Yes, even after the news of this past week, even in the face of the unspeakable, Christ's hands are still raised in blessing as he works with almighty power through our witness to free sinners from the tyranny of sin. The ascended Savior is still blessing our testimony of him to heal hearts so deeply wounded, to release hearts living in the shadow of sin’s death, to bring hope where there seems to be none.

And though at times we too may feel helpless and on the verge of hopeless ourselves, though we may we feel as if this world is teetering on the edge of the abyss, yet Jesus would have us look, with his disciples, to the day of his ascension and see: No matter what history brings, no matter the triumph or the tragedy of tomorrow, Christ’s hands, nail-pierced yet now glorified, are still raised in blessing to set sinners free.