So – and this is the point I am trying to make – if I trust some unknown scientists on this, why wouldn’t I trust God’s Word even more? There are many miraculous stories in Scripture. I trust the scientists who came up with these estimates, even though I don’t actually know who they are. And as if that’s not amazing enough, the next time you are at the beach – or even at your sink – cup your hand and scoop up some water, and you will have in your hand far more molecules than there are stars in the visible universe and grains of sand in the world combined! That’s really hard for me to get my mind around!īut here’s the thing – I believe those numbers at least I believe that they are good estimates. That’s really hard for me to get my mind around. And that there are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on all the earth’s beaches. But I am also told that there are at least 200 billion galaxies in the visible universe. For example, I am told that the galaxy we live in – the Milky Way – has somewhere between 100 and 400 billion stars, our sun being one of them. There are things all around our world that are difficult to comprehend, hard to get our minds around. I don’t have to be able to get my mind around it to accept it on faith.īut, when you think about it, this isn’t just true of the stories in Scripture. What does it mean that Jesus was “carried up into heaven”? How did this happen? And is Heaven really “up”? What does that mean? If we had a large enough telescope, could we look to the skies and actually see Heaven?įor me, this story is one of many stories in Scripture that I accept on faith – not because they make sense to me, or because I can figure them out – but because it is God’s Word to me. Today we celebrate the miracle of the Ascension of Our Lord and this is one of those stories that is hard for me to get my mind around.
How about Jonah being swallowed by a large fish? How did he survive that? How could he breathe in the belly of that fish for three days? Or how about Noah? How could he fit all of those animals on the ark? How did he keep the animals from killing or trampling each other? How could he feed them all? Today’s great miracle is one of them, but it’s not the only one. Today’s great miracle, of Jesus ascending into heaven, is one of a number of stories in Scripture that I find difficult to comprehend hard to really get my mind around. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. Jesus said to his disciples: “You are witnesses of these things. Happy Ascension Day, everyone! I am not preaching on the Ascension this year, but here is my sermon from last year.
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