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Dear Friends,

I’m sat in front of my computer, and I’ve realised something incredibly significant. It is Ascension Day. Having previously written about the meaning of Easter and Pentecost, it would be remiss to omit Ascension Day as we follow the year through. It is a frequently ‘underplayed’ major festival and yet the significance of the ascension of Jesus is MONUMENTAL. So, forgive me and allow me to set the record straight! Ascending. It simply means ‘going up’. Jesus is described as having been taken up into heaven. The disciples watched Him ‘go up’ into heaven (reported in Mark and Luke’s Gospel as well as in Acts chapter 1). Ascension means so much for us today. Why is Ascension significant? Well …

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  1. It establishes Jesus as the reigning king over all powers in all ages. Ephesians 1 v 20-21 says God “raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” Ascension declares Jesus’ current reign.

  2. It gives us access to God’s throne for mercy and grace.  In Jesus “we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens” (Hebrews 4 v 14),”. “Passed through the heavens” is the ascension language; Jesus passed through the heavens to be seated at the Father’s right hand (Hebrews 1 v 3). What’s the result? We can now “draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4 v 16). Ascension gives us the confidence to approach God.

  3. It provides an Advocate on earth whose presence is limitless.  In John 14 v 16-17, we see Jesus comforting his disciples with the promise that the Father will send another advocate, the Spirit of Truth. How is Jesus’s leaving an advantage for his disciples? The answer is simple. He couldn’t be with each one of his followers at once. If he had stayed on earth, He couldn’t have been there simultaneously for Peter in Rome and John on the island of Patmos. But the Holy Spirit can. Ascension means that the Holy Spirit is available to all Jesus’s followers constantly.

  4. It keeps us longing for his return. Once you’ve got close to someone and spent significant time in their presence, their absence feels like a massive void. It is the same with Jesus and those who believe in Him. He isn’t here in the flesh with us now, but He one day will be, and our hearts yearn for that day. We know He will set all things right and bring us close to Him for all eternity. The ascension creates a longing for Jesus’s return. When Jesus descends in the way he ascended, the bad times will be over for good, the darkness will lift, and all God’s promises will be brought to fruition in Christ. Ascension means Jesus’ promise to return is real and will bring restoration.

  5. It promises a personal return. Here’s the significance of the claim. ‘This same Jesus’ (Acts 1 v 11) is coming back. These words to the disciples’ shout – ‘your friend will return’. The same one going will come back. He will return in person. The eternal son, in his glorified human nature and resurrection body. The one you knew, trusted and loved is coming back. Him, not another. Ascension declares that it’s Him who will personally come back.

  6. It challenges us to ‘get on with His work’. The question asked of the disciples is so very important. They say, “men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky?” (Acts 1 v 11). Don’t just stand here wasting time! Get on with what he’s asked you to do. There’s something very human about their staring into the sky – a normal reaction to losing a loved one. But there’s something wrong in the staring. They’d been commissioned to go to the ends of the earth. It was the earth, not the sky that was to be their preoccupation. They were called to be witnesses not stargazers. Ascension directs us to the work we’re called to do.

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Why does the ascension matter? Jesus is in heaven as king. Jesus provides confident access to God. His Spirit empowers us for the work He’s given us. Jesus has gone and we should long for His return. BUT we need to stop staring into the sky. We need to trust He’s coming back. We need to get on with His work.

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After the fact – ‘Happy Ascension Day’!

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