“To Infinity And Beyond”
Text: Ephesians 1:15-23
6-1-2025
In the name of our risen and ascended Lord, dear friends in Christ. After our 3 children grew up, I kind of lost touch with all the movies and toys that are popular with youngsters nowadays. Through my grandchildren I’ve become a little familiar with what’s currently popular. And out of love for them I’ve even sat down and watch some of their favorite kid movies. Out of all of them, I’d have to say that Toy Story was my favorite. The sarcastic humor in it seems to fit my personality quite well. There’s one character in the movie that I really got a kick out of. His name is Buzz Lightyear. He’s an astronaut, but he’s also a real space cadet in more ways than one. You see, even though he’s a toy, he’s convinced that he can actually fly with his jet pack and traverse the universe in his space ship. There’s a motto that he recites repeatedly: “To infinity and beyond!” What a rude awakening when he discovers he really can’t fly and is earthbound.
So, what’s that got to do with our celebration of Ascension Day? Well, as strange as it may sound, we have something in common with old Buzz. Although we’ve managed to do a little space travel over the years, in reality, we humans are stuck right here in our own celestial backyard. Even if we figure out how to travel deeper into space, we can’t ever reach the edge of our universe because we don’t know where it ends, or IF it ends. But like Buzz Lightyear we’re not even phased by that fact. Instead, we’re convinced that we can launch ourselves “To infinity and beyond!” Folks, in case you didn’t notice, that statement itself is an oxymoron. It contains two things that are contradictory of each other. Infinity refers to something without any limit. So, how can you go beyond the limits of something which has no limits?!?
And yet, when we consider the ascension of Jesus into heaven, He truly did leave this planet for “infinity and beyond!” That’s because He’s the Son of God and His divine nature is not limited by the finite things of this world. In our Epistle Lesson, St. Paul says Christ ascended to God’s “right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion.” Think about that. God in His essence is infinite. Therefore, He is far above and beyond everything in this world. This is where Jesus ascended to—the heavenly places where God dwells. And if God dwells there, then heaven must be a place which is infinite. It’s beyond and outside of the limits of the created universe.
Now I’m not trying to just present you with some deep, philosophical concept to ponder. Rather, I hope you will grasp just how marvelous the ascension of Jesus really is and what that means for us and our salvation. That’s important because our finite minds have trouble comprehending the infinity of God. And so, we tend to place limits on Him, and in particular, on Jesus Christ.
Maybe this will make more sense if we work through it together by asking and answering some key questions. Jesus ascended into heaven, right? Well then, where is heaven? I know, we point to the sky when we talk about it. That’s fair because all throughout Scripture, “up” is how heaven is referred to. As you heard in the readings from Acts and the Gospel, when Jesus ascended from the earth into heaven, He went up and skyward into the clouds. However, we know from Scripture that heaven is not a location simply “up there somewhere” out of our sight that we can travel to or reach. Its existence is outside of the boundaries of our material universe. So really, heaven isn’t up or down.
Okay then, why did Jesus ascend upward instead of down? That’s an easy one if you think about it. First of all, if Jesus would’ve disappeared down into the earth, people would forever have been digging to try and locate heaven. Besides, down is the direction that Scripture associates with hell. Keep in mind, though, that like heaven, hell is also not a place you can locate on a map and attempt to travel to. Up for heaven and down for hell are God’s way of showing us that these places are complete opposites, just as light and dark are often contrasted in order to portray good and evil. So, it makes sense that Christ would ascend upward in order to take our focus off the finite things down here in this sinful world. The best answer we can give for where heaven is would be to say that it’s where God is.
Ah, now we’re getting somewhere. Follow me here. If Christ ascended into heaven, and heaven is where God is, then where is God? Psalm 139 helps us with the answer. David asks, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” David’s point is that no matter where we might try to go, we can never escape the presence of God. He’s omnipresent. That means He’s everywhere. Not just somewhere out there far, far away. No, the truth is that He’s very near to us, just as He has promised to be. He’s here with His invisible presence everywhere we turn.
However, all throughout the Bible we read how God would periodically reveal His presence visibly to His people here on earth. The problem is that the Lord had to shield humans from His holy presence because of their sinfulness. If He didn’t, they would have been destroyed. That’s why He sent His Son into our world. Jesus Christ came, veiled in human flesh, to live among us and pay the price for our sins on the cross. Through faith in Him, we can now safely be in the presence of our holy, ever-present God.
As St. Paul says in our text and as we confess in the Creeds, Jesus ascended bodily into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God. It’s the position of power and authority. This means that along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, He rules over the whole universe. But keep in mind, the “right hand of God” is not some far, far away place. No, just as in the past, the ascended Son of God is still near and present with His people. Even though we cannot see Him, He’s here as He promised. At the end of Matthew 28, Jesus said, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Christ wasn’t speaking euphemistically. He is here with us, literally. How? In His Word and Sacraments.
The infinite God of the universe reveals Himself to His Church through these visible means in order to remind us that He is near. God is present, speaking to you when the forgiveness of your sins is announced. God is present, speaking to you through His Holy Word when it is read and preached. God is present, speaking to you through me as you hear His holy Word in the sermon. In Holy Baptism, God is there washing away your sins and creating faith. And in Holy Communion, our ascended Lord is present with His body and blood in the visible elements of bread and wine. In a very real way, through these means of grace God brings to us earthbound humans, heaven on earth. That’s because heaven is where God is, and since He’s present in His Word and Sacraments then we truly experience heaven in and through them. Us earthbound, sinful humans cannot ascend into God’s presence. He must descend and bring us a foretaste of His heaven. Here in this holy place, you are blessed to be in the gracious presence of your infinite and holy God.
So you see, Christ Jesus certainly did ascend “to infinity and beyond” because in His risen and exalted state He is the essence of infinity. His ascension into heaven was much more than Him just bidding farewell and zooming off to some invisible place. What a blessing to know that He ascended in order to be closer to us than we could ever imagine. As long as we live here on earth, we are bound by the constraints of space and time as well as the sin that drags us down. But the good news is that the Lord forgives all our sins and thus, He removes that burden that holds down our souls. And someday, when Christ calls you home to be with Him, He will draw you into His heavenly kingdom where you will no longer be earthbound in a world that is plagued by sin. There, we will enjoy God’s infinite presence without the need of being shielded from His holiness. So, we praise God that through His Church here on earth we are able to share in a foretaste of that wondrous existence as we receive His saving grace in His blessed Word and Sacraments. And we joyfully celebrate together Christ’s ascension. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!