In our Lord’s incarnation, God and man were forever united.

As the Creeds confess – the second Person of the Trinity, the Son eternally begotten of the Father, came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and of the virgin Mary.

Our God was made man. 

He took on flesh, and in that flesh he was crucified, died, and was buried. In that same body, He was resurrected and glorified, and on this day we celebrate His ascension into Heaven. 

Now Christ did not shed His body as He ascended—He did not leave it behind or transform into a mere spirit. Rather, at this very moment, Jesus of Nazareth is seated at the right hand of the Father in that same body that once walked the streets of Galilee. And this reality – that Christ’s body is in Heaven – is very good news for you this morning.

As sons of our father Adam, we were once a fallen and ruined race, engulfed in the shame of our sin. But in His incarnation, by taking on flesh, Christ has become our New Adam – a new Head for a new humanity. All who put their faith in Christ are made one with Him. As the Apostle Paul teaches, Christ is our Head and the Church is His Body. 

Therefore, when our risen Lord crossed that threshold into heavenly glory, we went in with Him. The doors that were shut by the first Adam in disobedience were flung open by the second Adam in His obedience. This is glorious news.

Remember when our Lord first came down He was bestowed the name Immanuel, “God with us.” This name has never expired. Our Lord came low in order to lift us up. In His resurrected and glorified Body He is now seated at the right hand of the Father – and so are we.

So on this Ascension Sunday the exhortation is this: live like you have ascended with Christ—because you have.

Your citizenship is now in Heaven. Here you are pilgrims and sojourners—not the kind that are merely “passing through.” But rather think of yourselves as colonists—ambassadors of a heavenly kingdom, conquering and settling the land which has been promised to You as Your inheritance.