The Ascension
This past week, we celebrated Ascension Sunday, a powerful yet often forgotten moment in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. After forty days of appearing to his disciples following the resurrection, Jesus is taken up into heaven before their very eyes. As Acts 1:9 tells us, “he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.” At first glance, this might seem like the end of the story—but in truth, it is a beginning. The ascension of Christ marks not his absence, but his cosmic enthronement and the launching of the Church’s mission.
In Acts 1:8, Jesus declares, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses… to the ends of the earth.” His ascension does not remove him from the world; it places him above it, reigning in glory and empowering us to continue his work. He went up—not to leave us behind—but to lift our vision higher and send us out with purpose.
The same theme echoes in Luke 24:44–53, where Jesus blesses his disciples as he departs and instructs them to remain in the city until they are “clothed with power from on high.” As I mentioned, his departure includes a promise—the coming of the Holy Spirit. In this moment, Jesus is not only ascending to his Father but also preparing his people to go out with courage, hope, and power to proclaim the good news.
However, did you notice some of the scripture in Acts? Acts 10: “When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their site.” Then the two men in robes said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking at the sky?”
What does this mean for us today? It means the Church is not called to stand still, staring at the sky, wondering when Jesus will return. The angels’ words in Acts 1:11 challenge us: “Why do you stand looking up toward heaven?” Work begins now, friends. Christ has ascended, and we are the living body he has left behind to continue the mission—to love the world, to proclaim the gospel, to bring healing, and to be faithful witnesses in our neighborhoods and beyond.
But, friends, it is okay to look up and remember the glory that of Christ. When we look up, we are reminded that Jesus is at the right hand of God. He sees you, He hears you, He advocates for you. He’s got your back, people. Our Heidelberg Catechism reminds us on Lord’s Day 18, Question and Answer 49: “How does Christ’s Ascension to heaven benefit us? First, he is our advocate in heaven in the presence of his father. Second, we have our own flesh in heaven as a sure pledge that Christ, our head, will also take us, his members, up to himself. Third, he sends his Spirit to us on earth as a corresponding pledge. By the Spirit’s power we seek not only earthly things but the things above, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand.” So friends, look up and let us be revealed in the beauty of Christ.
Yet we are reminded, don’t look up too long: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky?” We are reminded here; there is work to be done. Let us not get stuck in spiritual stargazing. The angels remind us that Jesus has given us work to do. Acts 1:8: “You will be my witnesses…to the ends of the earth.” The disciples were to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit, but not to wait passively. They were to prepare, to pray, to expect God’s power so they could go and serve. And the same goes for us today as we await the second coming. We prepare. We pray, and we go and serve.
The Ascension isn’t just about Jesus going up, it is about us as a church reaching out. Remember our saying here in Whiting, “Reaching up, Reaching out.?” Too often churches today get stuck in the mud. We are tempted, like the disciples to keep looking up. We often wait for better times, or we wait for someone else to act. Maybe we wait for a sign, or maybe we are just waiting for Jesus to come and do it again for us. But Jesus entrusted us people, he gave us a mission: to lover, to serve, to not only preach the gospel, but to live out the Gospel in this world. And the Spirit has come to empower us to do just that.
We may sometimes feel like the disciples—uncertain, hesitant, waiting for more clarity. But Jesus has given us all we need: his Word, his Spirit, and one another. He went up so we could go out—not in fear, but in faith. Not alone but empowered. Not to preserve a memory, but to live out a mission.
On this Ascension Sunday, may we be reminded that Jesus’ glory and power are not distant realities, but present truths. He defends us against all accusations (1 John 2:1). He knows our struggles because he lived them (Hebrews 4:15). He sends his Spirit to empower and comfort us (John 14: 16).
He reigns now, and he sends us now. Let us go out, in his name, with joy and conviction—because the world still needs witnesses of his love, grace, and resurrection life.
In Acts 1:8, Jesus declares, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses… to the ends of the earth.” His ascension does not remove him from the world; it places him above it, reigning in glory and empowering us to continue his work. He went up—not to leave us behind—but to lift our vision higher and send us out with purpose.
The same theme echoes in Luke 24:44–53, where Jesus blesses his disciples as he departs and instructs them to remain in the city until they are “clothed with power from on high.” As I mentioned, his departure includes a promise—the coming of the Holy Spirit. In this moment, Jesus is not only ascending to his Father but also preparing his people to go out with courage, hope, and power to proclaim the good news.
However, did you notice some of the scripture in Acts? Acts 10: “When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their site.” Then the two men in robes said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking at the sky?”
What does this mean for us today? It means the Church is not called to stand still, staring at the sky, wondering when Jesus will return. The angels’ words in Acts 1:11 challenge us: “Why do you stand looking up toward heaven?” Work begins now, friends. Christ has ascended, and we are the living body he has left behind to continue the mission—to love the world, to proclaim the gospel, to bring healing, and to be faithful witnesses in our neighborhoods and beyond.
But, friends, it is okay to look up and remember the glory that of Christ. When we look up, we are reminded that Jesus is at the right hand of God. He sees you, He hears you, He advocates for you. He’s got your back, people. Our Heidelberg Catechism reminds us on Lord’s Day 18, Question and Answer 49: “How does Christ’s Ascension to heaven benefit us? First, he is our advocate in heaven in the presence of his father. Second, we have our own flesh in heaven as a sure pledge that Christ, our head, will also take us, his members, up to himself. Third, he sends his Spirit to us on earth as a corresponding pledge. By the Spirit’s power we seek not only earthly things but the things above, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand.” So friends, look up and let us be revealed in the beauty of Christ.
Yet we are reminded, don’t look up too long: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky?” We are reminded here; there is work to be done. Let us not get stuck in spiritual stargazing. The angels remind us that Jesus has given us work to do. Acts 1:8: “You will be my witnesses…to the ends of the earth.” The disciples were to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit, but not to wait passively. They were to prepare, to pray, to expect God’s power so they could go and serve. And the same goes for us today as we await the second coming. We prepare. We pray, and we go and serve.
The Ascension isn’t just about Jesus going up, it is about us as a church reaching out. Remember our saying here in Whiting, “Reaching up, Reaching out.?” Too often churches today get stuck in the mud. We are tempted, like the disciples to keep looking up. We often wait for better times, or we wait for someone else to act. Maybe we wait for a sign, or maybe we are just waiting for Jesus to come and do it again for us. But Jesus entrusted us people, he gave us a mission: to lover, to serve, to not only preach the gospel, but to live out the Gospel in this world. And the Spirit has come to empower us to do just that.
We may sometimes feel like the disciples—uncertain, hesitant, waiting for more clarity. But Jesus has given us all we need: his Word, his Spirit, and one another. He went up so we could go out—not in fear, but in faith. Not alone but empowered. Not to preserve a memory, but to live out a mission.
On this Ascension Sunday, may we be reminded that Jesus’ glory and power are not distant realities, but present truths. He defends us against all accusations (1 John 2:1). He knows our struggles because he lived them (Hebrews 4:15). He sends his Spirit to empower and comfort us (John 14: 16).
He reigns now, and he sends us now. Let us go out, in his name, with joy and conviction—because the world still needs witnesses of his love, grace, and resurrection life.
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