Exegetical Discovery

As I was working on my sermon for the Ascension of our Lord, I was thinking about the end of Luke's Gospel which says, "And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy . . ." Great joy. Why great joy? Well, did you know there is only one other time Luke uses that phrase? He speaks often of joy, but of great joy only one other time - when the angel announces Jesus' birth to the shepherds (Luke 2:10). So, great joy when the Son of God comes down from the Father and is born a man, and great joy when that God-man completes His work of redemption and returns to the Father. The "good tidings of great joy" has been fulfilled. Nice Luke! Nice.