5] them that believe in Him, by sending the Holy Ghost into their hearts, to rule, comfort, and quicken them, and to defend them against the devil and the power of sin.

6] The same Christ shall openly come again to judge the quick and the dead, etc., according to the Apostles’ Creed.

 

 Lord grant you faith in His grace alone
for your salvation unto eternal life.  Amen.

 

The text used here is from Triglot Concordia: The Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church: German-Latin-English. These texts are in the public domain, can be found online @  https://bookofconcord.org, and may be  freely copied.

 

(You may download a letter size pdf file Ascension of our Lord Sunday Bulletin Insert from this link.)

 

Rev. Kurt Hering’s objective is to make a connection between the “Gospel Text For The Day” (usually) and the Book of Concord in order to help pastors make connections for their parishoners that help them understand how the BoC sets forth the faith once delivered to us in Scripture for the life of the Church. The vast majority of Lutherans simply have never had that done for them, largely because a pastor only has so much time for a sermon and getting everything ready for Sunday in addition to his weekly work with Christ’s sheep.