Ascension - The King That Will Return

May 18, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Staring at Empty Sky

The disciples stood frozen on the Mount of Olives, eyes fixed where Jesus had vanished. Cloud fragments dissolved into blue as angels broke their trance: “Why stand looking into heaven?” For forty days they’d touched resurrection flesh, heard kingdom teachings, eaten broiled fish. Now hands that bore nail marks lifted in final blessing before disappearing. Their feet stayed rooted like children watching taillights fade after a goodbye. [05:20]

Ascension anchors our hope in a reigning King, not a departed ghost. Jesus’ physical absence confirms His bodily rule over galaxies, pandemics, and parking tickets. Those same scarred hands now hold cosmic authority – for your sake.

You’ve stood at life’s driveways too – graduations, hospital exits, gravesides. Christ’s ascension transforms goodbyes into “see you laters.” Where are you staring at empty sky instead of trusting His active reign?

“After he said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven?’”
(Acts 1:9-11a, CSB)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to show you one situation where He wants you to trust His reign instead of staring at loss.

Challenge: Text someone you’ve lost touch with: “Christ’s ascension reminded me of you. How can I pray for you today?”

Day 2: Sent With Unfinished Questions

Peter fidgeted as Jesus outlined their mission. “You’ll be my witnesses… to the ends of the earth.” The fisherman who’d denied Christ three times now carried forgiveness to nations. Around him stood doubters, questioners, a tax collector – yet Jesus declared “you will receive power.” No final exam, no proficiency test. Just a promise: the Spirit would come. [08:46]

God specializes in sending unprepared people. Moses stuttered. Esther trembled. You needn’t master theology to share your story. The disciples’ confusion didn’t disqualify them – it highlighted Christ’s sufficiency.

What’s your “I’m not ready” excuse? Fear of questions? Past failures? Jesus sends you anyway, armed with His victory, not your eloquence. When did you last testify to Christ’s work despite your doubts?

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
(Acts 1:8, CSB)

Prayer: Confess one specific fear that hinders your witness. Ask for boldness in that area today.

Challenge: Share one sentence about Jesus’ impact on you with a cashier, neighbor, or family member before sunset.

Day 3: Scars At The Father’s Right Hand

Calloused carpenter palms now govern creation. The throne room resounds with nail clicks as Jesus gestures over your life. Hebrews says He always lives to intercede – not with abstract deity, but with resurrection-body memory. This King knows hunger, grief, and betrayal firsthand. His rule smells like sawdust and salvation. [12:42]

Every crisis bows to scarred hands. Your anxiety? Under His jurisdiction. That broken relationship? Within His redeeming reach. Ascension means Christ’s humanity permeates heaven’s control center.

You approach God through a Mediator who yelled “I thirst” and wept at graves. How does Jesus’ embodied reign change how you pray about physical or emotional pain?

“He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens – far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given.”
(Ephesians 1:20-21a, CSB)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for ruling with nail-pierced hands over three specific struggles in your life.

Challenge: Write “SCARS REIGN” on your wrist or phone wallpaper as a reminder of Christ’s embodied rule.

Day 4: Joy In The Not Yet

Clouds swallowed their Lord, yet laughter echoed down the Olivet slope. Luke says they returned to Jerusalem “with great joy” – not because circumstances changed (Rome still oppressed, dangers remained), but because presence became promise. The blessing lingered like perfume after the Blesser left. [15:49]

Christian joy thrives in tension. We ache with earth’s brokenness yet feast on heaven’s certainty. Like wedding planners working amid chaos because they’ve seen the bride’s dress, we labor knowing the outcome.

What “not yet” pain threatens to steal your “already” victory? How can Christ’s ascension-fueled joy reshape that struggle today?

“While he was blessing them, he left them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.”
(Luke 24:51-52, CSB)

Prayer: Praise Jesus for three “already” victories in your life while naming one “not yet” struggle you entrust to Him.

Challenge: Sing a hymn of joy (like “Crown Him With Many Crowns”) aloud today, even if you feel heavy.

Day 5: Until The Cloud Returns

The angels’ promise hung thick as olive pollen: “He’ll return the same way you saw Him go.” Every Ascension Day plants a flag in time – not just commemorating departure, but counting down to reunion. Farmers sow fields, mothers rock babies, and martyrs kneel, all beneath the same sky that split open to receive our King. [17:41]

Christ’s return isn’t metaphor. Flesh-and-bone Jesus will descend through actual clouds. Every goodbye between believers breathes “see you later.” Even death becomes a temporary separation.

How does the physical certainty of Christ’s return alter your view of a recent loss or fear?

“They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.’”
(Acts 1:11, CSB)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to make His return your anchor in one specific area of uncertainty or grief.

Challenge: Write “HE COMES” on a sticky note. Place it where you’ll see it during a routine task today (e.g., computer, mirror, steering wheel).

Sermon Summary

We remember Ascension Day as more than a calendar note. We confess in our creeds that Christ ascended and sits at the right hand of the Father, and we hold that confession as central to our life together. We see the ascension not as abandonment but as coronation: the crucified and risen Christ now reigns, intercedes, and sends on behalf of his people. We watch disciples who stand staring after him and recognize our own tendency to freeze in uncertainty when the future looks unclear. We acknowledge that the Lord opened Scriptures to his followers and taught them about the kingdom, yet they still misunderstood and asked the wrong questions. We accept that Christ does not wait for flawless faith before commissioning his people; he promises power through the Spirit and sends imperfect disciples to witness in their neighborhoods and to the ends of the earth. We celebrate the sending of graduates and evangelists as a natural fruit of the ascended King, a sign that the church always moves outward under royal reign.

We hold the ascension as good news for our sorrows and departures because the ascended Christ rules over nations, death, grief, doubt, and our limited plans. We remember that the nail-pierced hands that bore our sins now bless from heaven, and that those hands rule with mercy and presence. We treasure the sacraments, the word, baptism, absolution, and the Lord’s Supper as places where the ascended Christ fills his church with forgiveness and grace. We live between the now and the not yet: standing in both longing and joy, sent into homes, schools, and workplaces while we await the visible return of the King. We take comfort that every goodbye remains temporary because the same Christ who ascended will come again in the same way, and then all sending completes in resurrection and reunion. We therefore go, witness, and bless, confident that Christ reigns for us now and will return to make faith sight.

Key Takeaways

1. Ascension means Christ reigns now We affirm that the ascension crowns Christ as Lord over all rule and authority, not as a distant figure but as the reigning Savior who rules for the church. That reign shapes how we face instability, illness, and fear because the one who bore our scars governs history for our good. Expect his rule to intersect daily life in concrete mercy and justice. [11:08]
2. Sending precedes flawless faith We learn that Jesus commissions disciples who still question, fear, and misunderstand, and he empowers them through the Spirit to witness anyway. Sending does not require spiritual perfection; it requires trust in his promise to be with us and to work through our weakness. This truth frees us to serve now rather than waiting for some imagined readiness. [08:15]
3. Goodbyes are temporary, hope endures We hold the angelic promise that the same Jesus who ascended will return the same way, which reframes every departure as provisional. That future return transforms grief and parting into expectant hope, because resurrection and reunion await. Live and send with long-term confidence rooted in that promise. [17:23]
4. Presence in sacraments assures blessing We recognize that the ascended Christ fills his church through word and sacrament, offering real presence in baptism, absolution, and the Lord’s Supper. These means of grace are not mere symbols but encounters with the reigning Lord who blesses and sustains us. Return to them regularly to receive the assurance of his reign and mercy. [16:27]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:32] - Ascension easily forgotten
[01:28] - Creeds confess the ascension
[02:01] - Ascension: reigning, sending, interceding
[02:29] - Sending graduates and evangelists
[05:03] - Disciples standing and longing
[07:03] - Confusion about the kingdom
[11:08] - Ascension as coronation and reign
[15:01] - Living now and not yet
[17:23] - Promise of return and hope
[18:43] - Sent into the world

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Acts 1:6-11 (CSB)
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 After he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them. 11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven.”

Luke 24:50-53 (CSB)
50 Then he led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 And while he was blessing them, he left them and was carried up into heaven. 52 After worshiping him, they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they were continually in the temple praising God.

Observation questions

In Acts 1:6, the disciples ask Jesus about restoring the kingdom to Israel. How does their question reveal their misunderstanding of his mission? (See sermon example: “They’re still thinking political” [07:03])
What two contrasting reactions do the disciples show in Acts 1:10-11 (staring upward) and Luke 24:52-53 (returning with joy)? How does this tension reflect the “now and not yet” reality?
According to Acts 1:8, what does Jesus emphasize as the source of the disciples’ ability to witness, even while they lack clarity about the future?

Interpretation questions

Why might Jesus have chosen to commission the disciples before resolving their doubts and confusion (Matthew 28:17; Acts 1:6)? What does this reveal about his priorities for his followers?
The sermon states, “The ascension is not Jesus abandoning his people. It’s Jesus reigning for his people” [15:36]. How does Christ’s reign in Ephesians 1:20-23 redefine what it means to feel “abandoned” in hardship?
The angels in Acts 1:11 redirect the disciples’ gaze from the sky to the world. How does this moment reframe the purpose of Christ’s physical absence?

Application questions

The sermon says, “Sending does not require spiritual perfection; it requires trust in his promise” [08:15]. Where do you hesitate to serve or share your faith because you feel unqualified? How could Christ’s promise in Acts 1:8 change your next step?
“Every goodbye remains temporary” [17:23]. How might this truth reshape how you process grief, transitions, or seasons of waiting?
The disciples returned to Jerusalem with joy despite uncertainty (Luke 24:52). What practical habit could help you cultivate joy in Christ’s reign when your circumstances feel unstable?
The sacraments are called “encounters with the reigning Lord” [16:27]. How could prioritizing baptism, communion, or confession deepen your awareness of Christ’s presence this week?
Graduates and evangelists are sent “beneath the reign of the ascended Christ” [18:43]. What fears about your vocation or calling diminish when you remember Jesus rules over your future?

Sermon Clips

39s

#AscendedKingReigns

“Evangelists witnessing can can feel intimidating at times, and it is. Church, the world can feel unstable and chaotic, and it is. But ascension means Jesus reigns over it all, and he does. He reigns over it all. Jesus reigns over nations, over death, over fear, over cancer, over grief, over your future, over your career, over your failures, over your doubts. Ascension means Christ reigns not someday, but right now, today.”

24s

#FearAndJoyBoth

“And it might seem like there's two different things going on, that there's two different accounts, which would be problematic because the same author wrote both of them. So what's going on here? What is Luke trying to get us to see? Are they scared, looking up, frozen in fear, or are they returning with joy to Jerusalem? And the answer is yes. Both.”

32s

#SentImperfectWitnesses

“Jesus ascends, and immediately his people are sent into the world. And notice sharing Jesus is not presented as as having every answer or becoming spiritually elite or set apart. The apostles still have questions. They still have fears. They still have weaknesses. It's simply telling others what Christ has done for sinners, that this is what Christ has done for me. That's what it means to share our faith.”

26s

#GoodbyesAreTemporary

“The ascension points us forward too, that this ascended king, he will return, which means all of our goodbyes are temporary. Temporary. Every funeral, every grave, every tearful departure, every airport hug, every hospital goodbye is temporary. Because Christ will return bodily and visibly just as he ascended.”

29s

#HallelujahChristReigns

“So evangelists can go on proclaiming Christ crucified and risen, so that the church, we can stop standing frozen, looking up in fear, but know with assurance, your king reigns. Your sins are forgiven. Your future is secure. Your savior will return so we can confidently say, hallelujah. Christ is ascended. He has ascended indeed. Hallelujah.”

29s

#AscensionMeansPresence

“Filling his church with forgiveness, filling us with mercy, filling us with grace, filling us with life. The ascension is not about Jesus becoming distant, it's about Jesus reigning everywhere for his people. The angels say to those disciples there on that ascension day a promise that the same Jesus will come back in the same way.”

25s

#AscensionNotRetirement

“The ascension is not Jesus retiring. He's not laying aside anything and saying, I did my work. Now it's up to other people. No. The ascension is his coronation. The ascension is his enthronement. The ascension is his reign. The crucified and risen Christ now rules over all things.”

23s

#ChristPresentInSacraments

“And friends, that ascended Christ is still with his people blessing them, present in his word, present in holy baptism, present in the absolution spoken over you this day after your confession, present this day at his table with his true body and blood through bread and wine at the Lord's supper. He is present in blessing.”

26s

#ChristFillsAllThings

“And that's why we can treasure the Ascension today so deeply, that Jesus isn't trapped in one geographical location. The ascended Christ fills all things. Later in the book of Ephesians, Paul marvels at this in Ephesians four, and he says, he who descended is the one who ascended far above all the heavens that he might fill all things.”

27s

#ScarredSaviorRules

“For you, the one ruling history is not a distant tyrant disconnected from the world he has redeemed. The one ruling history still bears scars in his hands. The one seated at the father's right hand is the same Jesus who touched the lepers, who forgave and restored Peter, who wept at Lazarus' tomb, who carried the cross, who died for sinners.”

25s

#GodUsesTheImperfect

“Because we often think that that God can only use us once once we finally got everything figured out, once we've stopped any doubts, once we've cleaned our lives up, once we become somehow spiritually impressive, once we know all the answers. But Jesus doesn't wait for perfect disciples before he sends them. If he did, nobody would ever go.”

24s

#ChristHeadOfTheChurch

“He reigns and he rules. For whom? Well, Paul tells us, verse 22, he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church. To the church. For you, the one ruling history is not a distant tyrant disconnected from the world he has redeemed.”

20s

#ReigningIsEnough

“Acts chapter one is filled with people who do not fully understand the future. But they do know this, the most important, that Jesus is reigning, that Jesus promises, that Jesus sends, that Jesus goes with them, and that that is enough. It's more than enough.”

19s

#AscensionNotAbandonment

“So, yes, at first they stand here upward. Who wouldn't? The one who changed everything in their lives has disappeared into the clouds. But then they finally begin to understand. The Ascension is not Jesus abandoning his people. It's Jesus reigning for his people.”

24s

#ReturnedWithJoy

“That's why Luke can say they returned with joy. Not because they understood every detail, not because the future looked easy, not because persecution wouldn't come, but because they knew the crucified and risen Christ reigns at the father's right hand for them. The one who ascended is still the one blessing them.”

33s

#SentUnderHisReign

“But until that day, the church lives in the tension between ascension and between its return. But not abandoned, not forgotten, not alone, sent. Sent into our homes, sent into our schools, sent into our neighborhoods, sent into our vocations, sent into witness. Beneath the reign of the ascended Christ, we are sent.”

22s

#NowAndNotYetLife

“It's the two realities of being a follower of Jesus. It's living in the tension of the now and the not yet. Jesus is gone from their sight, yet Jesus still reigns. Jesus has ascended, yet Jesus still blesses them. Jesus sends them into the world, yet promises to never leave them.”

26s

#SeatedFarAbove

“Sometimes people think the ascension means that that Jesus went away, but the scriptures say something far greater than that. Check out what what Paul writes in Ephesians chapter one. He says that God raised him from the dead and seated him, that is Jesus, at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion.”

30s

#AscensionMatters

“The church keeps confessing the ascension of Jesus Christ because it matters deeply. It's not an epilogue that's just kind of tacked on the end of Easter. It's not just Jesus disappearing. It's not Jesus abandoning his people. The ascension is Christ reigning, Christ interceding, Christ sending, Christ ruling all things, especially for his church.”

21s

#ResurrectionAndReunion

“Because Christ will return bodily and visibly just as he ascended. And on that day, the dead in Christ shall rise. On that day, faith will become sight. On that day, every sending and every goodbye finally gives way to resurrection and reunion forever.”

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St. Paul Lutheran Church Harlingen, Texas This sermon · AI assistant

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