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| Summary: In an echo from Psalm 47:5 (the psalter for Ascension Day), “God has gone up.” This exaltation is more than a spectacle or a suggestion of the worldly power of God’s people. Rather, it affirms that God rules over all things in self-giving love.
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| Summary: We may feel discouraged in our ministry, as the disciples felt uncertain after the resurrection and discouraged that Jesus hadn’t restored the kingdom to Israel. Nevertheless, with the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can live out our ministry in hope and expectancy.
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| Summary: Jesus taught the disciples that the kingdom of God was at hand, and they all had a part to play in it. The kingdom continues to this day, and we all have a part to play. |
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| Summary: Before Jesus’ ascension, he tells his disciples that they will receive power from the Holy Spirit for a mission “to the ends of the earth.” The rest of Acts sketches the progress of that mission by telling of the work of different Christians, culminating with Paul’s arrival in Rome. Numerous people are at work, but it is the Spirit and Christ who guide it. Today the church has spread over the earth, but there are still unexplored areas in which it is called to mission. |
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| Summary: On the day of the ascension, Jesus lifted off and a cloud took him into the heavens. He flew out of sight, but not out of our lives. |
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| Summary: The story of Jesus’ ascension can give people the idea that real spirituality is a matter of escaping from the world and ascending to God. But Jesus isn’t abandoning the world, and he doesn’t encourage the disciples to think that way. Instead, he sends them out to bear witness to him in the world in the power of his Spirit. In the first century, the apostles witnessed throughout the Mediterranean world. Today our witness is needed right in our own country. |
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| Summary: No matter who we are, much of the significance of the date on which we leave this world is determined by what we do while we are in it. This was never truer than it was in the life of Jesus. Whatever the details of Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, the life that preceded it is what gives meaning to today’s celebration of his Ascension. This familiar story also offers much on which we can reflect if we but put ourselves in the middle of it. |
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| Summary: The focus of Ascension is not on the sky, into which Christ appeared, but on the earth, which he wanted his followers to fill with the Gospel message. He calls us to do the same today, in our homes and workplaces and our daily haunts. |
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| Summary: Clouds are often used in the Bible to speak about the presence and glory of God. When we read that a cloud took the ascended Lord from the sight of the disciples, it suggests then that he is received into the fullest communion with God. And since God is not limited by time and space, neither is Jesus. In the power of the Spirit he is active now, not just for a few people in Palestine but in the mission of his people throughout the world. |
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| Summary: The church was born in a time of transition, and it thrived against all odds because prayer was integral to that transition. So it is with the transition times in which we live. Prayer belongs to transition. |
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| Summary: Prayer changes things, especially when we do it in community. |
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| Summary: How do we select leadership in our churches? Do we sometimes overlook one key leader — the Holy Spirit? This passage speaks of the first church and how it selected someone to fill a vacancy. We can learn a lot from it regarding what is good practice and what is not.
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| Summary: After the death of Judas, the disciples met, nominated two candidates to replace him, prayed and then cast lots. That seems like an odd way to go about the work of the Lord. But regardless of what method we use to call leadership in the church, prayer is essential, as well as faith that it is God who strengthens us and makes us equal to the task. |
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| Summary: In order to have high, holy times, we need to handle everyday matters responsibly. |
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