Do you remember what you were doing 40 days ago? Yes, you were celebrating the Day of Resurrection, Easter Day. Today is called Ascension Day. According to what Luke learned from the Apostles and the other members of the early church in Jerusalem, it was on the 40th day after Easter that Jesus departed from his followers and was received up into heaven, and was seated on the right hand of God.
What is the story of the Ascension trying to tell us? The mystery that it is seeking to share is the proclamation that Jesus who had been betrayed by one of his inner circle and deserted by all, who had been tortured and crucified as a criminal by the Roman authorities, has not only been raised up from the dead but has now been exalted by Almighty God in highest heaven. The Ascension is God’s endorsement of all that Jesus taught and did, including the Great Commission which Jesus gave to his followers and the promise that Jesus made, “I am with you always to the end of time.”
Now, we wait patiently with the disciples for the coming of the Holy Spirit, as Jesus instructed them to do.
Bible Reading: Matthew 28: 16-20; Luke 24: 44-53; Acts 1:1-11