“Then he led them [out] as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God.” (Luke 24:50-53)

The major theme for this Feast of the Ascension of the Lord focuses on the departure of Jesus Christ to the heavenly Father for us to prepare for the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Pentecost and to receive Him next Sunday.

Christ teaches us that he must go to the Father for Him to send the Holy Spirit to us. Christ’s departure causes great separation anxiety to many disciples. However, it is a necessity that Jesus goes to the Father because, as Jesus explains, if He does not go, the Holy Spirit will not come to us, the disciples. Jesus once spoke to Mary Magdalene: “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (John 20:17). Therefore, we need to let Jesus go and appreciate all that He has done for us and develop our patience to wait for the arrival of the Holy Spirit.

The Ascension of Jesus means: (1) the final victory of Christ; (2) the completion of Christ’s work; (3) his becoming Lord and king over all people; and (4) his final exaltation and glorification by the Father. After the resurrection from the dead, Jesus is not “formally” recognized as the victorious Savior of all. He is not yet glorified as the Messiah, the Christ. It is on the Ascension that Jesus becomes “formally” glorified and recognized as our Victorious Lord and Savior.

God does not want us holding a relationship of Transaction but Transformation. Therefore, Dynamic Christian disciples are those who (1) BELIEVE, (2) GROW, (3) SERVE, (4) LOVE and (5) LEAD others to Jesus. Today’s topic invites us to appreciate what our Ascended and glorified Christ has done for us and to prepare for the coming of the Holy Spirit to renew our lives to glorify God.  

How can we help each other recognize the victory of the resurrected Christ Jesus ascended to the almighty Father in heaven who is always ready to share his glory with us, helping us get rid of our fear of failure, being alone, unappreciated, misunderstood or death?  

Wishing everyone a blessed week in the Lord.