The Ascension: Commissioned to Be Christ’s Loving Presence

Devotional

Day 1: Mountainside Commission

The eleven disciples climbed the Galilean slope, dust clinging to their sandals. They saw the risen Jesus – some knelt, others hesitated. His voice cut through doubt: “All authority is mine. Go make disciples of nations.” No roadmap, just a promise – “I am with you always.” Their mission began where His earthly work ended. [10:55]

Jesus didn’t leave strategies but Himself. The Ascension didn’t remove God’s presence – it expanded it through Spirit-empowered followers. Authority now walked in fishermen’s feet, tax collectors’ hands.

Your workplace, family, and grocery line are your Galilee. Hear “Go” not as burden but as invitation to Christ’s ongoing story. Where have you let doubt silence your commission?

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:19-20, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to show you one person today who needs His presence through your words or actions.
Challenge: Text or call someone who’s spiritually searching within the next 2 hours.

Day 2: Baton in Shaking Hands

Duck Smith’s family leaned close as he distributed imaginary properties with a newspaper carrier’s final breath. The nurse marveled at non-existent estates. But the real inheritance wasn’t buildings – it was the work of daily faithfulness. [11:34]

Jesus passed His mission to ordinary people – not property deeds, but the costly treasure of embodying God’s love. The disciples’ hands shook like Duck’s, yet they carried resurrection power.

We inherit newspapers, not empires. What routine task feels insignificant? Jesus transforms delivery routes into holy ground. When did you last see your daily work as part of Christ’s commission?

“And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes.”
(Acts 1:9-10, ESV)

Prayer: Confess areas where you’ve minimized your daily influence for Christ.
Challenge: Write down three “ordinary” tasks you’ll do today as acts of discipleship.

Day 3: Head to Body Hope

Clouds enveloped the ascending Christ as disciples craned their necks. Angels redirected their gaze earthward – the real miracle wasn’t the disappearing Lord but the appearing Church. Where the Head went, the Body would follow. [14:13]

Jesus’ physical absence became the Church’s spiritual catalyst. His elevation didn’t abandon us but authorized us. We don’t stare skyward – we extend hands soup-kitchenward, keyboardward, diaperward.

Your daily labor lifts Christ’s banner. The Ascension makes dishwashers and spreadsheets sacred. What mundane act can you reimagine today as part of Jesus’ ongoing ascent through His people?

“He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.”
(The Apostles’ Creed)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for empowering your earthly work through His heavenly reign.
Challenge: Perform one chore today prayerfully, imagining Christ overseeing it.

Day 4: Channels, Not Miracles

The nurse misunderstood Duck’s legacy, focusing on phantom buildings. Sarah clarified – the real work happened through ink-stained hands delivering dawn papers. Jesus’ followers needed no miracles, just mouths speaking His love. [15:06]

Pentecost power comes disguised as patience with cranky neighbors, honesty in business deals, courage in hospital rooms. Our “newspaper routes” – teaching toddlers, fixing pipes, balancing books – become communion chalices.

Where have you dismissed your influence? Christ needs no superheroes – just servants showing up. What ordinary channel will you dedicate anew to God’s communication today?

“And we too have been blessed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Our mission today is to be the loving and caring presence of Jesus.”
(From the Sermon)

Prayer: Ask the Spirit to make you attentive to one “unremarkable” moment for divine connection.
Challenge: Compliment three people today on their unseen acts of service.

Day 5: Dewfall on Daily Bread

The priest lifted the host – wheat transformed through Spirit’s whisper. At Mass, we taste the Ascension’s logic: earthly elements become heavenly conduits. Our work becomes worship when soaked in the “dewfall” of God’s presence. [21:13]

Jesus didn’t abandon matter but hallowed it – ascending in flesh, sending Spirit to bread, wine, and us. Your hands handling keyboards, steering wheels, or surgical tools handle sacred things.

What daily “element” feels most disconnected from God’s work? The Spirit hovers over your commute, spreadsheet, and sink full of dishes. How will you invite consecration into your routine today?

“Make holy these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(Eucharistic Prayer, Roman Missal)

Prayer: Thank God for three physical objects in your work/ home and ask Him to sanctify their use.
Challenge: Set a phone reminder to pause and bless your lunch as holy communion.

Sermon Summary

Matthew sets the Eleven on a mountain in Galilee where worship and doubt stand side by side. Jesus speaks as Lord: all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. On the strength of that authority, he sends them to make disciples of all nations, to baptize into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, to teach everything he has commanded, and he seals the charge with a steady promise, I am with you always to the end of the age.

The Ascension traces a full circle. The Son comes from the Father for a mission and returns to the Father having done what he was sent to do. Yet the movement up is not a stepping away. The Eucharistic prayer names it clearly: he ascended not to distance himself, but to make the members confident of following where the Head has gone. The return to the Father opens a way and marks a handoff.

That handoff sounds like a baton. Jesus does not leave a plan, a map, or a portfolio. He leaves people and a promise. Trusting the Father, he places his work in their hands and says he will be with them. The presence is not physical. The presence is personal and powerful in the Holy Spirit who is poured out at Pentecost. The Spirit will be their strength, their counsel, and their courage.

The task itself stays clear and ordinary. The call is not first to perform miracles or work wonders. If such gifts come, they serve love. The heart of the mission is to be the loving and caring presence of Jesus in today’s world. That presence looks like patient kindness at home, mercy in community, and faithful truth in public life. It looks like words that carry grace and hands that carry burdens.

On the World Day of Social Communications, the charge lands close. Communication is not only platforms and posts. Communication is a life that becomes a channel through which God’s love reaches families, parishes, and society. The Great Commission gives the scope, the Ascension gives the confidence, and the Spirit gives the company for the road. The Head has gone before in glory. The body is called to follow in hope and to work in love until the end of the age.

Key Takeaways

1. The Ascension brings Christ full circle The movement is return and completion. The Son comes from the Father for a mission and goes back to the Father having accomplished it. His going is not retreat, but fulfillment that opens a path for those who belong to him. The circle closes so that a new journey for the church can begin. [13:45]
2. Authority sends disciples to the nations Jesus roots the sending in his universal authority. The command to make disciples, baptize, and teach grows from who he is, not from human strategy. Obedience to this commission rests in trust that his words carry the weight to sustain the work. Scope is global because his lordship is total. [10:55]
3. The mission baton passes to disciples The work of showing the Father’s love moves from Jesus’ hands to theirs. He leaves no road map, only the assignment and his trust. Responsibility matures disciples because it pushes them to lean on the Father as he did. The handoff dignifies ordinary believers as stewards of divine love. [14:13]
4. Christ stays with them by Spirit His promise, I am with you always, names a real companionship. Not seen, yet no less present, the Holy Spirit strengthens, guides, and consoles. Courage grows when presence is trusted more than circumstances are measured. Pentecost turns the commission from a burden into a shared yoke with the living Lord. [14:51]
5. Ordinary love becomes holy communication The mission looks like being a loving and caring presence where life actually happens. Words, gestures, and daily faithfulness become channels through which God’s heart is communicated. In a noisy world, embodied mercy speaks with unusual clarity. This is witness that makes the gospel believable. [15:06]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:39] - Donor dedications and intentions
[02:17] - Penitential Act and Kyrie
[02:47] - Gloria in excelsis
[03:41] - Collect for Ascension hope
[10:26] - Gospel reading: Matthew 28:16-20
[11:34] - Duck Smith story and setup
[13:14] - No roadmap, trust in the Father
[13:45] - Ascension as coming full circle
[14:13] - Baton passes to the apostles
[14:51] - I am with you always by the Spirit
[15:06] - Mission as loving, caring presence
[15:34] - World Day of Social Communications
[16:14] - Profession of Faith
[19:53] - Preface: Ascended not to distance himself
[21:13] - Eucharistic Prayer and consecration
[24:40] - The Lord’s Prayer
[26:35] - Communion and invitation
[28:03] - Prayer after Communion and blessing
[28:34] - Dismissal and thanks

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 28:16-20 (ESV)
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Observation Questions

In Matthew 28:17, the disciples’ response to Jesus is described as a mix of worship and doubt. What does this reveal about the nature of faith even among those who witnessed Jesus firsthand? [10:26]
Jesus grounds his command to “make disciples of all nations” in his authority (v. 18). How does this authority shape the disciples’ motivation for their mission? [10:55]
The sermon mentions that Jesus “leaves no road map” for the disciples but entrusts them with his work. How does this contrast with typical human strategies for achieving large goals? [13:14]

Interpretation Questions

Why might Jesus emphasize his universal authority (“all authority… heaven and earth”) as the foundation for a mission that includes “all nations”? How does this connect to the global scope of the church’s calling?
The Ascension is described as Jesus “coming full circle” by returning to the Father. How does this completion of his mission give confidence to believers today? [13:45]
The sermon states, “The presence [of Jesus] is personal and powerful in the Holy Spirit.” How does the Spirit’s role fulfill Jesus’ promise to be “with you always” (v. 20)?

Application Questions

Jesus’ mission includes “ordinary love” like patient kindness and mercy. What is one practical way you can intentionally reflect this kind of love in your home or workplace this week? [15:06]
The sermon says communication is “a life that becomes a channel for God’s love.” How can your daily interactions—online or in person—shift from merely sharing opinions to embodying grace? [15:34]
When have you hesitated to step into a responsibility (e.g., serving, leading, or speaking truth) because you felt unprepared? How might trusting Jesus’ promise of presence (“I am with you”) change your response next time?
The Ascension is meant to give believers “confidence of following where the Head has gone.” What fear or uncertainty do you need to surrender to live more boldly in that hope? [20:10]
The sermon highlights that the disciples’ task was “clear and ordinary,” not focused on miracles. Where do you feel pressure to achieve “spectacular” results in your faith, and how can you refocus on faithfulness in small, daily acts?

Sermon Clips

For the Lord Jesus, the king of glory, conqueror of sin and death, ascended to the highest heavens as the angels gazed in wonder, Mediator between God and man, judge of the world and Lord of hosts, he ascended not to distance himself from our lowly state, but that we, his members, might be confident of following where he, our head and founder, has gone before. Therefore, overcome with paschal joy, every land, every people excels in your praise, and even the heavenly powers with the angelic hosts sing together the unending hymn of your glory as they acclaim. [00:19:47] (77 seconds)

But in another sense, the ascension marks the passing on of the baton by Jesus to his followers, to his apostles. During his public ministry, Jesus in his words and in his actions showed the loving nature of God. And now that responsibility for that ministry is being passed on to his followers. However, he makes it clear to them that they will not be alone in their task. [00:14:09] (37 seconds)

Now, we are all familiar with the frequently used saying, to come full circle, which means that people are things having set out on a journey or on a task have returned to where they started. They have successfully completed the cycle and are back at the beginning. Now in one sense, the ascension celebrates Jesus coming full circle because having come from his heavenly father to accomplish a particular mission, he returns back to the father having achieved what he was sent to do. [00:13:19] (50 seconds)

However, he makes it clear to them that they will not be alone in their task. I will be with you always, he tells them, not physically, but spiritually through the Holy Spirit given at Pentecost, which we will celebrate next Sunday. Now sisters and brothers, as followers of Jesus in today's world, we are interested with the same mission today. [00:14:39] (31 seconds)

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The Ascension: Commissioned to Be Christ’s Loving Presence

Devotional

Day 1: Mountainside Commission

Day 2: Baton in Shaking Hands

Day 3: Head to Body Hope

Day 4: Channels, Not Miracles

Day 5: Dewfall on Daily Bread

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

The Ascension: Commissioned to Be Christ’s Loving Presence

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