Christ’s gifts of healing, hope and wholeness.

Text: Luke 8:26-39

“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul” is the marvellous manner in which St. John begins his third letter to one of his Christian congregations. This greeting is so apt, we could use it in the letters we ourselves send to others. We have sayings like “The only wealth is your health”, or “If you’re got your health, you’ve got nearly everything that’s worth having.”

From the Bible, we learn of God’s concern for our health and well-being. Our Creator loves our bodies and souls, and is honoured when we care for them. Martin Luther calls caring for our bodies a Christian work, so “that through its health and comfort we may be able to work to acquire and lay by funds with which to aid those who are in need.

The Old Testament is more concerned with preventing sickness and disease than with healing disabilities and handicaps. Moses has been called the father of preventative medicine. The New Testament focuses more of healing than on health. In St. Mark’s Gospel, for example, Jesus devotes more time to healing the sick and the handicapped than He does to preaching and teaching. St. Mark sees our Lord’s healing miracles as the Gospel in action for our comfort and encouragement. These miracles point to Christ’s greatest act of healing – His dying on the cross – to heal us of sin, our greatest disease and handicap.

Our Lord Jesus is concerned about our total well-being and not just our physical ailments or handicaps. He treats both sickness and health as something spiritual with mental and physical consequences. Christ our great Physician assumes that no one possesses perfect health and no one is free from every handicap or physical limitation, since we all live in a spiritually polluted environment. He seeks to keep us healthy in body, mind and soul through our connectedness to Him. All physical healing is only partial and provisional in this life. Total healing comes only at the Last Day with the elimination of all evil and with the resurrection of the body.

By first forgiving the sins of the paralytic person let down through a hole in the roof, our Lord demonstrates that He’s concerned about more than physical good or ill health. His fantastic bestowal of forgiveness heals our consciences and frees us from the debilitating effects of guilt. His eagerness to free us from anxieties and cares of this world shows His deep interest in our emotional health and well-being. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you – you of little faith? (Matthew 6:25-30).”

Peace of heart and mind is His will for us. “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid (John 14:27).”

As we look around us in today’s world, we see tortured minds and restless souls who are not at peace within, but who hurt inside. Our Lord invites those in mental or physical agony, those weighed down with heavier loads than they can carry, to come to Him for relief and release. “Come to Me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28)” In Jesus’ time, there were many tortured souls, souls afflicted by unclean spirits, for whom our Lord showed a compassionate concern.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus and His twelve disciples cross the Lake of Galilee at great risk to their lives, during a terrible storm, in order to heal one demented outcast. Frequently, Jesus interrupts whatever He’s doing to help those in greatest need around Him. The great men and women of our world today are super-busy folk. We get the impression that they have little time to spare for interruptions and the unexpected. Not so our Lord! On His way to Jerusalem to complete His mission of our salvation, Jesus stopped. He stopped in order to help and heal a blind beggar. “Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, He is calling you.’ (Mark 10:49).”

In the demon-possessed man in this story, we see the destructive and degrading power of evil. Evil is the perversion of something that’s good – in this case, the perversion of one of God’s good creations, created in His image. Evil perverts what’s good in a self-destructive and menacing manner. Since the Son of God has become one of us, the forces of evil have also tried to “incarnate” themselves in human beings. Even today, we see the terrible destruction of good lives by the demons of addiction. We see the devastation caused by addiction to drugs, alcohol, gambling, petrol-sniffing and so on. Our doctors and professional carers and counsellors are our Lord’s allies in helping people handle and overcome these addictions.

Pessimists might say: “You can’t change human nature.” But our Lord can, and has done so. The New Testament is rich with stories of people’s lives changed by our Lord Jesus. The tormented person in today’s text has been ejected from his home. His rejection by his family must have only added to his agony. The name he refers to himself as, “Legion”, a military term, suggests the terrible battle within himself, the battle between his heart and his soul. He is known as “Legion” because he has been defeated by an army of destructive thoughts and harmful intentions.

The alien voice within the man asks “What do You want with me, Jesus?” He doesn’t want Jesus to disrupt the status quo. Sadly, we still see people who don’t want our Lord to upset their routines. There are folk locked in their addictions, trapped in the past, not letting our Lord liberate them and give them a brighter future. It’s cause for immense rejoicing when we see someone’s life totally transformed by Jesus. The Gospels picture how Jesus is surrounded with the feeblest of people – those paralysed, the handicapped and disabled, lepers and the lame – because they have no one else to turn to. Jesus has come to help the helpless. Our Lord helps those who cannot help themselves.

So much of His healing ministry occurs behind the scenes, as our Lord respects people’s need for privacy. Our divine Physician adopts a low profile to make it easier for the battered and the bruised, sufferers and invalids in His community to come to Him. The weaker a person’s faith, the easier Jesus makes it for the needy person to believe in Him. Jesus made it easier for all of us to believe in Him and His power to help us, by becoming one of us.

After Jesus healed this deranged individual, we learn that he sits at Jesus’ feet, being taught by our Lord, and is “in his right mind”. What a beautiful outcome! Our Lord’s healing of people has a greater purpose than simply the relief of suffering. He heals people so that their relationships with their families and friends can be restored. That’s why Jesus says to the healed man “Return home and tell how much God has done for you (v.19).”

Today’s Gospel has a message of hope for those for whom every day is a battle with depression, haunting anxieties, compulsive behaviours and fears of the future. What Jesus is doing in your life right now has everything to do with a better future for you. Never forget Romans 8:28 – “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.” Display this message prominently in your home as a constant reminder of God’s design for your life. Jesus responds to your prayers for your own health and for the better health of your loved ones according to His loving wisdom, with either relief, with the gift of courage and endurance, or by giving you renewed hope.

St. Paul learned that he was more effective for God with his handicap (his “thorn in the flesh”) than he was without it. The Greek Orthodox Church calls the handicapped “the holy ones”, because they remind all of us of our need for God and of our own limitations. Wisdom is to know your limitations and to live within them with the help of our Lord. His unconditional love for each of us is the greatest of miracles. It’s a further amazing miracle that so many people believe that Jesus can really make a difference in their lives, and help them in a way no one else can.

To believe in prayer is to believe in miracles. Martin Luther says “Faith is prayer and nothing but prayer.” We cannot be whole without prayer. Our Lord comes to us with His healing power in our worship. In Holy Communion, He continues His healing ministry among us. What’s why, after receiving Holy Communion, we thank God for “this healing gift”. “We must … regard this sacrament … as a pure, wholesome medicine which aids and is life-giving in both soul and body. For when the soul is healed the body has benefited also (The Large Catechism).” Thank the Lord for that!

One of our hymns says it well:
At evening when the sun had set,
the sick, O Lord, around You lay:
in what distress and pain they met,
but in what joy they went away!
Your touch has still its ancient power,
no word from You can fruitless fall:
meet with us in this evening hour
and in Your mercy heal us all!
Amen.

All working together

Text: John 16:12-15.

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

Here today in just these few verses we are given an insight into the workings of God and that which is important to him; and this then has an impact on who we are and what we are on about as well.

Now here in this reading we are reminded of how the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; the three members of the Trinity are at work in our world today. The thing that strikes us very strongly is that they are all working together, from their different positions and roles within the Godhead. That is they are at work making known to us that which is of God and which is important for us: that which is all truth. Very clearly, however the point is made that this knowledge has to do with Jesus and what he has said and done for us as he lived on this earth.

Now here Jesus begins by telling us that The Spirit of truth is come to guide us into the things that are important for us to know: the truth. This Spirit, we are told elsewhere, proceeds from the Father and the Son, and will make known to us only that which he hears from them. His sole purpose is to lead us to faith in Jesus Christ, which in turn brings glory to Jesus. He therefore, is sent to us, to make known to us all that Jesus said and did through his life, death and resurrection. The things yet to come, are a reference to Jesus death and resurrection which was yet to come, and which were of great importance for our salvation.

In that regard the Holy Spirit has often been regarded as the shy member of the Trinity. His focus is not on himself and what he does, but has come simply in order to make salvation through Christ, by grace through faith, known to us: to bring us to this knowledge and to help us to trust in this message, so that glory may in turn go to Jesus Christ and from there to the Father. He does not speak or act on his own behalf; as an independent agent, but only of that which he has received from the Father through the Son.

This then highlights the work of Jesus whilst he was here on this earth. God himself come to us, so that he might save us from the hell we have brought on ourselves through our rejection of God and our failing to live under his authority and Word. He took the punishment we deserve, on himself, so that we in turn might be forgiven and assured of life and salvation. Then he was raised from the dead so that we can be assured that he is for real and that eternal life is now there for all who are in Christ.

All this is from the Father. Everything Jesus had and gave he had in common with his Father. The divine love and power is reflected from the Father through the Son, and then made know by the Holy Spirit. All are working together to bring forgiveness, life and salvation to us all. There we have the greatness of our God, and that which we truly thank and praise him for.

But this work and cooperation has continued on from there. This Good News of Jesus Christ has been proclaimed year after year ever since. It has brought life and salvation down through the ages to many, many people. Through the Word and Sacraments, the Spirit has made known all the truth that surrounds Jesus’ death and resurrection that we need to know. Around the world, people have come to faith in Jesus Christ. And glory is going to the Father for all the goodness that he has extended to us.

This goodness and work even now goes on here. The Spirit of truth is still at work, seeking to guide us into all truth. Salvation by grace through faith is still being proclaimed. The emphasis of Christ alone, grace alone, scripture alone and faith alone are still held up in some quarters as vital. Jesus death and resurrection is still the focus in preaching and teaching. The Triune God is continuing to work together to ensure that this message of Jesus continues to go on.

This is surely then also where we join in this important work of God. As we allow the Spirit of truth to work in our lives we too will be focussing all that we say and do on Jesus Christ and the importance of his death and resurrection for our salvation and life. Like the Spirit, we will not act as independent agents, but will act under the guidance of the Spirit and under the authority of God himself. We too will only speak of what has been passed on from Christ as of first importance. As we do, we can be sure that God’s work will go on and continue to bear fruit.

So today, we are reminded again that God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all working together with one purpose in mind: Each in their different roles and priorities, all with the same end in mind.

The Spirit of truth is sent to lead us into all truth: The truth and importance of Jesus Christ and all that he has done for us through his death and resurrection. In this, the love and power of the Father is extended to all people.

So also then, when we focus on that same message we know that we too are being joined into that work of God himself. We also know that where that message is, and is proclaimed, that it will bring blessing. But more importantly, glory will go to our Lord Jesus Christ. That in turn will bring glory to the Father. Here again as I conclude this message let us remember that to God alone, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, belongs all glory and honour, now and always.

AMEN.

Holy Spirit – remind, teach, comfort.

Pentecost Sunday,
John 14:8-17, 25-27

Grace, peace and mercy to you from God our Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The sermon for this Pentecost Sunday is based on John’s gospel reading.

25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

It was exciting for me to find out I was preparing a sermon for this Pentecost Sunday. Where we focus on the Holy Spirit. A topic I covered in the Foundation of Christian Beliefs course I did with Pastor Mark. At the same time, when I looked at today’s gospel reading, I thought to myself, this is going to be a challenge. Pastor Mark has just walked us through John’s gospel last year. How could I follow that? How could I find something new and fresh to talk about?

Then I stopped for a moment and prayed. ‘Lord, may my words be pleasing to you, and a message to those who hear.’ This brought me relative calmness and peace. Just like Jesus’ closing words in today’s gospel reading, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid’ (Jn14:27).

The Church calendar covers similar themes year in and year out. Some may see this as boring repetition, others a harmonic rhythm. A sense of familiarity and, dare I say, ‘comfort.’ Pentecost is one such event in the Church year. It is a reminder of the coming of the Holy Spirit, and an opportunity to reflect on its purpose and importance in our lives.

Looking back, we are reminded of the things Jesus did for the believers of Christ and all creation. We are reminded that despite the worry in the world, loneliness, rejection and fear, Jesus will always be with us. Jesus says ‘I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever’ (Jn14:16).

At the same time, we also look forward. We look forward to the hope. A hope that we will rejoin our Heavenly Father. Hope that comes in the form of the Holy Spirit, who comforts in times of need, and guides us in Jesus’ teachings. The Spirit encourages us to lovingly share the good news that “when we call on the name of the Lord, we will be saved” (Acts 2:21).

In the reading for today, John shares Jesus’ final words with his disciples. That he will soon leave them to fulfil his father’s will. With Jesus returning to the Father, he will go ahead and prepare a place for them. But Jesus assures them that they will not be alone. That, despite physical separation, they will not be orphaned. Jesus’ parting gift is one of ‘comfort.’ He will send a comforter, the Holy Spirit, to guide them in truth. To remind them of all that he has said. He said they didn’t need to be afraid or troubled of heart, for he was with them. Jesus’ parting gift is one of ‘comfort.’

I recently visited my parents in Ipswich and was gifted my ‘lambie.’ This used to be my comforter when I was very young (VERY YOUNG). I used to carry it around with me, sleep on it, and sleep next to it. Lambie and I were never far apart. Just ask Mum when she tried to wash it. Now, despite the comfort that Lambie provides, there are a few issues:

Some people are allergic to Lambie. If I gave it to our daughters, they will break out in hives.
I can’t really take Lambie with me wherever I go. Could you imagine a 46-year-old me walking around with Lambie today? No doubt, I would get some looks.
And Lambie is a little small for me to sleep on now. Not very comforting at all.

I suppose you could say Lambie’s ‘comfort’ comes with limitations. There are restrictions. But where Lambie fails, Jesus never does. Jesus gives us himself. That he and the Father are one, inseparable beings. And the same goes for the Spirit and the Son. That despite his departure, he remains with us in Spirit and will return. He offers togetherness. The Spirit is a personal guarantee of Christ’s presence among believers. Unlike Lambie, the Spirit is with us always, always comforting, always teaching and always guiding.

Now, this promise is hard to believe. Hard to believe when we live in a world where seeing is believing. How do we believe in something we cannot see? Something we cannot touch. This is the same thing the disciples struggled with. And they had Jesus under their nose. He was there doing the Father’s work and performing signs. There in the flesh and blood. And yet Phillip asked Jesus to show him the Father. Show me the Father and then I will believe. They were calling for comfort and assurance from Jesus that everything will be ok.

And Jesus gently rebuked them. He said, ‘you already have!’ If you see me, you see the Father (v9). Believe in my word, for my word is truth (v11). And if you don’t believe my word, well, believe my works (v11). That’s pretty clear, isn’t it? That Jesus and the Father are one. That, despite the separation anxiety the disciples faced, their Lord would not orphan them (v18). That the Spirit was to remain with them, to be with them no matter what they faced. Just as the Father and Son are inseparable, so too are the Son and the Spirit.

Jesus promised that He and His Father would come in the Spirit. He would make a home with those who love and keep His Word (v23). This is a profound and incredible promise! A promise of God taking up residence in His faithful people. The Spirit is moving house, and it happens in this Pentecost period. He has his bags packed full of comfort and assurance. No Lambie required. He comes through fire and wind. He comes in his word. The Word made flesh and sent to earth to dwell among us. Who cleared the pathway to the Father through his death and resurrection. The Word, present in the waters of baptism and with us today in the bread and wine. And when we meditate on the scripture, when we pray, we share in the Spirit. He is there interceding for us, translating and guiding us through his teachings.

Yes, there will be tough seasons in our lives. Jesus never promised that life would be easy and free from pain. We will go through seasons of suffering, despair and loneliness. We will feel abandoned. We shout, WHY ME? And it is there that he meets us. Where we least expect him. Where there is no hope, he is the hope. The Spirit nudges our eyes upward to the cross. Where we see death, there is life. Life through the death of the Son who reconciles us to the Father. He paid the price for our salvation, rescuing and reclaiming us from powers we cannot overcome.

And when the darkness lifts and the light shines through, we look back on the scars of life. They serve as a wonderful reminder to us. That despite what happens in our lives, or around us, we are not alone. That there is comfort, mercy and love. Or as John reminds us in the words of Jesus, Peace, not as the world gives (v27). A peace that brings ultimate comfort.

Dear friends, Pentecost serves as a wonderful reminder that we live forever with God. It reminds us of the abiding presence of Christ in those who love and keep His Word. We will never be alone again for we live with the Holy Spirit. So, seek the word and meditate on it. Prey boldly and proclaim the good news. For we draw comfort from an ever-present, indwelling Holy Spirit. A promise that as co-heirs and children of God we will share in His glory (Rom8:17).

“Behold, I am making all things new.…write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”(Rv21:5). These words are true. So “do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (v17), for “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Acts2:21).
Amen.

Garth Schultz

Lord Jesus, as you sent your Holy Spirit to the disciples on the day of Pentecost, filling them with boldness to proclaims the good news of your death and resurrection, so send us out in the power of the same Spirit to witness to your truth, so that people everywhere may be drawn to the fire of your love and comfort. Amen.

Prayer from Pastor Mark Worthing.

Jesus is ascended and present

The Text: Luke 24:44-53

Saying farewell to loved ones is never easy. Imagine what it would be like to have some of your family live interstate or overseas. Saying farewell to those family members would be something you unfortunately would have to do often. Saying farewell is like you are being torn apart from those whom you love most. Sure, we trust that we shall see one another again; we just don’t want to be separated. To be apart seems against the nature of what it means to be family.

As Jesus ascends into heaven, He says His farewells to His disciples, He raises His hands in blessing while He disappears into the clouds, but His disciples are delighted. There is no sadness or tears. They don’t know when they would see Him again and that didn’t bother them. The disciples are filled with joy and celebration that Jesus ascended to heaven.

How different this is from when Jesus was last taken from them in the garden. When He was arrested they were more than grief stricken. They were lost. They scattered like sheep without a shepherd.

Why the difference at Bethany? The answer is the power of the resurrection.

After rising from the dead Jesus appeared many times to the apostles and hundreds of His disciples, but He never stayed with them. He always went away. He always came again. Each time the truth of His resurrection from the grave was confirmed in their hearts and minds. Jesus had conquered our greatest enemies for us.

Before ascending at Bethany Jesus opened the Scriptures and they understood that everything written about [Him] in the Law of Moses, and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. Jesus’ ascension was part of God’s plan. He had to go to heaven because at the right hand of the Father Jesus can best do His work and rule His kingdom.

Had Jesus remained upon earth in visible form, He would still be in Palestine to this day. We would be able to go on a pilgrimage to see Him and hear Him preach, maybe shake His hand. Then we would return home and Jesus would stay in His place, and we would be apart. We could remember the great time we had with Him and look through the photos of the trip, but we would live separate lives.

But from the right hand of the Father, Jesus rules His kingdom in such a way that He can be with all His disciples and they can be with Him. Through the word we hear Him speak with us. He sent the Holy Spirit to preach truth in our hearts and be our Comforter. Do not think that Jesus has gone and is far away from us. The very opposite is true. While He was on earth, He was far away from us; now He is very near. He is in our hearts. He is in this place.

It is comforting to know that our Lord is near, in our heart and mind. It can also be confronting to know that Jesus is so near that He sees all our sins. We can feel guilty for treating the gift of life so poorly as to sin every day. The flesh thinks Jesus comes near to condemn us. Nothing could be further from the truth. He has done everything to earn our place in heaven and He grants us that inheritance as a gift.

Having gone ahead of us into heaven Jesus stands before the Father as our advocate. He displays the wounds in His hands and side as sufficient payment for our sins. He speaks to the Father on our behalf. His crucified body is the bloody sacrifice that bought us peace and His resurrected and glorified body is our hope of eternal life.

Standing around out at Bethany, the disciples were beginning to understand all this. From the newly opened Scriptures they could see that Jesus, while reigning in heaven, would also be with them in a new and powerful way. He was not in a fixed place, but present in all places that His people gathered. He can be wherever He chooses, but He is always where He promises: in the Word, in the Holy Sacraments, with the baptised children of God. Since Christ’s ascension, God is with His people as He has never been before.

And this is why the disciples were filled with joy and worshipped Jesus as God. Their risen and ascended Lord was with them, and with all believers across time and space. Ruling from heaven He has unlimited power and authority. Jesus rules through His Word. Through the preaching of the Gospel Christ forgives sins and washes away guilt. Jesus expands His kingdom by speaking words of grace and mercy through both pastor and laity, so that the Church is built up in grace and the world comes to know the love of God. Through the Spirit working in our hearts Jesus grows His kingdom.

Speaking His Word, growing His kingdom, saving sinners, that is what Jesus does every Sunday. This is why we have come to worship today. To hear that Jesus died for us, was raised on the third day for us, ascended into heaven to prepare a place for us. His forgiveness and life are ours.

Christ has given us His Word to proclaim it to the world. He gives the Holy Spirit to all believers to make us aware when to speak the Gospel, when to show love in our actions, when to serve silently.

Friends of Jesus, our Lord sends you as He sent the first disciples. He sends you out with power from on high, power to speak His name, power to suffer and endure it. That power is given through Word and Sacrament. That power is received and put in to action by faith.

And you don’t go alone. Jesus has promised to go with you. He sends you and walks the path with you. He sends you to your family and your friends, your neighbours and your enemies. He sends you to love not to fight, to speak not to argue, to suffer not to conquer. He sends you out as His lambs among wolves, but lambs marked with the sign of the Lamb of God and claimed by His love. You are witnesses of His saving love in this world.

At times you will be hated and persecuted. You will struggle in many ways. You will even hurt. But by the Word and the Spirit you have life that cannot be taken away, because Jesus can’t be taken from you. You will live out that Word and speak the Word and the Word will bear fruit. Many will hear and many will believe. We may never see the fruit but we trust Christ at His Word; we faithfully plant and we leave the harvest up to His timing.

Jesus’ ascension to heaven was not His farewell. Ascending on high is how He comes to each one of us. He comes in the hearing of the Gospel. He comes in the water and the Word. He comes in bread and wine at the altar where He promises to meet with you; to forgive you and give you His life. He comes in the spoken absolution. He comes in the sharing of the Good News between believers. Jesus is present with us in a more powerful way than when He rubbed shoulders with the disciples in Palestine.

Jesus comes to us and He has gone before us. He has gone to prepare a place for you, a place of rest and peace away from this valley of tears. He promises, “In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” (Jn 14:2)

As we look forward to the day when we enter into our eternal home, we continue loving God by serving our neighbour. We love them with the love of the ascended Christ who is in us and working through us and alongside of us.

He is here, and we are there, because He has said that He is in us and we are in Him, and He is able to keep that promise because He lives and reigns at the right hand of the Almighty.

You can be certain that Jesus walks with you. You are free to live your life and free to share God’s love. Hold fast to the Gospel and let it change you. Keep coming to the Eucharist to receive Jesus into your body for your forgiveness and strength and life. We are not separated from Him, He is very near to us. He is with you now and always. Amen.

Let’s pray. Almighty Father, as Your only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, ascended into the heavens to rule over the universe to the benefit of His Church, may He rule our hearts by the Gospel that we may strive to do all things according to Your will. In His name we pray. Amen.