This Sunday many churches will commemorate the ascension of Jesus. It’s also the first Sunday of Pride Month for us in Central Alabama.
The Ascension of Jesus is His final recorded event in His physical body among us, 40 days after The Resurrection. But more than that the Ascension of Jesus is the culmination of Him having been humanity’s greatest example of living life to the fullest.
His Ascension could be considered a metaphor for why we celebrate Pride Month. Pride Month is about celebrating being and living as God created us to be. And more importantly, God desires for us to do this to the best of our ability. This is what Jesus, our greatest example, meant in John 10:10 when He said, “…I come that you might have life, and live it to the fullest.” The only way to accomplish this is learning to embrace, celebrate and live being all God created us to be.
In a scene from “The Greatest Showman”, Keala Settle, dons a beard, leading an ensemble in a performance of “This Is Me.” The words of the song represent the journey, the struggle and coming to terms with finally recognizing and celebrating that by God’s grace, Gloria Gaynor was right when she sang “I am what I am.”
The Apostle Paul sums up the point I’m making with these words from Ephesians 1:18, (Amplified Bible): “I pray that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which God has called you …
Join us for worship this Ascension Sunday and First Sunday of Pride Month. Gloria will sing “This Is Me.” My sermon will be “Ascend to Being All God Created You to Be!” based on Acts 1:1-11 and Luke 24:44-53, including Ephesians 1:1
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