Ascension of the Lord (MTKA)

Acts 1:1–11

In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

‘Text Message’ Reflection:
From Pastor Heather Roth Johnson

Wow! There is much going on here. Luke, the gospel writer, is continuing his work in the Book of Acts. My guess is that the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts are two different scrolls. The writers used papyrus paper to write down their accounts of Jesus. But once the scrolls were 30–35 feet long, they would have to start another one, otherwise they would be too hard to carry, so Luke is carrying on from his Gospel.

The introduction of the Book of Acts is addressed to Theophilus. We don’t really know who that is: he could be someone wanting to know more about Jesus, or he could have been a Roman soldier who believed what Luke had to say, or it might just be symbolic as Theophilus means “God lover.” Either way, Luke uses this moment to highlight Jesus in the building of God’s kingdom.

The Book of Acts spans about 30 years from the ascension of Jesus to the life of Paul, the Christian movement from Jerusalem to Rome. In these opening verses, Jesus does one more thing before his ascension. He promised the people an advocate that would come and help them on behalf of God. It’s the gift of the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit would bring them power – power to heal, to help, to cleanse, to cast out demons. The only thing they had to do was wait for it to happen.

Jesus, then, ascended to heaven, and that tells us that heaven is a real place. We might not have the GPS coordinates for heaven, nor do we know what it will be like. But just as Jesus promised heaven to the disciples, Jesus gives us that same promise. Jesus left the disciples with a blessing that there is more yet to come than we can ever imagine.

‘Text Message’ Reflection Questions:

• What do you think it would be like to write on a 30-foot scroll? What do you think that would be like to carry that around to tell others about Jesus?
• Did you know as a baptized child of God that you have been given the power of the Holy Spirit? How do you use that power?
• What do you think heaven will be like? How do we see heaven on earth?

Prayer:
Gracious God, help us to remember that your word is not for the tickling of ears but for the transformation of lives. Amen.