When the Church gathers, it regularly remembers Christ’s ascension. The words “He ascended into heaven” are found in the three ecumenical creeds Christians use to confess their faith. In addition, the Church sets aside a day each year to focus on Christ’s ascension. This is for good reason. Jesus’ ascension marked the fact that his work was complete, in one sense. Never again will a sacrifice for sins need to be made. However, Jesus’ ascension also marks that, in another sense, his work is just beginning. Through the Church, Jesus now proclaims forgiveness of sins throughout the world.

The Church consists of people like us who are often weak and timid witnesses for Christ. So, Jesus promised to send us his Spirit to give us power from heaven, that we might take the gospel to the ends of the earth. More, he ascended into heaven and sat down on the throne of God. He lives and reigns over everything for the benefit of his Church.

The entirety of God’s Word can be summed up in one word: love. God’s Law is all about love. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart…” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37, 39). The Gospel is all about love: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…” (John 3:16). From His compassion for the sick and broken, to His sacrificial death on the cross, to the peace He provided after His resurrection, Jesus was the perfect embodiment of love. Love is His business.

Therefore, love is our business too. The resurrection reality is that with the same supernatural power by which God raised Jesus from the dead, God now enables us to live a new life—one marked by radically selfless love. The motivation and ability to do this comes from seeing the endless love Christ has for us. We love only because He first loved us.