Week of May 25-31, 2020: “The Greatest Liftoff of All”: Luke 24:50-53
 

      “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 …liftoff! We have liftoff!” Many of you remember watching this dramatic scene of a space launch on television. As for me, I was privileged, about three decades ago, to witness such a space launch live and in person from Cape Canaveral in Florida. As I watched on, the space shuttle was lofted into its mission towards outer space.
 

      In Our Lord’s Ascension into heaven, we have what can be called “the greatest liftoff of all.” After teaching His disciples many things about the Kingdom of God over forty days after His resurrection, Jesus then ascended back to his heavenly home. Though bewildered at first, the disciples returned to Jerusalem in a spirit of great joy as they awaited the Holy Spirit’s arrival that would take place on the Day of Pentecost.
 

      “The greatest liftoff of all”: What does Jesus’ Ascension into heaven say to us? Certainly, it leaves a compelling visual image in our mind’s eye. But is there more that we can learn from it? Well, first, we have the confidence that Jesus, though now unseen, is ever present with us. The first disciples had that confidence, and, with it, great joy, right from the aftermath of the Ascension itself. We, too, can have that same confidence that the unseen Lord is always with us while we are yet here on earth (Matthew 28:20, 1 Peter 1:8-9).
 

       Then, right before ascending into heaven, Jesus commissioned his disciples saying, “You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem (the immediate local area) and in all Judea (just further out) and Samaria (nearby, but of a different culture) and to the end of the earth (the world’s farthest corners). Just over 200 years ago, the area that we now know as Elyria and Lorain, Ohio was at “the ends of the earth” when the Gospel of Jesus Christ was brought to it. We now continue to proclaim it here in our “Jerusalem” and support those who bring it out to “Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.”
 

      Yes, from the “greatest liftoff of all” we have more than just a striking visual image: We have the blessing of our unseen Lord as we carry out His loftiest mission of them all right up until the day of His return (Acts 1:11).

Your Pastor  Pastor Bill Mugnolo   Hi, I’m Pastor Bill Mugnolo and I have been serving at Zion Lutherran and at our sister congregation of St Johns in Elyria since September 2017. I was born in Baltimore, Maryland and I grew up on Long Island in New York State, in Northern New Jersey, and in Atlanta, Georgia. Since my graduation from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, I have lived in and have had an ongoing family connection to the Rochester, New York area which I consider to be my adopted hometown. I was confirmed in the Lutheran Church as an adult in 1984. I went on to seminary at Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. I was ordained on August 16, 1990 on the thirty-first anniversary of my baptism. I have served congregations in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania (1990-1998), Newark, New York (1998-2016), and Columbia Station, Ohio (2016-2017). I was joined in marriage to Sabra LeClaire of Rochester, New York on October 1, 1993. We have two daughters—, Emilia and Rebecca. I enjoy power walking, cross-country skiing, dumbbell training, travelling, and a wide variety of music. It is my great honor and privilege to serve both the Lord and you as pastor at Zion.

Wednesday and Thursday

9 A.M to 12 

440-282-8418 

Email pastor.mugnolo@yahoo.com

440-282-8418 Pastor Bill