A parting blessing

Luke concludes his orderly account in an orderly way: he shows us the person, the risen Lord Jesus; he identifies the place, Bethany outside Jerusalem; he describes the posture, our Lord's hands lifted in blessing; he speaks of the parting, as he is carried into God's presence in that pose; and he underscores the praise that rises from the hearts of people who are persuaded that Jesus, their Prophet, Priest, and King, lives and reigns.