The Ascension: Hope, Guidance, and Mission

The Feast of the Ascension

The Feast of the Ascension, also known as Ascension Day, is a Christian holiday that commemorates the bodily Ascension of Jesus Christ into Heaven, 40 days after his resurrection on Easter. The Ascension offers Christians hope, guidance and a call to mission.

The Significance of the Ascension

• The Ascension of Jesus is a core belief, alongside the Incarnation, Passion, Death, and Resurrection, as stated in the Nicene Creed.
• It signifies God’s faithfulness, completing what was begun in the Incarnation.
• This provides hope that God will draw humanity to Himself, and that human nature is not an obstacle to union with God.

The Ascension and Christian Practice

• The altar in an Anglo-Catholic church is seen as a sacred space where heaven and earth meet, and where Christ’s sacrifice is made present. It is considered Christ’s “throne” from which he dispenses grace.
• Receiving the Eucharist at the altar rail is described as being at the “threshold of heaven,” a coming together of the human and divine.
• The Ascension means Jesus actively directs operations on Earth and across the cosmos from heaven, no longer restricted by time and space.
• It also reassures believers that Jesus, having experienced human life, is perfectly positioned as an eternal guide and source of blessing and power for God’s mission.

The Ascension and God’s Mission

• Christians professing “Jesus is Lord” acknowledge his authority over all powers in heaven and on earth.
• At the end of Mass, believers are blessed and sent into the world to serve the ascended Lord.
• The sermon encourages the community to continue in God’s mission, anticipating the work the ascended Lord will accomplish through them.
• The upcoming Feast of Pentecost will celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit, who serves as a guide and source of divine power.