Grant, we pray,
Almighty God, that as we believe your only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ
to have ascended into heaven, so we may also in heart and mind there ascend,
and with him continually dwell; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
It
is good to be with you all this evening to celebrate the Ascension of our Lord
Jesus Christ. You know, in this pandemic situation, it would be easy for us not
to have this liturgy. Even in a normal year, if we had more than 50 people here
that would be a good crowd. But I want to commend you all for taking part in
this liturgy. In the midst of so many unsettling things, it’s so important for
us to gather, even virtually, to recount the story of Jesus with each other, to
give our thanks and praise for God’s goodness, to be nurtured in God’s grace, and
to celebrate that by the Ascension, Jesus reigns as our King, our Judge, our
Lord. In the presentation of the Ascension in the Gospel text from Luke, there
are four distinct movements. By paying attention to those actions, we’ll gain a
better sense of the grandeur of the Ascension and its importance in our faith.
