May 11, 2026
Dear fellow redeemed,
On May 14, the church will celebrate The Ascension of our Lord. As we read in Acts 1, after Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to his disciples and spoke about the kingdom of God for 40 days. He then “was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight” (Acts 1:3, 9). We also learn from Scripture (Luke 24:51; Ephesians 1:20-23; Hebrews 1:3) that Jesus ascended to the right hand of God in heaven.
So what does this mean for us? The Scriptures refer to the Lord’s Ascension as a return to the glory of God (Philippians 2:9-11). Certainly “the right hand of God” refers to a position of honor and glory.
But Is Jesus now far from us? The simple answer is that the Ascended Lord is now as far away as heaven is from the earth. But what is heaven, and where is it? I think the best definition of heaven is “where God is”. And the Bible clearly tells us that God is with us. So the Ascended Lord is not far from us.
In fact, the Ascended Lord is now closer to us than when He walked the earth. During His life on earth, Jesus was in Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jerusalem; only in one place at a time. But when He ascended, Jesus no longer was limited by space and time. He now is where God is, above all of creation (see Ephesians 1:20-23 for more on this).
So while Jesus walked the earth, if a person wanted to see and be with Jesus, they needed to go where he was, walking in Galilee, in a boat, on a hill, etc. Now the Ascended Lord can be with each and every one of us, just as God is able to do this, all the time!
This means that you and I actually have a huge advantage over those first disciples who walked the earth with the Lord. Because we don’t have to wait until Jesus is finished talking and listening to Siimon Peter, or Matthew or John. You can talk with the Lord in prayer whenever and wherever you need to or want to. And each one of us can be assured of the promise, “I will be with you always” (Matthew 28:20).
May you go forth each day in the confidence that our Lord is with you as you face the trials and challenges of life.
With the Lord and you, as God’s dearly loved people,
– Pastor Steve
Pastor Steve’s 2-Minute Devotion – 5/13/26
Pastor’s Monthly Update – May 2026
Dear fellow redeemed,
I need your help!
Here’s what I’m referring to: God is at work among us, and in our community. And I want to join you in learning where God is at work, and joining Him as we serve our Lord, and one another. So let’s get together and listen to God and one another; try things that can reach our neighborhood; reflect on how it is going; and share with one another.
And this is what I pray will happen: we will see God’s work, and we will be led to follow the Holy Spirit as He leads us to be an encouragement and service to one another.
Here’s a few ways that we can do this:
1) Join us for Sunday services, where we will hear God’s Word, receive the Sacraments, and have opportunity to listen to one another.
2) Take other opportunities to listen to the Scriptures, in daily devotions, in the Bible studies at RLC, and in podcasts and conversations with one another.
3) I sincerely want to meet with each of you, one on one, and listen to how God is at work in your life; ask how I and our congregation can help you; and join you in ways that we can serve our Lord.
4) Pray! Ask God to bless us, to lead us to join Him in our community, and to be with us, our congregation, and community.
With you and our Lord,
– Pastor Steve
Redeemer Lutheran Church - Hartford, WI 