The Ascension: From Loss to Reign

• The Nicene Creed and Ascension 00:16:10 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor discusses the difficulty of the line 'ascended into heaven' in the creed, contrasting it with the comfort of other creedal lines, and frames it as a source of heaviness due to personal grief.
• Separation and Grief 00:18:18 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor connects the theological concept of ascension to the personal reality of 'loss after loss' and separation, noting how grief changes how scripture is heard.
• The Nature of the Gospel Story 00:19:31 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that the gospel is a story of God coming closer (Emmanuel), walking with people, and that the ascension is part of this ongoing presence rather than an abandonment.
• The Book of Acts and Discipleship 00:22:17 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor introduces Acts as a continuation of Luke, highlighting the disciples' predictability and their initial misunderstanding of Jesus' kingdom as political, which Jesus corrects.
• The Ascension as Enthronement 00:31:54 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that the cloud hiding Jesus signifies his entry into divine authority and reign, contrasting it with the idea of him 'retiring'.
• The Creed and Jesus' Reign 00:32:21 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor connects the Nicene Creed's statement about Jesus being seated at the right hand of the Father to the historical claim of the early church that Jesus is Lord, not Caesar.
• Living in the In-Between 00:34:57 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor describes the current state of the church as living in the 'in-between' of resurrection and return, facing brokenness while knowing Jesus has won.
• The Call to Witness 00:38:36 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor concludes that the church's mission is to bear witness to the truth of Jesus' lordship, death's defeat, and hope, through both words and lives.
• The Ascension as Comfort vs. Loss 00:39:28 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor contrasts the feeling of loss/grief with the biblical reality that the ascension is not a goodbye but a confirmation of Jesus' reign on the throne.
• The Church's Calling to Witness 00:38:36 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor defines the church's mission as bearing witness to the truth of Jesus' lordship, death's defeat, and hope, through both words and actions like forgiveness and faithfulness.
• Living in the In-Between 00:40:34 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor concludes that believers live in the time between Christ's ascension and return, characterized by hope and courage rather than fear or despair.

• Sermon Illustration 00:24:04 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about choosing to marry an accountant to illustrate his love for predictable people, using this to describe the disciples' predictable nature.
• Sermon Illustration 00:25:57 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor describes the disciples' initial misunderstanding of Jesus' kingdom, expecting a political Messiah who would conquer and set their world right, similar to their hope in Luke 24.
• Sermon Illustration 00:36:43 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses a personal anecdote about emergency room chairs, noting that he never sits down because he is pacing and panicking, to illustrate that Jesus is not pacing nervously in heaven but is seated in secure victory.
• Sermon Illustration 00:33:15 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the historical context of the Roman Empire where Caesar claimed to be Lord, contrasting it with the early church's bold claim that Jesus is Lord.
• Sermon Illustration 00:39:28 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about how the ascension has felt like a loss and a 'goodbye' to him, contrasting this with the biblical reality that Jesus was taken up to His throne, not disappearing.

• Pastoral Charge 00:07:11 ▶️ 📄
  > Stand and sing the hymn 'Hallelujah, Sing to Jesus'
• Pastoral Charge 00:12:43 ▶️ 📄
  > Grab bulletin or follow screens to join in confession of sins
• Pastoral Charge 00:22:08 ▶️ 📄
  > Open Bible (physical or app) to read Acts 1:1-11
• Pastoral Charge 00:25:20 ▶️ 📄
  > Read the biblical text of Acts 2
• Pastoral Charge 00:39:06 ▶️ 📄
  > To actively practice forgiveness, faithfulness, hope, and service in daily life as a response to Jesus' reign.

[00:07:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:07:11] Welcome to Corinth where our mission is to proclaim and worship Jesus as Lord and we are excited to do that with you today and we're excited to do that on graduation Sunday when we get to celebrate God's goodness in the lives of so many of our people. I invite you to join as we stand and sing together a song of celebration. It's number 45 in your purple hymnal supplement, Hallelujah, Sing to Jesus.
[00:07:33] It's appropriate to open our worship not only with a celebration of how perfect and holy God is, but also with recognition of how not perfect and not holy we are.
[00:12:43] So I invite you to grab your bulletin, or you can follow along on the screens, and join me in our confession of sins.
[00:12:52] Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean.
[00:12:58] We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed.
[00:13:02] by what we have done and by what we have left undone.
[00:13:07] We have not loved you with our whole heart.
[00:13:10] We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
[00:13:14] For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us.
[00:13:19] Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways to the glory of your holy name. Amen.
[00:13:31] Now, the good news is not just that God is holy, but also that he delights in forgiving his people.
[00:13:37] The scriptures tell us that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just, that he'll forgive those sins and give us a brand new start.
[00:13:45] So on a day like today, when we're celebrating the end of one chapter and the beginning of new chapters, I am so delighted to tell you that whenever you confess your sins, God gives you a brand new start.
[00:13:57] So amen for his goodness. Have a seat as we hear our scripture reading.

[00:14:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:14:01] The scripture this morning comes from Acts, the first chapter, starting in the first verse.
[00:14:13] In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven.
[00:14:24] After giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.
[00:14:29] After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive.
[00:14:38] He appeared to them over a period of 40 days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
[00:14:44] On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command, Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my father promised, which you have heard me speak about.
[00:14:59] For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
[00:15:07] Then they gathered around him and asked him, Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?
[00:15:16] He said to them, It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.
[00:15:38] After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
[00:15:46] They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
[00:15:55] men of Galilee they said why do you stand here looking into the sky this same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven

[00:16:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:16:10] the word of God for the people of God we are in week four of a sermon series on the Nicene Creed so if you've been around Corinth the last few weeks you've been reciting some creeds and
[00:16:30] I realize I might be in the minority on this, but I've got to tell you, I love a good creed.
[00:16:39] It's just the kind of thing I get really excited about whenever I sit in a worship planning meeting and people say, let's say more creeds and let's say longer creeds and let's say them more often, I get pretty jazzed.
[00:16:50] It's a wet blanket for other people, but like for me, it's really good.
[00:16:54] And I have been loving this sermon series because in most of our worship services now this is the fourth week of it, we get to say these lines over and over again that are so
[00:17:06] comforting and reassuring and familiar to me. I get to stand before a congregation every week and lead people in saying things like, you know, God is the maker of heaven and earth, and that is so good and so true. And then I get to lead people in saying this line,
[00:17:23] for us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven. And that's incredibly comforting and reassuring. Then we get a little farther on and we say things like he was crucified under Pontius Pilate. And that's not necessarily a happy story, but it has a really good ending. Ask me about it
[00:17:41] later if you don't know that story. And then we say he rose on the third day. And it's like, yes, amen. That's Easter in a nutshell. That's why the church comes together every Sunday. And it is
[00:17:51] so wonderful to repeat these truths. But then as we say the creed together, there's this line right in the middle of it as well, that says he, meaning Jesus, ascended into heaven and is seated at the
[00:18:05] right hand of the Father. And if I can be real with you for just a minute, that particular part of the creed, it hasn't really felt comforting to me lately. It's actually felt pretty heavy and
[00:18:18] pretty hard to repeat. And I think it's because right now my life is in a season where there have been a bunch of different separations. They're things I didn't choose. I've had to say goodbye
[00:18:30] to people I love, and that's hard to do. At home and at work, I'm in this season where it feels like loss after loss after loss as people I love are leaving, and grief just has this way of changing
[00:18:43] how we hear the scripture. So every week when I stand at a microphone and I lead people in saying this line, he ascended into heaven. There's something going on inside of me where my stomach
[00:18:55] drops a little bit, and I kind of clench, and this thought flashes through my mind, where I go, oh, so Jesus is going to leave too. Hmm. Now, as a pastor, I've got to tell you, that is a weird
[00:19:09] place to be, because I've spent a lot of years studying the Bible, and I know that Jesus leaving doesn't really fit the rest of the story. See, the whole gospel, everything that Christianity and the church is built on is this story about God coming closer. Jesus is born and we say this
[00:19:31] is Emmanuel, which means God with us. And as we learn about Jesus' life, we see that he walks down these dusty roads with his disciples. He touches lepers to heal them. He eats with sinners
[00:19:44] shoulder to shoulder. He weeps with people who are mourning. It is a deeply incarnational ministry where Jesus needs to be with his people for all of these things to happen, and then it just kind
[00:19:58] of feels like it goes off the rails at the very end. Jesus dies, and he's buried, and the disciples grieve, and then he returns from the dead, and they joyfully celebrate his return, but then
[00:20:13] suddenly, a few weeks pass, we turn the page to Acts 1, and Jesus is taken up before their eyes, and a cloud hides him from their sight. And the disciples are left again, staring into the sky,
[00:20:27] wondering what has happened and where has Jesus gone? And I've got to tell you, at first glance, this does not seem like very good news. This is the second time in as many months that Jesus and
[00:20:42] the disciples have been forced apart, and this room is full of mamas of really wonderful high school graduates, and there is nobody who needs to hear the message less than a mama of a high
[00:20:52] school graduate, that being forced apart from the people you love under any circumstances is really, really hard. Separation seems like a really bad ending to what's otherwise a really great story.
[00:21:10] But for the early church, it mattered that Jesus ascended to the Father. They didn't stop the story and they didn't stop the creed, and he rose from the dead.
[00:21:18] It mattered so much that they put it in their creeds.
[00:21:21] They recited it together.
[00:21:22] When new believers came into the fold, they taught this truth to the new believers.
[00:21:27] And in some cases, they even died for that conviction that Jesus had ascended.
[00:21:34] And that begs the question of why.
[00:21:38] Why did the earliest followers of Jesus think it was so important that we know and believe that Jesus didn't just live or die or rise from the dead, but that he ascended to the Father. And why would they risk their lives for a story that ends with that?
[00:21:58] Now to answer that question, we're going to dig into Acts 1 because there is actually a lot more going on than just one more hard goodbye. So if you haven't already, I invite you to open up your
[00:22:08] Bible. There's one in the pews. You can open up a Bible app. We're going to turn to the book of Acts, and we're going to walk through those first 11 verses. And as you get there, let me give you
[00:22:17] just a few words of context. Acts is an unusual book. Most books begin at the beginning, but Acts picks up the story somewhere in the middle. There is just one author, most everybody agrees his name
[00:22:30] was Luke, who wrote the Gospel of Luke and then the Book of Acts. And in the Gospel, he's going to cover all of Jesus' life and his ministry, his death and his resurrection, and when he starts the
[00:22:43] book of Acts, he's going to assume you already know about that. The first couple verses aren't really a new story. It's a quick recap of everything we've already read in Luke with a couple extra
[00:22:54] details. So Luke picks up exactly where he left off, and he says in verses one and two, in my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day
[00:23:06] he was taken up to heaven. The first three verses, if you lump them all together, first three verses of Acts summarize the entire gospel, and if you want the gospel of Luke in a nutshell, it's
[00:23:17] something like this. Jesus was born, Jesus did some things, Jesus taught some things, Jesus died, and then Jesus had to convince everybody he was alive again. There's Luke. Now, when we get to verse four,
[00:23:30] Luke is going to pump the brakes, and he's going to slow the story down. He's going to zoom way in from giving a big overview, and verses 4 through 11 are going to be one story about one day after
[00:23:44] Jesus' resurrection. And as it turns out, this particular day after Jesus' resurrection was going to be his last day on earth. Now, one of my favorite things about the disciples, and in this passage specifically, is that the disciples are still very much themselves. I happen to love
[00:24:04] predictable people, if you don't know this about me. One of the clearest indicators of this is that I chose to marry an accountant, and people don't come more predictable than accountants. That's what I can handle in my life, and the disciples are just that kind of predictable. They have spent
[00:24:24] years with Jesus. They have watched Jesus suffer and die. They have looked at the empty tomb and seen the resurrected Jesus. Jesus has come back to teach them even more about scriptures and about the kingdom of God, and God love them. The disciples still don't have a clue what he's
[00:24:44] talking about. Jesus is going to say to his disciples, don't leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my father has promised, which you have heard me talk about, for John baptized with water, but in a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
[00:25:02] Now, let me stick a pin in that and tell you, what Jesus is telling them is that Pentecost is just around the corner.
[00:25:09] And the story of Pentecost we know from Acts 2 is when the believers get to the gift of the Holy Spirit.
[00:25:15] These guys are about to be filled with God's very presence and power.
[00:25:19] Go read Acts 2.
[00:25:20] It's a wild story.
[00:25:22] There are these gale force winds, tongues of fire come down, but the disciples don't know that yet. And it's pretty clear to me that they not only don't know how they're going to get the Holy Spirit, they don't have a clue what having the Holy Spirit
[00:25:37] means. And I think the clearest evidence of this is that in response to being told, you're going to get the Holy Spirit, they ask Jesus in verse 6, Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel? Now this is the same echo we heard back in Luke 24 when one
[00:25:57] of Jesus' followers tells somebody who he thinks is a stranger, we had hoped that Jesus was going to be the one to restore Israel. The disciples have been misunderstanding Jesus' kingdom from the very beginning. They showed up with the expectation that Jesus is going to be this
[00:26:16] political Messiah who's going to come and conquer and set their world right. So whatever else they might have learned or whatever else they might believe about Jesus, at their core they still want to know if right now is going to be the time that the tables turn and everything gets set right
[00:26:35] and they finally win. And honestly, I think that's still pretty reasonable today. Like that makes sense to me. I hope that some of you are more faithful than I am, and I hope that some of
[00:26:48] you are better at patience than I am, but I like timelines, and I want certainty, and I want explanations. I want Jesus to fix everything, and I'd be really okay if he went ahead and did that
[00:27:02] yesterday, or like gave me a memo about what the plan is. It's like multiple times in the last week, I, one of your pastors, have said something like, yeah, I'm sure God's got it, but I'd be okay if
[00:27:16] he wanted to let me know how he's got it. Now, so far, he has not felt it necessary to let me in on the plans. And Jesus, likewise, with the disciples, doesn't let them in on the plans. He doesn't
[00:27:28] give them a schedule. He answers them in verse 7, where he says, it is not for you to know the times or dates that the Father has set by his own authority. He doesn't dodge the question exactly,
[00:27:43] but he declines to answer it. Instead of telling them God's plans, Jesus gives the disciples a mission. He says, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my
[00:27:54] witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. It's a good summary of what happens in the book of Acts where they start in Jerusalem. By the end of it, we've got
[00:28:06] Paul in Rome. He's preaching without any hindrance, but the disciples, they don't know that yet. They don't know that Paul's going to end up on their team. They don't know that the church is going
[00:28:16] to spread. All they know is that this Messiah they were following had died and their hopes for Jesus being the one to rescue them and restore them were dead with him. But now Jesus has come back
[00:28:32] and their hope has been renewed that maybe, just maybe, Jesus is finally going to be the deliverer they have been waiting for. And they can't help but ask, is it now, Lord? Is now the
[00:28:45] time? The disciples come into this moment wanting to know if they finally get to see a win. But Jesus doesn't tell them when that's happening. Jesus sends them out and says, you're going to do my work while you wait. And then he's gone. Just as soon as Jesus finishes telling the disciples
[00:29:07] to wait for the Holy Spirit and then go be his witnesses, something wild happens. Verse 9 tells us, after he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes and a cloud hid him from their
[00:29:19] sight. And the disciples are left. They're looking up at the sky and honestly, fair enough. But suddenly two guys in white robes show up and they say, men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into
[00:29:32] the sky? Why are they looking? Where else would they look? A dude has just gone up into heaven, into a cloud. If I'm standing around talking to you and you suddenly get lifted up into the sky,
[00:29:46] I will be looking at that for a minute. Two big reasons. One, that's a weird thing to happen.
[00:29:51] I want to see what comes next. Two, I am acquainted with the concept of gravity.
[00:29:56] If somebody has gone up into the sky, my assumption is they're going to be crashing back down any minute, and I'd like to not be in the way. But here, these men ask a question that's
[00:30:07] really not chit-chat. What they want to ask is the question, why are you looking there when there's other work to do? They say something life-changing to the disciples in verse 11. They say, why are
[00:30:21] you standing here looking in the sky? The same Jesus who's been taken from you into heaven will come back in the same way you've seen him go into heaven. These guys are reminding the disciples
[00:30:32] that Jesus has ascended and he will return, but right now. The thing to do is not to stand around looking for him. What the men are saying to the disciples is basically, you can't stay frozen
[00:30:45] in here. Jesus has told them what their mission will be, and now we kind of get a hint as to why that mission carries weight. There's a clue to this in verse 9. Remember, verse 9 tells us that
[00:30:58] Jesus ascends into a cloud. Now, that's not a weather report. It is a deeply theological statement.
[00:31:08] Luke wants to make sure that we see not just where Jesus went, but what that departure means.
[00:31:17] Throughout the scriptures, if you look back through the Old Testament, clouds represent the presence and the glory of God. A couple examples for you. It's a cloud that leads the Israelites through the wilderness. It is a cloud that settles on Mount Sinai. It is a cloud that
[00:31:34] fills the temple, and it is a cloud that comes down over Jesus when he is transfigured. So when Acts tells us that a cloud hid him from their sight, Luke isn't talking about Jesus drifting
[00:31:47] away like a stray balloon after a party. He's telling us something about what comes next.
[00:31:54] Luke is showing us that Jesus is entering into the fullness of divine authority and reign. That cloud means Jesus is back with the Father. This line tells us that the ascension is not Jesus' retirement
[00:32:09] from ministry. It is more like a coronation, a king taking the throne. And that's why when we say the creed together, it tells us he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of
[00:32:21] the Father. The Bible tells us Jesus went to heaven. The creed helps us understand why that matters. It's because of where Jesus ended up after the cloud hid him from the disciples.
[00:32:34] We hear that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father, and the right hand is a symbol of power and prestige.
[00:32:41] To sit at the right hand of the king meant you had a share in the king's authority and rule.
[00:32:48] What the early church worked so hard to preserve and to pass down, the thing they were willing to die for, was the claim that Jesus reigns.
[00:32:59] Back then, right now, for whatever remains of human history before us, Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father and is reigning with him.
[00:33:11] This was a really bold claim for the early church.
[00:33:15] In the Roman Empire, Caesar claimed to be Lord.
[00:33:19] Caesar demanded loyalty and honor and even worship.
[00:33:23] But the Christians stood together and they said, no, Jesus is Lord. Not Caesar, not Rome, not military strength, not a political victory.
[00:33:35] It's Jesus who's Lord. And I think that message still works today because every generation in history has tried to put something other than Jesus on the throne. Sometimes it is politics.
[00:33:51] sometimes it's wealth or success or comfort, sometimes it's our job or our family or our degrees, sometimes it's our own desperate need to control everything around us. But underneath all of those things, which are in and of themselves not bad things, is the same temptation. It's a
[00:34:15] temptation to trust something else other than Jesus to save us. And when the Bible talks about that, it uses the word idols. But what the ascension does, when we say together that Jesus ascended and sits at the right hand of the Father, we are confronting every counterfeit kingdom and
[00:34:33] every would-be idol with one simple declaration, and it's that Jesus reigns. The throne is occupied, period. And that ought to change how we live in the in-between. Acts is really the beginning of a centuries-long story about life in between, between resurrection and return, between promise
[00:34:57] and fulfillment, between grief and glory. The disciples are living in between. Jesus has conquered death, but his kingdom has not fully arrived. And we live there too. We know that Jesus has won the victory, but we still live in a world that has hurt and suffering. And we know that
[00:35:16] there is an incredible resurrection of all the believers coming, but sometimes we still get together right here in this room and we have funerals. And we know that Jesus reigns, but sometimes this world we live in still feels broken and chaotic and frightening. The disciples wanted
[00:35:34] the same thing that I want, that maybe you want. They want certainty. They want timelines. They want clarity. They want Jesus to tell them when is it all going to be okay. I think that's because
[00:35:45] a lot of us imagine kind of subconsciously that the ascension is Jesus stepping away from the world. I know it feels that way to me sometimes. Like Jesus finished his work on earth. He took
[00:35:56] care of the conquering death business. He went back to heaven. Maybe he's kicked up his feet and he's just hanging out and we're mostly on our own until who knows when that he comes back. But that's
[00:36:08] not what Acts tells us. Acts tells us the story of an exalted Jesus, not an absent Jesus, because the ascension is not Jesus' retirement. It's his enthronement. And what that means is that Jesus reigns now, and Jesus intercedes now, and that Jesus sends the Holy Spirit now, and that Jesus
[00:36:29] rules his church now. And maybe the best news of all is actually tucked into the creed when it says Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father. Have you ever thought about the idea of Jesus
[00:36:43] being seated? I love it because it tells me something about how Jesus is feeling. I think some of the most unnecessary furniture that has ever been produced or purchased is the chairs in the emergency room waiting room. Because of all the times in my life I've ever been to the emergency
[00:37:00] room, I don't think my bottom has ever touched a seat. If I'm there, I'm pacing, I'm panicking, I'm on the phone with somebody. I'm trying to yell at a nurse about when are you going to get
[00:37:09] my person seen? When do we get to see a doctor? What's happening next? I don't sit down and hang out. But Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father. He's not pacing heaven nervously. He's not
[00:37:23] wringing his hands over the state of the world and what we've done down here. He's not scrambling to figure out what he needs to do next because of what we have just done. He's seated because his
[00:37:35] victory is secure and his authority is complete and his kingdom has begun. And that shapes how we live in the in-between. Because if Jesus reigns and is seated on the throne, then you and I do
[00:37:47] not have to live our lives in panic mode. We don't have to fear every headline. We don't have to cling to power and control. We don't have to act like the future of the kingdom depends entirely
[00:37:59] on whether I can hold it all together today. And that, my friends, is some pretty good news.
[00:38:07] The throne is occupied, and because Jesus is still at work, we've still got work to do, too.
[00:38:13] The angels come to the disciples and they ask them, why do you stand looking into the sky?
[00:38:19] Jesus had not told the disciples, wait here forever, or hey, you should probably obsess over timelines, or I need you to go out and win every argument about the end times.
[00:38:29] What Jesus told his disciples was once you get the Holy Spirit, you've got to go be my witnesses.
[00:38:36] And that is still the calling of the church. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are called to be witnesses of Jesus in Hickory, in the Piedmont, in the foothills, wherever else he sends us to go. And what that looks like is we bear witness to the truth that Jesus is Lord.
[00:38:54] We bear witness to the truth that death is not the end. We bear witness to the truth that hope exists even in a broken world. And we do that not only with our words, although words matter
[00:39:06] tremendously, but we do it with our lives. Every time we forgive, every time we choose faithfulness, every prayer that we whisper in grief, every time that we choose hope over fear, service over self-protection, these things matter because Jesus reigns. I began this message by
[00:39:28] telling you that lately the ascension has felt more like a loss to me than like comfort. He ascended into heaven has felt to me like just one more goodbye. But that's because the grief that
[00:39:42] we experience in this sin-filled world has a way of making every goodbye feel permanent. But what Acts 1 is doing is reminding us that the ascension is not a goodbye story. The disciples stood staring into the sky because they thought they had lost Jesus again. But they hadn't. They hadn't
[00:40:05] lost him the first time. They hadn't lost him the second time. He wasn't disappearing. He was taken up his throne. And that means that in every uncertain moment, in every season of grief, in every headline that makes us afraid, in every prayer where God feels just a little too silent,
[00:40:26] We can remind ourselves and each other that the throne is occupied, that Jesus reigns and Jesus will return.
[00:40:34] So, church, until that day, we live in the in-between.
[00:40:38] But we live there not with fear and not with despair and certainly not alone.
[00:40:45] Because the risen Christ is right now, this very moment, ruling over absolutely everything in this entire world.
[00:40:57] And that, I think, is some really, really good news.
[00:41:03] Let's pray together.
[00:41:06] God, you've called us to a world that is uncertain and can feel scary and unknown.
[00:41:11] As we live in the in-between, would you help us to remember that you are on the throne?
[00:41:17] Help us to worship you and follow you and adore you in the way that that reality demands.
[00:41:23] Would you give us courage as we wait to see what your final victory will look like, but also give us the strength to go out and do the work of being your witnesses in this world.
[00:41:35] Those of us who know you and love you and follow you are privy to the best news ever.
[00:41:40] give us the opportunity to bear witness to that news in this world that so desperately needs to hear that Jesus is on the throne we pray this in Jesus name amen would you stand as we sing
[00:41:54] together hymn number 36 in your purple hymnal supplement amazing grace take just a moment or

[00:45:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:45:20] two to greet the people around you tell them how glad you are to see them everybody feels like they have personally been welcomed to worship at Corinth Reformed Church. Whether you're joining us here in the sanctuary or online, we are glad that you are here. Our mission in this church
[00:46:20] is to proclaim and worship Jesus as Lord. There are black friendship pads located along the aisle seats in the center aisle. We'd like everybody to sign in. Pass them to the outside for signing in.
[00:46:34] Pass them back, you get to check and see who that person is whose name you don't remember right now.
[00:46:40] We also have in the friendship pads blue connect cards.
[00:46:45] If this is your first time with us, we wish you would fill out this information.
[00:46:50] We want our guests to let us know how we could help connect with you to make your experience here fuller and richer.
[00:46:59] This week there are several events taking place in our church.
[00:47:02] The men's night out happens tomorrow, Monday night, at 5.45 p.m. in Bost Hall.
[00:47:10] It's a great way to connect with and to support your brothers in Christ.
[00:47:16] And this Thursday night at 6 p.m. is date night.
[00:47:19] Chad and Holly Hall are going to be leading that session on connecting spiritually as a couple, and child care is available for date night.
[00:47:30] This coming Saturday, the Corinth adults over 50 head to the new Aviation Museum.
[00:47:36] We'll be there about 10 o'clock, which is when they open the doors, and we'll look around, and then we'll go eat lunch together.
[00:47:43] Some of these events require sign-ups or RSVPs, so look for that information in your bulletin.
[00:47:51] Also, the Women's Summer Ministries, the Bible studies and activities, are available listed in your bulletin and if you would sign up for the one that suits your fancy women of the church that would be wonderful and next sunday may 24th will not be graduation sunday
[00:48:12] but it will be confirmation sunday and the confirmands will will be recognized in our 815 blended worship service. And now it is time today to recognize those who have graduated who are from Corinth Reformed Church. We recognize the significant
[00:48:33] achievements of these graduates, some from high school, some from college, and one from graduate school. And in just a moment I'm going to call the name of each graduate and he or she will move to the table where Kami Perrin will be
[00:48:50] ready to receive them with a handshake and to give them a book by Timothy Keller the songs of Jesus now this is a worship service not an actual graduation so we want you to hold your applause until after all of the graduates have
[00:49:08] been presented and then you'll be invited to salute them with decorous applause suitable to this place of worship. The celebration will continue after our worship service ends. There'll be a reception for the graduates and
[00:49:24] their families outside under the trees and you are invited to go and meet them at that time, greet them, say hello, offer them words of advice, whatever you like, but they'll be outside after the worship service. Before they come forward,
[00:49:39] however, let us pray together. Lord God, we thank you for the blessing of this occasion that we celebrate. You have brought these graduates to a point of change in their lives, and we pray that they will follow you to what you have prepared for them. We commend these graduates
[00:49:59] to the power of your grace. May they find spiritual abundance and meaningful service in the years ahead. Amen. And now graduates if you would prepare yourselves to come forward. First row stand. First comes Bella Apollonio, a
[00:50:23] graduate of St. Stephen's High School. She plans to attend Clemson University for sales and marketing. Next comes Jesse Boyce from Hickory Christian Academy. His These plans include further education at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute.
[00:50:45] Then Courtland Hope Bridgers from Hickory High School will be attending North Carolina State University, the Wilson College of Textiles.
[00:50:59] Aidan Duncan attended Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy and he is headed to UNC Greensboro for Biology.
[00:51:10] Allie Catherine Elder of Hickory High School will be attending North Carolina State University for Communication and Sustainability.
[00:51:21] Hayden Ray Everly, also from Hickory High School, will attend Appalachian State University, majoring in Elementary Education.
[00:51:32] David Brian Gee II, who attended Fred T. Ford High School, School will matriculate at Lenore Rhine University. Amelia Graham from University Christian High School will be at North Carolina State University for Textile Design. Amelia Gescheidmeier from the University of North Carolina School of
[00:51:58] the Arts will be at UNC Chapel Hill studying Public Policy. Samuel McGuire from Hickory High School is headed to Campbell University. And Emma Mullis from Hickory High School will be at North Carolina State University. Sadie Osburn
[00:52:23] from Hickory High School will be at the University of South Carolina. Graham Powers from Hickory High School is headed to Furman University to study Business and Finance. Caitlin Sears from Hickory High School is going to North Carolina State
[00:52:46] University. And Jones Stahlschmidt from Hickory High School is going to the University of Tennessee, the Haslam College of Business. Kirsten Walker from Hickory Christian Academy will be at Western Carolina University to study psychology. Carter Williams from St. Stephen's High
[00:53:14] School will be at UNC Charlotte studying mechanical engineering. These are our high school graduates. We will continue to our college graduates where Lydia Helen Dean has graduated from Western Carolina University with a Bachelor of
[00:53:33] Arts in International Studies and Political Science. Britt Rumbaugh from Coker University has received the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Finance. Tripp Young from the Citadel received a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. And we have one graduate school graduate today,
[00:54:05] Dr. Mark Thomas studied at Liberty University the School of Divinity where he received the PhD in Christian leadership. These are the graduates we recognize this day. During the next song by the choir we will collect our
[00:54:41] offerings and there is information on how to give online in your bulletin or you may wait for a plate to be passed to you and offer your offering and your

[00:54:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:54:52] tithe this morning in worship. When we give, it's one of many ways that God gives to us to worship him. And so as we prepare this morning for our tithes and offerings, we want you to make sure
[00:55:24] that you give not reluctantly or under compulsion. If that's where you are, just keep your money in your wallet. But God invites us to give generously, even hilariously, back to him.
[00:55:35] And so at this time, we will worship him with his tithes in our arms.

[00:55:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:55:42] For the generosity of your people that you have moved hearts to give.

[01:00:09] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[01:00:09] And now, Lord, we pray that you would set aside these funds for your kingdom purposes and that you would maximize them for the sake of the gospel.
[01:00:18] And we ask this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[01:00:22] Amen.
[01:00:24] As we come to our closing hymn, I want to just build on what Amy had to share this morning.
[01:00:29] That is, although when Jesus went away to be ascended with the Father, it feels like he separated himself. He was actually never closer. And as he comes to us through the Holy Spirit, he really does lead us just like a shepherd. And so we're going to sing
[01:00:47] about that now by turning to hymn 461, Savior, Like a Shepherd, Lead Us. Let's sing.
[01:00:55] The Lord's benediction. Now to him who can keep us from stumbling and present us before the father's glorious presence without fault and with great joy to him be glory honor majesty and power both now and forever more amen