While Jesus was blessing them, he withdrew from [his disciples] and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God. (Luke 24:51-53)
Somehow it can be easy to overlook Ascension as just part of the transition from Easter to Pentecost, a moment of farewell in the fifty days between Cross and Resurrection and those tongues of flame marking the gift of the Spirit and birth of the Church, a date to tidy away the Easter garden.
Ascension is too important, too exciting, to be passed over. It is not simply Jesus’ au revoir to his disciples but the key moment in a new phase of their lives then and future; a key moment for our life and living.
In our Sunday gospel readings so far this month we have heard Jesus tell his disciples that he goes to prepare a place for them in God’s house and that, in going, he will return to take them to himself (John 14:2-3). Having brought rescue and restored relationship with God into our lives through his human presence, death and resurrection on Earth, now by his ascension he carries our human lives into eternal relationship with God.
Then we heard Jesus say he would not abandon his disciples, but God would fill them with the Holy Spirit, and even after Jesus was no longer visible to the world, he would still be there for them and “because I live, you also will live” (John 14:18-19).
This Sunday, in Acts 1:8, we will hear Jesus promise that when the Holy Spirit comes, we receive power and become his witnesses in the world.
Without the Ascension we could not have the Holy Spirit and full life now (John 16:7); without the Ascension there is no place prepared and waiting for us in God’s eternal life. Without Ascension there is no Pentecost and no Church.
Because of that assurance and challenge as we approach the third of the great festivals of the church year, we also enter another period of anticipation and preparation – the days between now and Pentecost. These days, whether we count them as starting today or tomorrow, are a time to join with the first disciples in waiting and in joy.
This is active waiting: a time to be sharing worship and of blessing God for his gifts and those promises Jesus has made to us. It is also time to think about the implications of those gifts and promises for us as Church and to be preparing ourselves once more for the job of being people of the Risen, Ascended Christ.
The Church of England has, since 2016, provided special prayer resources that can be used by churches and by individuals throughout Ascensiontide as part of this preparation. Joining in this project, ‘Thy Kingdom Come’, is an opportunity to be part of the unity and force for change that is the Spirit at work around and through us. Joining in can be as simple or as creative as feels right for you.
Thy Kingdom Come’s hope is “that more people might hear the Good News of Jesus Christ and respond to His love.
Everyone is encouraged to:
- Pray for five people they know to come to faith in Jesus
- Engage in prayer and mission in their local contexts
- Join with Christians across the world in this season of unity, purpose, and spiritual renewal”
Archbishop Sarah Mullally has written this year’s Novena (literally ‘nine days of prayer’) – a collection of readings, reflections and prayers for each day of Ascensiontide. She says,
“prayer is not simply about asking God to change the world. I’ve come to realise that it’s as much about asking God to change us … if we truly mean them, our prayers have to be accompanied by action, just as the Apostles burst into action after Pentecost, empowered by the Holy Spirit. If we truly long for our Five (people we are praying for during this season) to encounter God, why should it not be through us?
We can be the hands of Christ to those who need them. With God’s help, we hold the possibility of being the answer to our own prayer”
If the thought that you are being called here to ‘burst into action’ like the Apostles at Pentecost is daunting, may I commend the thoughtful meditations of Archbishop Mullally’s novena and the simplicity of praying daily during this season for the faith and flourishing of five people you know in whatever way works for you. We may never spot just how these prayers are answered but we can be confident that God will be doing something with our praying – in the lives of those prayed for or perhaps in our own lives.
And if you would like ideas for creative prayer and action to use yourself or to share with friends and family, do dip into the Thy Kingdom Come Bright Ideas resource at:
https://share.google/lN4hYNhWtyILmmjtq
Thy Kingdom Come – Novena 2026: God With Us
https://share.google/G8jgWp0qPir7pp2en
Thy Kingdom Come – https://www.thykingdomcome.global
Lucy G
Image taken from the cover of Thy Kingdom Come: God With Us, using a photograph by Sarah Hu from Unsplash