đź•€ Ascension of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Acts 1:1-12; Luke 24:36-53.
Read Acts 1:1-12
The sixth Sunday was the last Sunday of the Easter Season. One cannot help but see the wilful blindness of the Pharisees through their hardened refusal to acknowledge the miracle that Jesus performed in the restoration of sight in this man born blind from birth.
The Acts of the Apostles that have been read throughout the Easter Season reveals how the Gospel of Christ’s resurrection, even though first given to the Jews was rejected by many. This was what brought these Apostles of Jesus, who were devout and faithful Jews, to open their hearts to bring the good news of Christ’s resurrection to the Gentiles, glory to God.
Today is the Feast of The Ascension of Our Lord into heaven. You may recall that part of today’s reading of the Acts of the Apostles was read on Easter Sunday. (Acts 1:1-8) The whole movement we see in the Easter Season is summed up in Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:9-11, displays the Lord’s Ascension and the “two men in white apparel” basically tell the Apostles, you have been given instructions from Jesus in the form of command, now go do what He told you!
Jesus makes it very clear about His expectations of us when He says, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:14:15) He also makes it very clear we are not to be concerned when He will “restore the Kingdom of Israel.” (Acts 1:6,7) What He wants us to be truly and authentically concerned about is His return. (Acts 1:11)
This is the commission every baptized Christian is given, to Love the Lord with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your strength and to be His witness of God’s goodness to the ends of the earth. We are warned about the wilful blindness of the ways of the world and how this can deceive us from truly following the Lord. Then He leaves, He is gone. The way the disciples knew Him remains and that is what they are to bear witness to.
Glory to Jesus Christ, for He is risen; and is now taken into heaven through His Ascension and sits at the right hand in the Glory of His Father. And He will come again!