May 29, 2025: Feast of the Ascension
Today is the Feast of the Ascension, the day we celebrate the events of our Scripture lesson. For forty days after his resurrection, Jesus meets with his disciples and others, giving them proof that he is alive and well. Doubtless, he also took some time to train and instruct them on carrying out his ministry. One of the important things he taught them was that before they could truly begin, they needed yet more power. They had to be patient and wait for the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Finally, while he is talking to them on the Mount of Olives, Jesus bodily ascends into the sky until he is too small to see. Jesus has ascended to heaven!
Why did he have to go? Why couldn’t he have stayed in Jerusalem forever? Simply put, do you think anyone would have gotten any ministry done if Jesus had stayed? Wouldn’t everyone have simply stayed in Jerusalem, or Nazareth, or wherever Jesus was? Would the church have developed and grown if Jesus had stayed? Would missionaries have crossed the oceans to convert people to the one, true God? Probably not! By creating a leadership vacuum, Jesus allows the disciples and the early church to grow up leaders able to face the challenges and issues of their time.
What a rush that must have been, to watch Jesus slowly rise up and then disappear from view. Surely, they were anxious to get back and tell everyone. They must have been like the shepherds at Jesus’ birth, eager to go and start telling everyone what they had seen.
But they don’t. They wait. They sit. They pray. They probably share some meals together. But they don’t begin their ministry until the time has come (see Acts Chapter 2).
We live in a time of activism, rushing to get products to market, anxious to move anywhere as quickly as we can. And they may be a good thing. We all know the dangers of ‘paralysis of analysis.’
Nevertheless, prayerful waiting is an important part of any good ministry. Waiting together, planning and praying for guidance is always a necessary step to starting something new. We need to patiently wait while the Holy Spirit acts to move each one’s heart in the way it should go.
Yes, Jesus has ascended into heaven. But that doesn’t mean he’s gone. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is still here with us. He is instructing us how to live well and do good ministry. Now we must set our hearts and minds to waiting for the power to act.
May we wait as patiently and productively as the disciples.
God’s peace to all,
Pastor Ken.