Grace to you, in the name of Jesus, risen and ascended. Amen.

The fields around us are alive with new growth. I was out on County N this week, and I saw the first corn sprouts breaking through the soil, tiny green shoots reaching for the sun. It’s a sight that always makes me smile, because Spring brings life and warmth, and it’s where we are today in our “Glimpses of Grace in the Grain” series, celebrating the sprouts of grace.

We’ve sown seeds, waited patiently, tended the soil, faced weeds, been watered by the Spirit, and now we’re seeing the signs of God’s grace breaking through, just like those sprouts after a spring rain.

Summer is getting closer. The days are getting warm, the fields are showing life where once cold barren soil was on display. The air smells different, better. If you’ve been reading the Bible with us, you read 1 Kings 2 this week, where Solomon’s reign begins with a new promise, much like the new life we see in Jesus’ ascension.

Picture a farmer kneeling in his field at sunrise, marveling at those first sprouts, knowing the harvest is coming. That’s what Ascension Day is about, Jesus ascending to the Father, sending the Holy Spirit, and bringing the first sprouts of grace to our hearts. Let’s see how we are part of this new growth.

The Ascension Brings New Growth

Let’s start with Luke 24. After His resurrection, Jesus appears to His disciples and opening their minds to understand the Scriptures. What had been kept hidden, what had been God’s plan, known only to us through a promise, was now revealed more fully. Jesus shows them:

Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations.¹

Then He leads them out to to Bethany, near the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus who now only two months earlier was called from the tomb and raised from the dead. Jesus blesses those gathered there, gives them one more directive, and ascends into heaven to return to His throne. Verse 52 tells us:

They worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.

This is the first sprouts of grace breaking through. Jesus’ ascension isn’t an end, it’s a beginning. It’s not undoing His incarnation. He is not shedding His body. He is going back to the Father to return to the throne and there govern all things. He is there physically in a body that still displays the scars He received so we could be free. He ascends to the Father, sending the Holy Spirit to water His Church, and the disciples are filled with joy, ready to share the Gospel, that Good News.

Ascension Day shows us grace is sprouting in us: forgiveness, joy, and a mission to share. Have you felt that joy lately, knowing Jesus is with the Father, interceding for, praying for, advocating for, us.

The Spirit Empowers Growth

Turn to Acts 1:1-11. Luke tells us Jesus spent 40 days with His disciples after His resurrection, speaking about the kingdom of God. He tells them in verse 8:

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.²

Then, as they watch, He ascends, and two angels say:

This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go.

This is the Spirit empowering that growth in those first young sprouts. The disciples are sent out, not alone, but with the Holy Spirit’s power to grow the Church. The Spirit does that for us, empowering us to share Jesus care, victory and promise. Ascension Day reminds us Jesus is reigning, and the Holy Spirit is with us. People need to hear about that love. Inviting them here is a good place for them to see it and experience it.

The Harvest of Ascended Glory

Looking at Ephesians 1:15-23. Paul prays for that young congregation in Ephesus, asking for them, that:

the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you.

Verse 20 says God:

raised [Jesus] from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority.

This is the preparation for harvest of grace. Jesus’ ascension secures our hope, filling us with confidence and His power. Just as the first sprouts in the garden or field are a promise of the harvest. Jesus’ ascension is a promise. His reign brings grace that grows to eternity.

Law and Gospel: Barrenness Meets Growth

What matters in real life, when those barren at times come, is the hope in that promise. The Gospel, warm as the Summer sun, is that constant reminder of God’s promise. The Holy Spirit empower us, and in Ephesians 1 promises a hope that fills us with His power. That is why you can know, whoever you are, where ever you are, you’re welcome here, even when, especially when, your heart feels barren. Take one step this week. Resolve this week to stop in here and hear more about it.

Cliffhanger

What happens as the crop matures, blown by the Spirit’s wind? Next week, on Pentecost, we’ll see the winds of harvest. We will see the Holy Spirit moving and empowering us us to bear fruit. We will learn how the Spirit moves you. You will not want to miss that!

Conclusion

Let’s celebrate the first sprouts of grace, trusting Jesus’ ascended reign and the Holy Spirit’s power to grow us. As we head into the week, let’s be good soil where sprouts of grace grow into maturity and render a bountiful harvest. Take some time to read Luke 24 and Acts 1 this week. Then maybe invite a friend. Bring them along next Sunday for the great and ancient festival of the Pentecost celebration to see the Spirit’s wind move.

Heavenly God, thank You for Jesus’ ascension and the sprouts of grace that grow in our hearts. Help us grow by Your Holy Spirit, as we invite and welcome others here. Amen.

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