Liturgical worship will soon focus on Christ’s ascension and session at the right hand of God the Father.  It is a bit more complicated than the child who came home from Sunday School and when asked what he had learned he replied that God the Father was angry because Jesus was sitting on his right hand.  Christ seated at the right hand signifies power and might and authority.  Christ session at the right hand of God means that we can be merciful and forgiving toward one another and that the church is a forgiveness place.  Luther wrote –

“Christ, God’s Son, became man, suffered death on the cross, but rose again and now sits at the right-hand of the Father, Lord overall, even according to his human nature, and governs and preserves his church against Satan’s wrath and all the power of the world.” Later on, “For this reason he is risen from the dead and ascended to heaven, that he might create a spiritual kingdom, in which he reigns in us through righteousness and truth. Therefore he sits above; he does not rest and sleep, does not play with Himself, but as Paul says in Ephesians 1, “has his work here upon the earth governing the consciences and the souls of men with the Gospel.”  From his session at the right hand of God Luther says “he sends the Spirit to the hearts of men. “When the Holy Spirit comes, you will be glad that I went to the father – my suffering and death will be comforting to you when you see that I live again and I come to help you and make you partakers of all the treasures I have.” Therefore, “we Christians are to become lords over all God’s creation and boastfully say of Christ: my Lord Christ, who takes my part, is Lord over all things; what shall harm me? For the Father in his infinite power has made him Lord over all creatures and all things must lie at his feet.” He says of the church on earth that is a spiritual kingdom in which Christ rules invisibly, and not with external, bodily power, but through the Word alone which the Holy Spirit will preach and thereby work in hearts of men.” He calls it “a kingdom on earth to be called the eternal kingdom of grace and always to be governed by the forgiveness of sins.