Festival of the Ascension of our Lord
Posted on May 26, 2022 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 24:44-53 (NKJV)
24:44 Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things.
49 “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.
Devotion
Today is the Festival of the Ascension of our Lord into Heaven. There are four major Feasts in our church year: the Nativity, the Resurrection, Pentecost, and the Holy Trinity. We also have “festivals of our Lord” and “festivals of the saints of the church.” These are the lesser commemorations. There are over 40 “festivals of the saints of the church” (and other church-related commemorations), but there are only a few “festivals of our Lord,” Annunciation, Circumcision, Epiphany, Transfiguration, Presentation, and Ascension. Of these, Ascension is a crowning jewel, so to speak, in Jesus’ crown. When we confess the Ascension of Christ in all three ecumenical creeds, it is not just His ascending into heaven, but also ascending to a throne in heaven to reign! For example, “He ascended into heaven; He sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty; from whence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead” (Athanasian Creed).
It is also important for our faith to see that the Ascension is not a reversal of the Incarnation; as if in the Incarnation Christ came down from heaven, and then in the Ascension Christ simply went back up. No, the Ascension is not a reversal of the Incarnation but its fulfillment! Christ does not ditch His human body when He returns to heaven. Instead, He returns to heaven still incarnate, but with a resurrected body. In Him, that is our hope for us as well.
Prayer: Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that like as we do believe Thine Only-Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to have ascended into the heavens, so may we also in heart and mind thither ascend, and with Him continually dwell; Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
