Thursday 21 May 2020. I’m walking along the prom, quite early, and it’s rather cloudy but pleasant. (Certainly not like Thursday just gone) I see over the sea a striking column of light from the sky to the horizon, sort of slicing the clouds in two. Pretty special, more so given that it was Ascension Day 2020 and we were well into lockdown during the pandemic. So, I told myself that I had seen a meteorological manifestation of the ascension, and I was very happy about that. Especially given the times we were living in, during most of 2020. It was actually just a shaft of light between the clouds, but I didn’t care. I was determined that it was that manifestation.

We are coming to the end of the liturgical season of Easter, the Easter story. The time had come for Jesus to bring full knowledge of God to the world and in doing so to bring eternal life. This He has done by His death and resurrection. And His subsequent ascension. But what about His disciples? They have put all their trust in Him over the past three years, but they will be left behind in the world after He has been taken from it. They will need God’s protection after Jesus leaves this world, even more so in all that lies ahead for them. And they will indeed meet some turbulent times ahead.

After His resurrection, Jesus spent forty days appearing to His disciples, teaching them about the Kingdom of God, and offering them reassurance in their faith. But on the fortieth day, something extraordinary occurred. Jesus was taken up into heaven, not in secrecy or solitude, but before the very eyes of His disciples.

So today we are celebrating Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, the actual feast day having been Thursday just gone. But just what is the Ascension and why do we celebrate it? It happened 40 days after Jesus’ resurrection and at first glance, it may seem like a departure—a goodbye. But in truth, it is a turning point, a commissioning, and a promise all in one. Luke tells us that Jesus was “taken up before their very eyes” (Acts 1:9). This is not just an exit—it is an exaltation. Jesus does not fade away; He is lifted up. This lifting up is not simply physical—it’s spiritual, symbolic, and royal. The Ascension marks the enthronement of Jesus. The Lamb who was slain is now the reigning King. The Ascension does not mark the end of Jesus’ work—it marks the continuation of it through us. So rather than it being the end, it is pretty much the beginning. The real work starts now, once He has Ascended.

Perhaps, as the disciples stood on that Mount of Olives, a mix of emotions swirled within them. Wonder at the sight of their beloved teacher being lifted into the clouds, yes, but also perhaps a sense of loss, of being left behind. They had walked with Him, learned from Him, their lives irreversibly changed by His presence. And now, He was going. They thought they had lost Him at the crucifixion; then they found Him again at the resurrection. Now they appear to be losing Him again, or at least, that must have been how it initially seemed. 

But the Ascension is not an ending; it is a beginning, a transformation. It marks the completion of Jesus' earthly mission and the inauguration of his universal reign, where He sits at the right hand of God the Father, and from where He intercedes for us to the Father.

But He didn’t leave the disciples, or us, powerless. He promised the Holy Spirit, and ten days later at Pentecost, that promise came true. The Spirit is the power and presence of Jesus still among us. So while He ascended in body, He remains with us in Spirit. The Ascension marks the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells his disciples that it is to their advantage that he goes away, "for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you" (John 16:7). The Holy Spirit, the very presence of God dwelling within us, equips us, guides us, and empowers us to continue the work that Jesus began. We are not alone; we are not abandoned. We have the divine Advocate alongside us, among us, working within us and through us. We are not passive recipients of grace—we are active bearers of it. Christ’s mission to redeem and restore is now our mission too. It is once we leave these church walls that we enter the mission field, not while we are within them. Out there…….that is where the real work of mission takes place.

As the disciples are standing there gazing into the sky, two angels say, “This same Jesus… will come back in the same way you have seen Him go” (Acts 1:11). The Ascension is not just about where Jesus went—it’s about where history is headed. It’s about where we are going, where He is taking us.

He will come again. Not in weakness, but in glory. Not to be crucified, but to reign forever. Every injustice, every sorrow, every broken heart will be met with His returning presence. And every tear will be wiped from every eye…..

The time between Ascension and Pentecost is a time when prayer is really important. Prayer is important all the time, it’s our means of closely communing with our God, but as the disciples awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit prayer was perhaps their greatest comfort. We can emulate them as we pray for more people to say ‘Yes’ to Jesus, for more people to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. And when we find it hard to pray, or what to pray for, we must remember that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us through wordless groans, as St Paul assures us in Romans.

Let us be empowered by the Holy Spirit to be his hands and feet in the world. And let us live with our hearts and minds fixed on the heavenly realm, eagerly awaiting his promised return. The Ascension reminds us that Jesus' work is not finished; it continues through us, his body, the Church. As he ascended, he commissioned his disciples, saying, "You will be

my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). This same commission rests upon us today.

So to re-emphasise, as Jesus was lifted up, as He ascended, He did not leave us behind. He sent His Spirit, at Pentecost, which we will celebrate next week, and He will come again. Until then, we worship, we witness, and we wait. This is the blessed hope that sustains us as we journey through life, facing trials and uncertainties.Therefore, let us go forth, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to be witnesses to the love and grace of our ascended Lord. Let our lives reflect the hope that is within us, the hope of sharing in his eternal glory.