Ascension
The first book I wrote, Theophilus, concerned all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, Until the day in which he was received up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. To these he also showed himself alive after he suffered, by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking about God's Kingdom. Being assembled together with them, he commanded them, "Don't depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me. For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
Therefore, when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel?"
He said to them, "It isn't for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth."
When he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. While they were looking steadfastly into the sky as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white clothing, Who also said, "You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky, will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky."
For the Lord Most High is awesome. He is a great King over all the earth. He subdues nations under us, And peoples under our feet.
Sing praises to God! Sing praises! Sing praises to our King! Sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth. Sing praises with understanding.
God reigns over the nations. God sits on his holy throne. The princes of the peoples are gathered together, The people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God. He is greatly exalted!
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might Which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all rule, authority, power, dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly, Which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had sent them. When they saw him, they bowed down to him; but some doubted. Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
The apostles stand gazing upward, watching Jesus disappear into the clouds, until two messengers essentially tell them to stop staring at the sky. There's something both tender and practical about this moment - the natural human desire to hold onto what we've witnessed, and the gentle redirect toward what comes next.
Notice how Jesus frames this departure not as an ending but as a commissioning. The same authority that raised him from the dead now empowers us to make disciples of all nations. This isn't just ancient history - it's the blueprint for how the Church continues Christ's presence in the world today.
The tension here is profound: Jesus promises to be with us always, even as he physically departs. How do we reconcile his absence with his promise of presence? The answer lies in understanding that the Ascension doesn't remove Jesus from our world but universalizes his presence. No longer confined to one place and time, he can be encountered everywhere through his Body, the Church.
This has immediate relevance for our daily lives. Every conversation, every act of service, every moment of authentic witness becomes a place where Christ's presence can be experienced. When we listen patiently to a frustrated colleague, when we choose forgiveness over resentment, when we speak truth with love - we become the hands and feet through which Jesus continues his mission.
The apostles couldn't remain perpetual sky-gazers, and neither can we. The mountain of encounter must lead to the marketplace of mission. Our parishes, workplaces, and neighborhoods become the new Galilee where disciples are made.
What would change if we truly believed that Christ's authority backs every act of love we perform? How might we become more intentional about recognizing his presence in the ordinary encounters of this day? Where is Jesus calling us to stop gazing upward and start moving outward?